Modern Meets Traditional In An Impeccable Golf Cottage

In the 1960s, when this Florida gated golf community was being developed in the Palm Beaches, more formal lifestyles dictated that cooking, dining and entertaining be designated into different spaces.

Drawn in by the allure of the area, former fashion model Shauna Montgomery and her husband, international litigation lawyer C. Barry Montgomery, bought a cottage in the neighborhood — but they knew the purchase was all about the property. They tapped designer Suzanne Lovell to lead an update of the home.

Previously having worked with the couple, she envisioned an open floor plan showcasing a great room that combined the kitchen, living room and dining area under a vaulted, 24-foot beadboard ceiling.

“There also had to be a transition to the outside and the landscape,” says Lovell. “Otherwise you’d feel constrained.”

To that end, the team worked in floor-to-ceiling steel-framed windows and doors that welcome in natural light and views.

A kitchen resides along one wall of the great room completely undetected behind glossy white cabinetry. Its faucet retracts below the black granite counter, while a cutting board of that material fits over the sink and–voila!–it’s gone. A round lacquer table serves dining needs, and an all-white living area at center, warmed with tactile mixes of fabrics and materials, accommodates small or large groups.

“In a cottage like this, every fraction of an inch counts,” builder Eddie Naugle says. “The beauty of the great room lies in the little nuances you don’t see.”