As one couple prepared for an exciting move to South Florida from Chicago, they also understood it was no small feat. Along with finding a new house, they were uprooting their growing family and transitioning to an environment quite different from the Windy City. To welcome this next phase of life and ensure the succeeding residence felt like a continuation of home, the wife reached out to interior designer Marie Flanigan, whose work she’d admired for years.
In personalizing their Palm Beach abode, the clients relied on architects Roger Janssen and Patrick Mayfield as well as builders Dawn Aranda and Nicholas Wheeler. “The owners had a tremendous desire to refocus the floor plan around the kitchen,” Janssen notes. “For them, that’s really the heart of the home.” The bright and airy space acts as a central axis separating the main entertaining areas from the more private rooms. In addition, the kitchen reflects the couple’s desire to soften the structure’s Palm Beach influences with California touches, like creamy paneling, cabinets and marble balanced by a stone-blue range and wood counter stools.
“They wanted to be surrounded by the elements they were used to,” recalls Flanigan, who worked with interior designer Melanie Hamel. To evoke a more historical Chicago style while balancing the dwelling’s Colonial influences, the duo emphasized traditional detailing throughout. “Nothing is overly ornate, but warmth is built into the moldings, and everything has a leg, a skirt or a trim,” Flanigan observes. “There’s a lot of layering in depth and texture, but the palette stayed fresh.”
Home Details
Architecture:
Roger Janssen and Patrick Mayfield, Dailey Janssen Architects, P.A.
Interior Design:
Marie Flanigan and Melanie Hamel, Marie Flanigan Interiors
Home Builder:
Dawn Aranda and Nicholas Wheeler, AMC Custom Builders, LLC
Landscape Architecture:
Steve West, Parker-Yannette Design Group, Inc.
Styling:
Jessica Brinkert Holtam
Chai Ming Studios and A. Rudin armchairs face Honning’s Collector’s Table beneath the living room’s Julie Neill chandelier. The pillows wear Rogers & Goffigon linen, while ottomans are in House of Hackney’s Plantasia textile. Visual Comfort & Co. sconces frame Kevin Gillentine art.
A Lacanche range adds a dose of blue to the kitchen, surrounded by cabinetry coated in Benjamin Moore’s Wind’s Breath. The Urban Electric Co. sconce matches brass accents while illuminating the cooking space.
Century Furniture’s Jennet counter stools in Elizabeth Eakins fabric pull up to the kitchen island. The Urban Electric Co. chandelier fills the space above. The Roman shades are crafted from a Fabricut textile, Kravet lining and Pindler band.
Tuell and Reynolds’ Mendocino chandelier crowns the dining area, outfitted with Bibbings & Hensby chairs and a Keith Fritz table. Holland & Sherry’s Greenwich sisal wallcovering partners with draperies composed of Morris & Co.’s Pure Acorn linen.
The Joseph Company upholstered the family area sectional in a C&C Milano print. The Hickory Chair coffee table sits on a Retorra rug beneath a David Netto light for Soane Britain. Katrine Hildebrandt art and Currey & Company lamps complete the scene.
De Gournay’s Plum Blossom wallcovering panels a jewel-box powder room. Orrefors textured-glass sconces from Remains Lighting Company are mounted on both sides of a 1700s walnut mirror from 1stdibs.
Segreto decorated the primary bedroom’s walnut panels for Dmitry & Co’s Brampton bed. A Christopher Spitzmiller lamp rests on a nightstand by The Joseph Company, with Rejuvenation knobs, atop a floor covering from Rug Mart.
Mark Alexander’s Medina wallcovering balances the deep tones of a powder room’s vanity. The pattern also serves as a backdrop for The Urban Electric Co.’s Puck sconces and Schoolhouse’s walnut Graycliff mirror.
Displaying artwork from the clients’ collection, a hallway is wrapped in Phillip Jeffries’ Meditation Weave paper. The draperies are made of Kravet’s white Birley linen.
In the daughter’s bedroom, the Coleen & Company lantern and sconces are colored Benjamin Moore’s Rose Bisque. The Little Design Co. ottomans complement the Serena & Lily bed, wallpaper and lamps. An RH bookcase, rug and nightstand round out the look.
Beside the pool, each cabana is adorned with lounge furniture from RH. One features the Belvedere daybed, while the other is arranged with Costa swivel lounge chairs and a concrete drum side table.
Painted Benjamin Moore’s White Heron and trimmed in the brand’s Chantilly Lace, the home’s exterior is studded with sconces from Bevolo Gas & Electric Lights. The front lawn, envisioned by landscape architect Steve West, incorporates tropical foliage in a manicured tone.
The formal living room, wrapped in oak paneling, deftly strikes the tension between classic and contemporary. “All the wood paneling and trimwork brought in a traditional Chicago-inspired design,” Wheeler says. Adds Aranda, “It is the kind of detail that tells a story.” This sentiment carries into furnishings like the glass-topped coffee table, which incorporates a leather-lined drawer for treasured objects. “The couple can display meaningful items without worrying about the children touching them,” Hamel points out.
These functional considerations ensure the house is equal parts lovely and livable. Take the dining area, where the team opted for Colonial-style wood chairs with no cushions or upholstery. “This way, the owners enjoy the beauty and elegance of a crafted piece but don’t have to worry about spills or wear,” Hamel explains. They also leaned on performance textiles in high-traffic zones and stain-treated statement pieces, such as the family area’s soft-blue sectional.
The primary suite, on the other hand, became a place to indulge in sophistication and comfort. Envisioned as the couple’s getaway, it features lush velvets and supple textiles alongside traditional fixtures, like a gleaming candelabra. A vaulted cypress ceiling adds height while further cocooning the space in warmth. “It feels cozy and enclosed, even though it’s a generous room,” Hamel describes. In turn, the bed tucks into its own niche backdropped by a walnut panel with a gold illustration, which was inspired by an antique screen and adapted to scale. “We wanted to create a moment around the headboard that felt impactful,” Hamel says. Those dramatic wood tones carry into the bathroom, where walnut forms the stately cabinetry. Here, marble tile also boasts elegant molding that parallels the ceiling trim.
On both sides of the homeowners’ suite, egresses provide effortless transitions to beautiful views of the exterior areas envisioned by landscape architect Steve West. A balcony on one end reveals a lush and tropical manicured lawn, while the back patio overlooks the pool and resort-inspired cabanas. “This sort of connectivity makes it a really special space,” Mayfield reflects. Indeed, the sense of connection throughout the whole abode—from the rooms and the surroundings to the family’s own story—is what turned this into an extraordinary place to create new memories.
The Joseph Company upholstered the family area sectional in a C&C Milano print. The Hickory Chair coffee table sits on a Retorra rug beneath a David Netto light for Soane Britain. Katrine Hildebrandt art and Currey & Company lamps complete the scene.