Peek Inside An Updated Historic Home In West Palm Beach

On a charming street in West Palm Beach, designer Amanda Reynal and her husband, Michael, discovered a 1925 property for sale. Historically designated and rich with original materials—Dade County pine floors, plaster walls, a barrel-tile roof—the residence offered exactly what the couple gravitates toward. “We’re ‘old house’ people,” Amanda laughs, noting their longtime home in New York’s Catskill Mountains dates to 1886. What especially sealed the deal, though, was the generous lot, which allowed room for a pool and an accessory structure with a cabana. “That was a goal of mine,” the designer reflects. “I’d always dreamed of having a house where you could live indoors and outdoors simultaneously.”

From the outset, Amanda envisioned a look that leans tropical but not beachy, embracing Palm Beach’s iconic palette. “I’ve always loved variations of pink and green together,” she says. “It’s the most sophisticated but uplifting color combination.” Functionally, the property needed to support everything from polished dinners to casual afternoon grilling, whether for the empty nesters alone or when their two sons visit. “Because it’s our primary residence, I wanted it to have both sides of the coin: formality mixed with informality,” Amanda muses. “I wanted it to feel grounded and permanent but still unexpected.”

Although the interior had been lightly remodeled, “It didn’t have significant architectural details to give it a sense of place and local character,” the designer says. She enlisted the help of architect Kristin H. Kellogg, who guided a more considered renovation that included thoughtful touches such as latticework on the entry’s soft lettuce-green walls. “Amanda is bold with her colors,” adds the project’s general contractor, Sean Counihan. “She can take a historic home into present day without disturbing its integrity.”

That confidence is arguably most apparent in the kitchen, which the team reconfigured, doubled in size and outfitted with pink cabinetry and mint-green quartzite countertops. In lieu of a large island, the designer opted for a more modest scale to make room for a console table near glass-fronted cabinetry that contains beloved tabletop heirlooms. “The kitchen is fun and inventive and has a sense of playfulness,” Kellogg observes. “You see all of Amanda’s beautiful things on display and understand she values family, history and a continuity of storytelling.”

Between the kitchen and the family room, the team devised a glamorous wet bar with chocolate-toned cabinetry, pink marble countertops and a feather-patterned wallpaper that pulls in tones like greens and blues from the adjoining spaces. Hues gently shift throughout the layout, but a guiding principle prevails: “I love grounding every space in something natural and textural,” the designer says, pointing to the primary bedroom’s braided wallcovering.

The interior’s ambience also evolves gradually, moving from the refined front living room to the relaxed coziness of the back family room. “We were able to reuse a lot of our furniture, because over the years, my design vocabulary has consistently leaned toward resort-style living,” Amanda says, referencing the living room’s coffee table and reupholstered sofas. Rattan and vintage finds, like the kitchen’s antique chandelier, reinforce the importance of belonging. “I wanted everything to feel like it had been there for a long time,” she adds.

Outdoors, the same ethos prevails. The team installed a larger loggia, added a Roman-style pool, crafted an alfresco dining area and reimagined the once-overgrown grounds. Landscape architect Robert J. Bell introduced classic local plantings like clusia and pink bougainvillea, hibiscus and heliconia, creating “a secluded oasis that transports you to old West Palm Beach,” he describes. “It all looks like it’s been there forever. The details make it sing.” A Kellogg-designed accessory structure, housing Michael’s office and a spot for the couple’s Moke vehicle, echoes the main residence with its barrel-tile latticework and rounded details.

With Amanda’s parents and sister nearby, the Reynals relish hosting Sunday gatherings in the house they affectionately named Casa Tortuga, a nod to the designer’s love of turtles. “Most nights, I enjoy staying home and entertaining instead of going to restaurants,” she shares. “Every day here is a pinch-me moment.”