The most memorable houses convey a strong impression of the people who live within them, reflecting their owners’ interests, enthusiasms and heritage in details large and small. So, it’s no wonder that this bespoke, newly constructed residence is the talk of its South Florida neighborhood: It perfectly mirrors the lucky couple that calls it home.
This is true beginning from the exterior. Conceived by architect Mitchell E. Miller, the structure, with its extended eaves, sky-blue shutters, creamy façade and shingled roof, projects a coastal sheen that nods to the seaside locale. That impression is underlined by its shipshape construction, courtesy of general contractor Dan Wilberding, who took his clients’ wishes for a solar energy system and heated bathroom floors (both typical of homes in their native Norway, but less so for residences in Hobe Sound), and meticulously delivered.
Meanwhile, oversize sliding glass doors chosen to erase the boundary between indoors and out, give way to gardens thoughtfully designed by landscape architect Steve Parker. Catering to the homeowners’ active lifestyle, the property boasts a pool, sauna, bocce court and its own putting green. And, in tribute to their favorite colors, Parker emphasized blues and reds in his composition, dotting the hues around the lush landscape via dwarf ixora, red-tipped cocoplum, flame-red bougainvillea and plumbago auriculata, to name a few.
When it came to the interiors, designers Jackie Armour, Taylor Ehrlund and Eden Tepper similarly let the couple’s go-to palette lead the way. “They love red, white and blue,” echoes Armour, noting that the wife is rarely seen without cerulean polish on her nails. The hurdle was incorporating these colors—which compose Norway’s flag as well as the United States’—into the decor without tipping over into Americana territory. The team’s solution? Clad the entire intricate living room millwork program (walls; trim; ceilings; built-ins) in the same nuanced shade, thereby avoiding any stars-and-stripes- suggestive contrast. They settled on a tranquil gray-blue that channels the weathered, painted wood tones seen in traditional Scandinavian interiors in the subtlest of fashions.
This same cool, steely hue envelops the adjoining kitchen, transforming the workhorse space into a perfectly elegant partner for the living room. “Because they made it clear they were not color adverse,” Armour says, “at one of our first meetings, I asked if we could be bold and not have a completely white kitchen. And they said, ‘Yes, we would prefer it.’ That was really the starting point, and our design emerged from there.” Adds Ehrlund: “They were very open-minded to almost every idea we suggested. They didn’t flinch at anything.”
The designers’ choice to wash the space in a single, subdued tone also provided the perfect foil for a generous dose of lipstick red as the accent layer. Witness the living room, where crimson threads through the draperies and throw pillows, skips across the accessories displayed in the built- in cabinetry shelves and commands attention in the custom-tinted glass tops of the cocktail tables. At the same time, judicial dollops of dark blue (see: the living room sofa; the painted wood dining table; the husband’s office walls), provide additional grounding for even bolder moments of red throughout, like the guest quarter’s fire engine-hued spool beds and the powder room’s floating vanity replete with ruby lacquer.
The distinctively vibrant framework also allowed the designers to layer in playful patterns, from exuberant botanicals to whimsical toiles to nostalgic marine scenes. A flurry of small and delicate prints on textured weaves rounds out the mix, offering yet another homage to the couple’s roots. “These elements feel artisanal and vaguely Scandinavian,” Armour notes, pointing to details like the dining chairs’ charming mix of dainty floral and ticking stripe upholstery.
Of course, all of this design wizardry is made possible by the Florida setting, flooded with light, air and tropical foliage. “The views and greenery also work to neutralize what’s happening inside,” says Armour, who recognizes the precise alchemy required for this thoroughly custom home. “Builders call this kind of project an autobiography in sticks and bricks,” reflects Wilberding, adding, “I think that is the real success of this house. It is a true reflection of the owners.”
