When New Jersey-based interior designer Suzy Moran’s family grew to include grandchildren, so did her desire to create a Palm Beach getaway that would not only accommodate them but also provide a beautiful, peaceful year-round retreat. She had a vision for creating a welcoming home, one where she could weave old and new into delightful combinations from room to room—where family treasures would touch a new generation and perhaps inspire a story to be told. It would also be a place where lush gardens would provide each room with a unique and dreamy view of continuous blooms and greenery. “My favorite part of being here is to have family with me—it is a gathering place,” she says. “The interior is meant to be comfortable, elegantly sophisticated, not trendy and, most importantly, a home where family and friends can truly relax, which is why all of the family room’s furniture is indoor-outdoor, worry-free and meant to be lived in.”
It was important, too, to both Moran and Finlay that the house fit quietly into the neighborhood’s existing architectural stew. “This house is in a tight neighborhood, typical old Palm Beach. So this style is contextual,” says Finlay, who designed the home with the help of Jay Valade, one of his partners at the firm. “And I wanted to create something simple and elegant that would leave a singular statement.”
The final structure, completed in 15 months, looks as though it has been here among the old estates for years— an elegant white stucco home, capped with a striking dark tile roof, a nod to the English country home. Inside, the symmetrical layout aligns with the Regency style of the 1800s, as well. “The intimate foyer opens to the living room and has a distant view to the pool area. It’s a transparent layout,” Finlay notes. “To the left is the kitchen and family and dining room wing that opens to the pergola and pool. The wing to the right has a guest suite, laundry room and a library that again opens to the pool.”
Acquiring the proper approvals for the 7,000-square- foot home took some creative problem-solving. A narrow lot, setbacks, neighbors on three sides, proximity to the road, and the requirement to build to hurricane code were all contributing factors. Adding a guesthouse to the garage also created more building challenges on the site.
“Suzy wanted the garage to be in the back of the house, and the lot is very narrow,” Woolems says. “So we had to figure out how to make the entryway visually appealing. When we got past that hurdle, then we had to modify the plans for adding a second floor for guest quarters. But nothing helps more in these situations than experience. We just sat down and creatively solved the issue.”
The other consideration in the plant layout, Lang says, was to have the garden blooming all 12 months of the year. “Suzy has a busy lifestyle,” he says. “Where some Palm Beach clients might only spend winters here, that was not the case this time.” Aside from getting plenty of use out of the house for entertaining family and friends, Moran also uses it for charitable events. Lush plantings include ficus hedges, Italian cypress, royal palms, mandevilla for the trellis, and lots of white jasmine.
Elegant simplicity is the best way to describe Moran’s personal design ethos. “And I am inspired by my travels, books, architecture and fashion,” she says. “I never know when a design idea will jump up and hit me.” Perhaps this creation makes the point perfectly.
—Anna Kasabian