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.”