Palm Beach Residence

The design for the Palm Beach Residence is inspired by the qualities of its site: a two acre parcel of land on the Atlantic Ocean in Palm Beach, Florida. Its linear proportions constantly orient one towards the ocean or to the east. This linear theme repeats at different scales on the site and often appears in the vegetation. A variety of patterns and highly tactile natural materials abound. On the site, one continuously senses blueness; the sky, the pool and the ocean seem to reappear as you walk from room to room.

The historically landmarked, 18,000 square foot Streamline Moderne house was designed in 1936 by Maurice Fatio. The original house was a sensitive integration of site and architecture. It was designed to maximize the perception of the natural beach environment with a series of open-air living rooms, covered terraces and breezeways. These utopian Floridian living conditions were reinterpreted in the project. The project redistributes the existing layout of rooms and adds a beach-side living pavilion, a covered pool side terrace and a series of cascading garden stairs and fountains. The primary elements used are onyx panels, louvered pivoting doors and blue macauba stone walls. These translucent linear elements dissolve edges and re-capture the tropical genesis of the original house and its site.