On our cover, Miami architect Tim Slawson and interior designer Fran Murphy, with offices in New Jersey and Key Largo, have collaborated on a bayfront tropical masterpiece in the Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo. Engaged to design a tropical house, that would seamlessly integrate into it's waterfront lot, the architect and designer renovated a 1970s house. By renovating, as opposed to a complete tear down, they were able to maintain the current elevation and avoid raising the house an additional four feet to meet new housing codes. This was essential to the integration. The exterior of the house is clad in 4-inch Keystone and trimmed in mahogany with a concrete shake material on the roof. Inside, Murphy used extensive mahogany millwork and built-ins, cool polished limestone, and a soft color palette, “with splashes of tropical color” for a sophisticated, island style. Slawson best described it as a “Caribbean governor's house.” It is truly special.

In another renovation, Palm Beach designer Cindy West Ray completely gutted an oceanfront condominium for a Toronto couple. Tasked with opening up the apartment to take advantage of the spectacular views and provide complete interior furnishings, Ray went straight to the concrete. She designed clever built-ins that are at once, functional and striking. She chose exotic woods, stone and glass and used unique fabrics that are “earthy and beachy, sophisticated and glamorous.” Interior designer Toby Zack was also commissioned to renovate an oceanfront condominium. Toby's designs have become synonymous with clean, minimalist environments and this apartment is no exception. Soft whites, ecrus and taupes, are contrasted with rich woods and stainless steel accents. She used stacked-limestone columns to delineate spaces, without obstructing the ocean views. It is stunning modern design. Winter Park residential designer Phil Kean is also a fellow modernist. A devotee of the mid-century modern movement, Kean designed a house to interact with nature. Although it is essentially a house of glass, Kean managed to maintain a warm, organic aesthetic through the use of natural materials and an intrinsic relationship with nature comes through loud and clear.

In Vero Beach, a hurricane-inspired renovation of a John's Island house was executed by Boston interior designer Jim Gauthier of Gauthier-Stacy. In addition to updating the interiors, Gauthier was charged with opening up the house for a smarter flow and making the house a bit less formal. Toby Hill, who built the house originally in 1993, was again called on to handle the renovation. The house still maintains the classic, Georgian architecture that blends so easily with neighboring homes, but it now exudes a lighter, breezier decor in keeping with the lifestyle of the homeowners.

We have also included a second Georgian home, this time on the ocean in Delray Beach. Commissioned by Builder/Developer Mark Pulte of Mark Timothy, Inc. architect Benjamin Schreier of Affiniti Architects and Jeff Strasser of Marc-Michaels Interior Design have designed a classic home that beckons perspective owners. The astounding “spec house” belies its' new construction and instead is reminiscent of “Palm Beach in the Gilded Age.” Another waterfront classic home, albeit in the Mediterranean milieu, was designed by architect Debra De Leon of Village Architects and Iggy Cuba of Nu House Design. The design team has created an exciting and dramatic house appropriate to the ancestry of its' Spanish-influenced design. The details in this house are amazing. Finally, architect John Cooney, of Stofft Cooney Architects in Naples and interior designer Sharon Gilkey have joined forces to design a contemporary tour de force in Fort Myers. Bold forms and colors, both in the architecture and the furnishings make this house a true original. Enjoy!

Olivia Hammar, Publisher