56 minute read
The Boca Interview
BRINGING BUSINESS HOME WRITTEN BY RANDY SCHULTZ Kelly Smallridge has been the epicenter of business recruitment in Palm Beach County for more than three decades
elly Smallridge almost passed on an interview with the place where she has spent her whole career.
Thirty-four years ago, she had answered a classified ad in the Palm Beach Post from a little-known organization called the Palm Beach County Development Board. They wanted to speak with her on a Saturday. Smallridge, who had come home from the University of Florida, wanted to attend SunFest.
But her mother pushed her to take the interview, which led to a $23,000 job as director of membership sales. Now
Smallridge is executive director of the Palm Beach County Business Development Board (BDB), making about $350,000 and trying to exploit the pandemic migration in a way that reshapes the county’s economy.
“We are at a peak now,” Smallridge says. She’s never been busier. She recruits like a college football coach. She checks mega-mansion buyers for corporate connections. She cold-calls. “You may have kissed a million toads,” she says, “before you get the prince.”
Since getting the top job in 2004, Smallridge has received many awards. Among others, the Sun Sentinel named her Small Business Leader of the Year, and the South Florida Business Journal proclaimed her the “ultimate CEO.” In 2013, Rick Scott gave her the Governor’s Ambassador Medal.
Smallridge’s biggest accomplishment, though, may be streamlining the countywide business recruitment and retention effort. Here is how she explains the respective roles:
Inquiries from corporations or CEOs about moving to Palm Beach County go to Smallridge’s office. So do questions about local companies that want to expand. The similar-sounding Economic Council of Palm Beach County is the business community’s advocacy group on issues. Example: the county’s consideration of higher impact fees for developers.
When an inquiry comes in, Smallridge and her staff ascertain what the company wants: location, amount of land or office space, workforce. The staff offers options.
When a company or individual expresses interest in a city, the BDB contacts local officials, such as Boca Raton’s economic developer director Jessica Del Vecchio or Sara Maxfield, who has the same job in Delray Beach.
Smallridge and her staff ask whether the city might offer an incentive, such as from Boca Raton’s economic development fund. They ask how the city could help with, say, expedited permitting. They may ask local officials to check out everything from schools to country clubs to veterinarians.
Then Smallridge and her staff set up interviews in each city where a company has shown interest. Company representatives make the rounds and decide.
“You don’t have 30 chambers [of commerce] and 39 cities going after the same deal,” Smallridge says. “They have
entrusted us” with putting cities in contention for a corporate move.
But the cities do this knowing that they might lose, right? Smallridge says, “We all do it knowing that we may lose.”
Del Vecchio calls the partnership with the BDB “phenomenal,” adding that she learned much from Smallridge about setting up the city’s office. Corporate inquiries also come to Boca Raton directly, Del Vecchio says, after which her office contacts the BDB. “The best way to describe it is ‘efficient.’”
Smallridge says her organization ultimately doesn’t care if a company goes to Boca Raton, Delray Beach, West Palm Beach or Palm Beach Gardens: “Nothing changes in my world.” It matters only that the company comes to Palm Beach County.
But it can matter to mayors. They call Smallridge, asking why their city missed out. She explains. The company wanted more office or land than the city had available. An executive had a family connection to a city. “The CEO,” Smallridge says, “drives the decision.”
Sometimes the script gets flipped. Smallridge recalled that Cancer Treatment Centers of America originally wanted to be in West Palm Beach. As negotiations progressed, however, land became available in the Park at Broken Sound, and the company chose Boca Raton.
Despite its enviable corporate tax base, however, Boca Raton is at a competitive disadvantage in one area compared to some other cities in the county. Smallridge points out that there
is no new “five-star, Class A office product” that many companies are seeking.
Predictions of post-pandemic high office vacancies, she says, don’t apply in Palm Beach County. West Palm Beach and Palm Beach Gardens are benefiting from new office space. The Business Development Board’s Wall Street South campaign has brought financial firms to West Palm Beach.
Smallridge says Boca Raton has “a lot of strengths” when going after companies. Among other things, the city already has numerous corporate headquarters—including technology firms—its own airport and a higher education cluster of Florida Atlantic University, Lynn University and Palm Beach State College. There’s an “educated workforce.”
Boca Raton, though, also has
There’s a huge sentiment among this generation that it’s not the corporate ladder that they’re looking for. ... It’s the work/life balance.”
Smallridge introducing former HUD Secretary Ben Carson at a BDB luncheon
LEN EYESTONE/THE PALM BEACH POST VIA ZUMA WIRE
THE PALM BEACH POST/ZUMAPRESS.COM
Smallridge at an event with Wellington business leaders
a major shortage of workforce housing and lacks what Smallridge calls “a vibrant downtown where you don’t need cars.” Delray Beach has that with Atlantic Avenue, but Smallridge says the city needs more “parking options.”
During the first 10 months of the board’s 2021-22 fiscal year, Smallridge says, about 65 percent of the new jobs went “north or central” in the county. One or two went south or west.
With Palm Beach Gardens, Jupiter has emerged as a draw for young workers. Smallridge believes it’s because so much of the city’s entertainment area is waterfront, offering an amenity that other cities can’t match.
Corporate moves get lots of publicity, but a key part of the BDB’s mission remains helping local businesses expand and keeping them happy so they don’t make headlines elsewhere by leaving. Smallridge still recalls when companies such as IBM, Motorola and W.R. Grace shrank or left.
Roughly 65 percent of the BDB’s revenue comes from membership fees—the rest from the county under a contract that, among other things, requires the board to visit at least 100 local businesses a year “to make sure we address the needs of companies in our backyard.”
Smallridge says the BDB will focus on “targeted industries and mix it up every year.” They may hear from a local official or a chamber about a company that has “an issue.” Businesses need not be members to get a visit.
Looking ahead, Smallridge sees an added role for herself and the board. She wants to “join the conversation” about “issues of competitiveness” with state and regional competitors.
Those issues are transportation, housing and education. Rather than react, BDB representatives will start serving on organizations that set agendas and make policy.
Every company, Smallridge says, wants to know how its employees will get around and where they will live. Companies ask about education at all levels because schools and colleges produce their workforce. Smallridge praised School Superintendent Mike Burke, who had been the district’s CFO, for his eagerness to work with the BDB on how better to produce jobready high school graduates.
Smallridge also praised her predecessor, Larry Pelton, who resigned in 2004 after a controversy—not involving Smallridge—stemming from where Scripps Florida would go. But Smallridge also remade the BDB in her image, down to the business cards.
To succeed, Smallridge needed more than a work ethic. When she became the interim director 18 years ago, her mother left a career to care for Smallridge’s three sons. When she slept on the couch as a new hire 34 years ago, her father would bring her dinner.
To get that job, Smallridge had to impress “a room full of white men” who were considering about 200 other candidates. She bought her “first suit, from Burdines” and put her hair in a bun to look older.
Three people at the BDB, Smallridge says, now have the responsibilities from that first job. It’s hard to imagine a career path today starting where hers did. “I don’t know of a 21-yearold today,” Smallridge says, “that would ever do it.”
Who are your biggest competitors in Florida?
Tampa and Miami. Tampa has a very urban lifestyle that offers a good balance that’s attractive to a young workforce, and companies follow the workforce.
Miami because they have a very international gateway to the Americas. Companies are going to want those direct flights and that whole international ecosystem that doesn’t look anything like West Palm.
Who’s your biggest competitor outside Florida?
Probably the North Carolina area and Atlanta—areas that have big, empty plants available, which you don’t find here. If you look at these corporate relocations, the vast majority of the time there was a large land donation or a large grant, and we don’t have that.
What’s your biggest ‘get?’
The Wall Street South initiative that has attracted over 100 financial firms to the county is a huge win.
What’s the biggest one that got away?
Amazon’s second headquarters.
What’s the breakdown of your work between business recruitment and business retention?
Years ago, it was 70 percent growing what’s in our backyard. Today, after COVID, it’s 70 percent from out of state. We imagine that there will be a leveling off of economic activity. We imagine that it will go back to 70 percent retention and 30 percent recruitment. We’ve brought in a lot of people, and we don’t want to lose them.
Is all this activity because of the pandemic?
COVID did not cause this. It probably accelerated what would have happened within 10 years. It’s technology, and there’s something else.
There’s a huge sentiment among this generation that it’s not the corporate ladder that they’re looking at or the money necessarily. It’s a work/life balance. And Palm Beach County offers that work/life balance.
What’s the biggest challenge for the county?
No workforce housing, and if we don’t start getting busy in building supply, and if we don’t start getting serious about the necessary infrastructure to support this onslaught of growth that we’ve had, we will lose what we’ve worked on creating over a 10-year period.
All in La Famiglia
Standing, from left, Elisa, Vincenzo, Daniela and Alessandro Tufano; Sabrina and Eric Distelhurst, Mark, Giulia and Gina Merklein; Front row, Vincenzo Gismondi, Dante Distelhurst, Rosaria Gismondi with Alessia Distelhurst, Olivia Merklein
All in La Famiglia The Gismondis mix tradition with fun for a memory-making Christmas each year
WRITTEN BY MARIE SPEED
hen it comes to celebrating Christmas, the Gismondis think big. They have to, with 24 family members (and one on the way). Longtime owners of Arturo’s, arguably the first fine restaurant in Boca Raton when it opened in 1983, the Gismondis moved here from New York in 1991 to help run the family business. (See sidebar.) At the time, it was Vincent and Rosaria, and five daughters, the youngest three months old. Today, that number has grown to many times that, with husbands and grandkids, not to mention mothers-in-law and assorted extended family members.
We talked to Vincent and Rosaria and two of their daughters on a rainy day in the cozy alcove bar at Arturo’s about how their family celebrates Christmas; daughters Giulia and Elisa, Arturo’s pastry chef, talked about the holiday, from panettone to pajamas—and more.
Alessia and Dante Distelhurst
What about Christmas Eve?
There is very little Christmas Eve, as it turns out, for the Gismondis, as Arturo’s is always packed that night. Rosaria says that evening is celebrated at one of the daughters’ houses, and the whole-family holiday really starts Christmas day (if you don’t count the late-night ritual of stuffing presents under the tree after the kids go to bed).
I asked about the seven fishes tradition, where many Italians prepare feasts using seven different fishes on Christmas Eve, but it’s not something the Gismondis really do, although Vincent has a theory about why Catholics choose fish on holidays.
“Do you know the real story of why in Christianity we eat fish at Christmas?” he says, his eyes twinkling. “St. Peter had a brother and he was a fisherman. And business was very slow because most of the Romans ate meat all the time. So he tried to help his brother, and he said we’ll make a day, Christmas, to eat only seafood.”
He says it was “hearsay” of course, as his daughter Giulia rolls her eyes.
Gift giving Buying gifts for upward of 20 family members is not for the faint of heart. Although Rosaria depends on the individual daughters to give her lists, she does all the shopping like a warrior in a two-day spree that might be perilously close to Christmas. But she does it.
“I always give a special gift [to the family] that will be the surprise. Many times I give tickets to see a show or a big game, trips to Italy—one big thing for the whole family, a small gift for every one. I make a list and do it the week before, and go two days and buy everything…”
One of the tasks is hiding all those gifts from the children.
From left, at a past Christmas, Dante Distelhurst, Daniela Tufano, Olivia Merklein, Anthony Palmieri, Gina Merklein, Rocco Gisonda, Luca Palmieri, Cristian Palmieri Dante Distelhurst under a Gismondi tree from years past
“We hide all the gifts beforehand. We have to put them out Christmas Eve night when the children are all in bed, so when they wake up on Christmas they see all the gifts. The little ones still believe in Santa, so hiding all the gifts is a challenge—you have to lock the doors.”
Décor and tradition
Every year, the family decides on a general theme for the dining table decor and the pajamas (more about that later). One year, it might be a plaid motif, another a blackand-white checkered look. But it’s always a thing, and it is meticulously carried out.
Not to mention the tree
“Every year the girls want to make sure we do the same thing, because they want their kids to grow up the same way they grew up. So there are no changes,” Rosaria says. “You have to have the biggest Christmas tree—
AARON BRISTOL The meat and cheese board
Arturo’s
Arturo’s does it up for Christmas, and nothing looks better at this white-linen fine Italian restaurant than the 80 poinsettias placed everywhere, the festive window wreaths, and Elisa’s baskets of her line of liquores paired with baked goods.
Arturo’s set the standard for fine dining in Boca when the Gismondi family launched it in 1983. The Gismondi family, led by late patriarch Arturo Gismondi, hails from Sora, Italy, and opened its first restaurant in the states in Queens in 1957, establishing Arturo’s in Boca Raton decades later. Now, it’s become an institution in Boca and is known for its soft tinkling piano, its garden room, its impressive wine cellar and its black-jacket-and-tie waiters, all an homage to a white-glove dining standard that is rare these days—but a delightful change from the trendy (and loud) pricy “fine dining” go-tos that crowd the market now.
Do not miss the elegant torta primavera cart, the seafood antipasto, the fresh pastas— but you can’t go wrong with anything here. At Christmas, Arturo’s menu includes baccalà, a traditional codfish dish only made at Christmas. “It’s a tradition all over Italy,” Rosaria says, “but every region makes it a little differently. We do more of a stew with tomato sauce and peppers.”
And bakery chef Elisa Gismondi Tufano will also be showcasing her line of liquores from Tufano Liquore Company. “My husband and I are the founders of Elisa’s Creamoncello. We have three flavors: lemon, coconut and cappuccino,” she says. “These creamy liquores are enjoyed chilled or mixed into other cocktails. I also use them in dessert recipes.”
For more, visit elisascreamoncello.com. Elisa’s liquores and it has to be real. At least a 12-footer— and now that they are moved into their own homes when they come “home” [to us], they still expect to have the tallest tree.”
These days, the years of trudging from tree lot to tree lot to find the perfect tree are over. The Gismondis have a friend, who is a customer, who owns a Christmas tree farm in North Carolina, and they have the perfect tree delivered.
“I usually decorate the tree soon after Thanksgiving. … We have to wait for a few days before the branches open up, give it lots of water so the tree is hydrated, and then the biggest challenge is putting the lights on the tree,” she says. “So we always get Giulia and Mark, her husband—because he’s the tallest—to help.”
Vincent adds that they sometimes “get a broom, attach a barbecue fork to it so it’s longer to put all the lights on. It’s pretty funny.”
Giulia says they have so far “survived every year.”
The food There’s a reason the Gismondi family wears pre-ordered matching pajamas every Christmas. Dinner is no match for shirts that are tucked, pants that zip, belts that are buckled. After the family attends Mass first thing Christmas morning, regular clothes are banished and everyone changes into the pair of pajamas that is issued to them (that reflect the theme that year) to wear for the duration.
First up is an elaborate charcuterie platter (assembled the day before) and Champagne to hold everyone over while the gift opening begins.
“I have pajamas for everybody, and everybody is thrilled, because they can just relax ... and then the feast begins …” says Rosaria.
Vincent, who is the undisputed chef in the family, describes the menu.
“Once we sit down, we’re going to have the lasagna [Vincent’s mother’s recipe] that is traditional, going back many years. And then we’re going to have a stuffed turkey for tradition, but we’re also going to have a whole filet mignon with roasted potatoes and mushroom gravy; it’s got to be brown gravy. And we have rapini.”
Rosaria says, “All the girls have their favorites. Some of the girls like mashed potatoes, so we have to have those.”
Giulia adds, “And sweet potatoes as well and creamed spinach; my mother-in-law usually brings something like that.”
Rosaria and daughters, from left, Elisa, Sabrina and Giulia
The Family
The Vincent and Rosaria Gismondi families are:
Enzo and Elisa Tufano (top right) Alessandro Tufano (16) and Daniela Tufano (12)
Mark and Giulia Merklein (center right) Gina Merklein (13) and Olivia Merklein (11)
Stephen and Claudia Palmieri (not pictured) Anthony (10), Luca (8), Cristian (5) and Sofia (9 months)
Michael and Roberta Gisonda (not pictured) Rocco (4) and Michela (2)
Eric and Sabrina Distelhurst (bottom right) Dante (3) and Alessia (2)
Sfogliatelle and ciambelline al vino rosso are traditional pastries Elisa makes for Christmas
For dessert there are roasted chestnuts, store-bought panettone and an assortment of pastries typically served at Christmas, made by Elisa.
AARON BRISTOL
Torta di Fragole (strawberry shortcake)
Vincent also selects the wine from Arturo’s impressive 1,200-bottle cellar (which wins awards every year from Wine Spectator magazine), maybe a “Carlos Savina Barolo or an Amarone,” he says.
For dessert, there are roasted chestnuts, store-bought panettone and pandoro, a selection of Elisa’s pastries like torta di fragole, Sfogliatelle, ciambelline al vino rosso and a “typical holiday cake from my husband’s region, which is called pastiera Napoletana,” says Elisa.
Christmas dinner is a group effort, the girls say. Rosaria says the girls are “pretty much in charge,” but she and Giulia usually plan the décor (but Sabrina and Claudia also weigh in), Elisa is in charge of desserts and Vincent is the man with the menu. The family dining table seats only 16, so two children’s tables are set up in an adjacent room.
“The real challenge,” Vincent says, “is to make sure we have enough wine.”
By the end of the prolonged dinner, Rosaria says “the kids are still wild,” and the whole family sits down to play tombola or Italian bingo. “For money,” Elisa adds. The children call the numbers—and they have to be in Italian.
Giulia and Elisa say it’s another longtime tradition. “We used to play this even when we were little with our grandparents and our grandparents’ friends. It’s a tradition we try to pass on.”
And there are many, many calls to Italy that night, to in-laws and aunts and uncles, usually FaceTimed so everyone can see what everyone else has on their Christmas tables.
It’s a natural finish to a big day, with deep roots in Italian traditions, and to those the Gismondis try to keep alive over the generations. Giulia and her sisters are carrying on the family’s holiday magic, and she can recall one of her favorite memories from childhood.
“When we were younger, my grandfather from Italy would wake us up playing ‘Jingle Bells’ on the piano,” she says.
Tombola or Italian bingo
BOCA MOVING FORWARD
From technology to travel to tourism, recent changes in the city have been swift and unprecedented
Written by TYLER CHILDRESS and JOHN THOMASON
Something happened while we were sleeping through a global pandemic. Namely, Boca Raton ballooned. In just the past two or three years, the city has undergone seismic shifts in its cultural cachet, its travel infrastructure, its health care and tech sectors, its once neglected downtown. We were not exactly monochrome in the past, but now we’re in Technicolor. None of these improvements happened overnight. As editors of this magazine and its up-to-the-minute website, we have reported on the various minutiae that have led us to where we are today: the building approvals and ground-breakings, the capital campaigns and restaurant openings. Now it’s time to breathe it all in—to recognize how far we’ve come, and the people and places responsible for this progress. It’s long been a platitude in the business community that Boca Raton is South Florida’s best place to live, work and play. As the following pages explore, reality has finally caught up to the marketing lingo.
BRIC: A New Work Ecosystem
What it is: Outside of certain tech behemoths in Silicon Valley— you know their names—corporate headquarters have seldom been associated with lifestyle perks. But at Boca Raton Innovation Campus (BRIC), the largest office building in Florida, leisure, recreation and wellness are baked into the business cake. It’s a complex, sitting on 123 acres of land in northern Boca, that is sprawling enough to house its own Amenity Corridor complete with a 7,000-square-foot fitness center, a fully staffed health clinic, and an NFT Museum with rotating examples of digital art on high-def screens.
Paintings and photographs, often connected to local institutions like Lynn University and the Boca Raton Museum of Art, line the walls. Suspended from the ceiling of the on-site JAVA coffee shop is “Celestial Romance,” an installation of 350 aluminum starburst sculptures from the late sculptor Dorothy Gillespie. It is a work that most assuredly sparks joy, functioning like confetti captured in mid-descent, lightly swaying in the air conditioning. Walking around BRIC, you almost forget that people work here. What it was: The building’s provenance is storied. IBM, then the dominant entity in information technology, dedicated the campus in 1970 as a center for development, manufacturing and product testing. IBM’s General Systems Division operated a staff of 10,000, and during the pivotal decades of the ‘70s and ‘80s developed the IBM Personal Computer among other pioneering products. By the end of the 1980s, manufacturing ceased, and the building failed to live up to its potential. It took the CP Group, run by the foresighted developer behind such projects as Boca Center and Mizner Park, to realize its potential. The company bought the building in 2018 for $170 million and continues to infuse it with upwards of $100 million in improvements.
Looking to the future: BRIC is now almost entirely leased, with companies such as Modernizing Medicine, Baptist Health and Bluegreen Vacations calling it home. The tenants—and guests of the campus—will enjoy even more perks looking ahead. In the coming months and years, BRIC is set to open Boca Raton’s first food hall (punnily named Byte); a flexible event space that can seat up to 1,000; a verdant outdoor courtyard for relaxation; and a STEAM Lab. To make BRIC more welcoming to visitors, construction is underway on a new lobby and porte-cochère with a concierge, which will enter directly into the Amenity Corridor.
TOP: Art by sculptor Dorothy Gillespie descends from the ceiling at the JAVA coffee shop; ABOVE LEFT: NFT Museum; ABOVE RIGHT: Artwork adorning the walls at BRIC
"Silicon Valley … is now oversaturated and grossly expensive. We want to be a contender in that space. And in order to do that, we need to create an ecosystem so that employees want to go to an office building. Part of our master-planned 10-to-15-year vision for BRIC is to create that environment—an ecosystem with residential, retail, hotel, entertainment venue, grocer—amenities our existing tenants want today, but that the Apples and Googles will be attracted to.”
—Giana Pacinelli, Communications Director, CP Group
PAUL MCDERMOTT PHOTOGRAPHY
—Mark Larkin, president, Boca Raton Regional Hospital Foundation
Gloria Drummond Patient Tower
Boca Raton Regional Hospital: A Promise Worth Keeping
What it is: Boca Raton Regional Hospital is currently in the midst of a fundraising campaign of historic proportions. The Keeping the Promise campaign aims to dramatically transform and expand the hospital to service the evolving needs of Boca Raton and its surrounding areas as the city continues to grow. So far, the campaign has raised more than $230 million of its $250 million goal, all donated from local benefactors dedicated to the health and well-being of the Boca Raton community. The hospital is a recognized leader in cardiovascular care, oncology, women’s health, orthopedics, emergency medicine and neuroscience.
What it was: In 1967, Boca Regional opened its doors as the first medical center in Boca Raton. It was borne of necessity after its founder, Gloria Drummond, experienced the tragic loss of both of her children. The nearest hospital at the time was in Boynton Beach, and the extra time it took for her children to get there proved fatal. Realizing a need in the Boca community, Drummond worked tirelessly to make Boca Regional a reality. The hospital started small, as a modest 100-bed medical center, but has grown considerably over the years and continues to expand.
Looking to the future: The Keeping the Promise campaign is just as much about renewing the old as establishing the new. Just this year, the hospital broke ground on its new Gloria Drummond Patient Tower expansion, which will feature 20 state-of-the-art operating rooms, an education suite for the community and physicians, five floors of critical care beds, and more. The addition is expected to be completed in 2026. Current hospital structures like the Marcus Neuroscience Institute will be renovated and expanded, with a new unit being dedicated to the research and treatment of epilepsy.
Brightline: It’s Electric
What it is: The moment has finally arrived: As you read this, Boca Raton’s much anticipated—and debated—Brightline station may well be open in its 38,000-square-foot space adjacent to the downtown library. Along with a sister station in Aventura, it marks the high-speed rail company’s first expansion from its original locations in Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. In Brightline’s five-year tenure, hundreds of thousands of riders have shuttled between these downtown hubs at speeds of 79 miles per hour. In addition to the speed, Brightline trains also represent the most environmentally conscious way to travel. The company’s goal is to take 3 million cars off the road annually, which will reduce the amount of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by 100 thousand cubic tons.
Patrick Goddard, president of Brightline Trains, has high hopes for the Boca station, which “happens to be positioned equidistant between two of our existing stations, in the densest part of South Florida, with so much to offer in terms of dining, hotel stays and attractions.” While Boca Raton tourists will likely appreciate the centrality of its location (Mizner Park is just across from the station), we residents are most enticed by an alternative to driving to Miami, which, in overpopulated post-pandemic South Florida, is not a trek we would wish on our enemies.
What was there before: No offense to longtime rail-travel operators Amtrak and Tri-Rail, but they are what they are: 20th-century locomotives with too few frills and too many stops. They are still a boon for budget-conscious travelers, but let’s face it; with Brightline single tickets starting at $17, it’s just more Boca than the others.
Looking to the future: The Boca Raton Brightline station will offer touchless turnstiles and a lounge for premium ticket holders, plus a full bar and food-and-beverage service onboard the trains, which are equipped with phone chargers and Wi-Fi. In 2023, the company’s long-awaited Orlando station is finally scheduled to open, reducing Boca riders’ commute to the City of the Mouse to just over two hours.
“Brightline will take 3 million cars off the road annually, which [emit] north of 100 thousand cubic tons of CO2. It is a large part of our purpose to get people out of their cars, and out of single vehicle use, and onto trains. Every time we fill a train, we’re taking a couple hundred cars off the highway, and we think that has a meaningful impact on the environment.”
—Patrick Goddard, president, Brightline Trains
—Andrew Duffell, president and CEO, FAU Research Park
Research Park: Tomorrow’s Tech, Today
What it is: Miami may be Florida’s burgeoning tech capital, but Boca Raton isn’t far behind. Florida Atlantic University’s Research Park is fast-becoming the local go-to for tech entrepreneurs who want to get their innovative ideas off the ground. The relationship between the university and the Research Park has ushered in a surge of developments in the field of health technology from companies that began as startups in the park and are now flourishing in their own spaces. The Park is also home to FAU Tech Runway, a rich tech business ecosystem that houses startup companies and provides them with the resources they need to scale larger.
What Boca’s tech center was: Boca first made tech history in August 1981 when IBM developed the first personal computer. The “Acorn,” as it was called, was the seed of Boca’s growth into a major player on the tech scene, and this focus on innovation helped drive the development of FAU’s Research Park in 1985. With a 70-acre space that serves as a research and development playground for new ideas, the park continues a long tradition of tech innovation in Boca Raton, a history that informs and inspires today’s entrepreneurs.
Looking to the future: One of the biggest priorities at the Research Park is keeping economic development local. The Research Park continues to add new businesses to its already impressive gallery of startups, and by working closely with the city to develop future economic plans, Boca is sure to benefit.
FAU's Research Park
—Ruby Childers, manager, Downtown Boca
ABOVE: Via Mizner, an urban resort area featuring Mandarin Oriental Hotel & Residences in Downtown Boca Raton.
RIGHT: Rendering of Wildflower Park.
Downtown Boca: Bigger and Better
What it is: Boca is finally getting the downtown it always wanted. Foot traffic in Downtown Boca has increased as more restaurants and a hotel (with more on the way) have come on line, more crosswalks have been added, and handy wayfinders line the streets showing the paths to shopping and dining, arts and entertainment. Palmetto Park Road is full of people dining, Mizner Park is jumping with community events and new diversions, and Royal Palm Place is cleared for a new hotel.
What it was: Prior to 1980, the area that is now Downtown Boca was sleepy to say the least. A land boom in the 1960s pushed development westward, leaving the city’s center neglected and in disrepair. A 1980 resolution made by the City of Boca Raton created the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency to oversee the development of the area and now, more than 40 years later, Boca Raton has become a vibrant scene of arts, culture and dining through the advent of Mizner Park (including its amphitheater and the Boca Raton Museum of Art), more recent downtown housing and dining, and more on the way. Rather than a loosely linked series of shopping areas, downtown Boca is starting to coalesce into one contiguous downtown neighborhood.
Looking to the future: Downtown
Boca continues to grow, bringing in new dining and entertainment options, businesses and tourism appeal. Foodies can look forward to the opening of new venues at Mizner Park, including Shaker & Pie, the recently opened Strike 10 Bowling and continued robust community programming for the cultural center and amphitheater. The upcoming Mandarin Oriental Residences & Hotel is on tap, as is a 144-room hotel to be built at Royal Palm Place. Another stop for nature-lovers will be the newly completed Wildflower Park, a welcome addition to Boca’s gorgeous green spaces.
COURTESY OF LION COUNTRY SAFARI
The day-to-day lives of animals and the people who care for them is more than a drive through the park.
WRITTEN BY MARIE SPEED
t’s a sunny morning in Las Pampas. Lancelot the Aldabra tortoise, well into his 90s now, barely raises his head as we crawl by in our SUV. A light breeze ruffles the slash pines, distant ibis wheel overhead, and all is at peace here at Lion Country Safari. Except for the million things that are really going on. We took a behind-the-scenes look at what is arguably Palm Beach County’s most beloved attraction with longtime PR Manager Haley McCann, who showed us a different perspective, from ill-tempered lady zebras to a very Zen chimp named Higgy, to love between the impalas and handsome Kawazi, a swoon-worthy lion. The vast drive-through safari park, which must have been ranchland 60 years ago, is now divided into seven zones with exotic names like Ruaha National Park or the Kalahari Bushveldt, and is home to 900 animals. It was the first “cage-less zoo” when it opened in 1967, and it is known for its conservation efforts, working closely with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) to achieve breeding herds, and even bring back some populations, like the scimitar-horned oryx, from the brink of extinction.
But what about the everyday drama? We asked McCann how things really work, from stormy weather to heartsick rhino love.
HOW THE DAY STARTS
This morning, we meet greater rhea Newman, who has enormous blue eyes; tiny impala calves newly born; an extremely handsome eland named Blue; and the new bongos, Makumi and Bacari. But it’s all in a morning’s drive-through for the keepers…
“Each day, we have an early morning inspection and do a count. The keepers know their animals so well, they know where they like to lay down and how they like to sleep—for example, the chimps are on island habitats overnight. … The keepers know the chimps’ individual quirks or preferences; some chimps prefer to sleep on top of the shelter, some are in the shelter. So usually once you call their names they will in some way turn or acknowledge you. On cooler evenings in Florida’s winter, when they’re really bedded down in the hay and they don’t feel like really getting up in the morning, they’ll just stick an arm out of the hay bed and say, ‘I’m here, let me sleep, why are you bothering me?’”
WHO GETS TO WORK HERE?
“We have several keepers for the lion habitat, several keepers for the chimp habitat, antelope and hoof stock, rhino section. Our keepers have a variety of backgrounds; some have a lot of animal experience, some of them go to school specifically to be an animal keeper, and some have higher degrees in biology. They have quite diverse backgrounds.”
WHEN A BABY IS ON THE WAY
“When we see we are expecting a baby from an animal—our team is very good at recognizing those signs—we will relocate females to maternity areas, as they get closer to birth. We have maternity areas within the habitats, a quieter zone, that gives mom and baby a really good opportunity to bond as well.”
HOW YOU MOVE AN 8OO-POUND ANIMAL
“You’d be surprised how strong a motivator food is, either their regular food or extra-special treats. … and you just kind of herd them very slowly.”
AARON BRISTOL Clockwise from above, Haley McCann; the entrance to Lion Country; a herd of rhinos; Newman, a greater rhea; herd of greater kudu and Makumi, eastern bongo
COURTESY OF LION COUNTRY SAFARI
AND THEIR ANNUAL CHECK-UPS
“We keep detailed records on the animals under our care; those records start the day they are born. We will generally do a neonatal exam—we’ll weigh them to make sure they are healthy, and everybody gets some sort of ID number and a microchip.
We try to give everyone a health exam once a year, but at the same time we do not want to overstress an animal unnecessarily. We do routine health care “training” [practicing contact with animals through positive reinforcement, like food] with lions, rhinos, giraffes. These are massive species, so we do regular training with them, so if we need to do a blood test or something, it’s not stressful to them. We always pair it with positive reinforcement, so they’re coming up and choosing to participate, which gives us enough time to give them an injection or take a blood draw.”
NEW KID ON THE BLOCK
“Anytime we work with another accredited zoo—for example, to get a new male that will bring more diversity to the genetics of the herd—there’s a whole process that we go through. We only work with other zoos that are accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums so we know they are reputable. The first thing we do is relocate them to an area and put them under a quarantine period. Even though there is health testing before they leave the facility, we just double check before we introduce them to other members of their species to make sure they don’t have any health issues that could be contagious or of concern to the other animals in the habitat.
Then we start with introductions to members of their species under supervision and for short periods of time.”
THE MANE ATTRACTION
There are nine lions at Lion Country Safari, and a newly expanded habitat. It’s the only fenced-in part of the park, and McCabe says they are beginning to “formulate their breeding pride,” with three groups of males and one group of females. There are strict safety procedures here, and iron bars on the windows of trucks of keepers who monitor the habitat all day. It’s tricky to introduce male lions to one another, a process underway right
now with Masaba and his uncle, Atlas, whose son is K'wasi, generally considered drop-dead handsome and the heartthrob of the bunch.
“Lions are considered a Class I animal— an animal that would be a predator or dangerous—so there are strict protocols. They have their night house across the road. They go up there in the evenings and have their dinner there. There are nice little fans. They come out again first thing every morning. We actually have an elevated catwalk above the night pens so the keepers can control a series of doors to different areas.
We don’t want to introduce lions where we think there might be very serious fighting involved. That’s all part of the introduction process. We don’t move forward to the next step unless we’re seeing signs of behavior that they are ready to move forward and it’s not going to be a huge clash. But it’s super normal behavior for lions to scrap in the wild. Between females, between males, that’s standard lion behavior.
As they are establishing their hierarchy, they are going to have a little conflict and then they are going to decide who’s going to back down, who’s going to be dominant, but you can’t simply take two lions who don’t know each other at all and then just stick them together and expect it to go well. It’s not going to. It’s all about the slow, monitored introduction process. It’s all about being in tune with the behavior, knowing the animals you care for. Our lion keepers don’t need to even see who’s roaring; they know whose roar it is.”
RICHARD GRAULICH/THE PALM BEACH POST VIA ZUMA WIRE
RHINO LOVE AND AN AGING LOTHARIO
In an enclosure with its own shelter lives Buck, a “founding member” of the park who has been here since 1972. Buck is an aging rhino who, as is true for most male species, does not know how old he is when it comes to putting the moves on a girl. Which is partly why he gets to live out his golden years with plenty of TLC and privacy.
“Buck was a breeding male for many, many years. At this point he is in his early to mid-50s, which makes him one of the oldest rhinos in the country. Male rhinos are generally very solitary unless they are pursuing a female for mating.
Females are very tightly knit, and if they don’t feel like putting up with the males, they don’t mind telling them that—in a very rhino
AARON BRISTOL
Clockwise, from top: lion cubs Atlas and Mara, part of the zebra herd, southern white rhinoceros Blossom with her baby Ruby, and K'wasi the lion
COURTESY OF LION COUNTRY SAFARI way. At his age, with his arthritis and having slowed down, we don’t feel like he needs to deal with the level of drama that comes with a large group of female rhinos. We don’t want him to hurt himself trying to reproduce.
He also gets specialized geriatric care, [including] a spa day. [Rhinos can only roll in mud to protect their skin.] With his arthritis, he really can’t reach his back anymore, so his keepers will come in (rhinos are very tactile) and use scrub brushes; essentially, they are exfoliating him. We’ll also do the Skin So Soft, which has insect-repelling properties, and we finish with a nice little mudpack on his back. And then he gets to just rest and relax and nap the rest of the day. He is a really cool guy. …”
ZEBRAS CAN BE MEAN GIRLS
We always had an urge to nuzzle a zebra in its striped pajamas, but it turns out these are not the most friendly of animals, and the girls are always making trouble. In fact, throughout the course of our day, we learn there’s a lot of this sort of drama going on throughout Lion Country—and most of it revolves around either sex or food.
“[Herds of zebra have cliques] with ranking females, like lions. … There are a lot of things that go on, a lot of drama there as well.
We use the stripe patterns to identify the different zebras, and we have a book in our keeper complex that has a picture of every single zebra’s face in it, so if we’re trying to find a specific individual we can figure it out. Our dominant stallion, Billy Ray, is easy to tell apart because he has a different [short and spiky] mane from everybody else.”
RUBY BABY AND OTHER TALES OF LIFE
The newest zoo star, baby Ruby the rhino, was still in the maternity pen with her mother when we visited. But very cute and very sleepy.
“The rhinos come out of their night area every morning and voluntarily enter our chute system [part of the way keepers can readily access the animals]. We always do this kind of positive training with food involved. [It’s how] we do regular weights with the rhinos, quick checks of their feet, medication distribution or injections and blood draws. It’s very important when you’re dealing with an animal that weighs 4,000 pounds or so for us to safely be able to do this in a way that is not stressful on our staff
or the animals. Thanks to that chute system we actually caught a rare kind of cancer in one of our rhinos that we were able to treat. She’s now in remission and has been for years. What initially presented as a little wound or abscess of her soft tissue outside of her horn turned out to be an enormous tumor that was growing in the soft tissue and up through the center of her primary horn.
Had we not had that good relationship and hands-on care with the rhinos, who knows if that would have been caught early enough to do something about it?”
MONKEY BUSINESS
The chimp islands are complex social groups, each headed by a male. And were once the home of the now-famous late Little Mama, of whom Jane Goodall was a fan—once the oldest known chimp in the world. Today, the oldest girl is Swing, 54. The chimps are cared for and observed by a team of professionals, including Dr. Tina Cloutier Barbour, a doctor of evolutionary psychology who specializes in chimpanzee aging.
“We do not put two alpha males on the same island at once—there would be a lot of aggression. The biggest challenge is just kind of keeping a finger on the pulse of their social systems because they are always fluctuating. And they are so important to their social systems, just keeping track of who’s angry with whom, what’s going on, who’s best friends this week and who’s in estrus—because that changes their behavior entirely. It’s like a constant soap opera/chess match.”
AND THE DOCTOR’S FAVORITE
Cloutier Barbour says, “I try not to have one. But then there’s Higgy on Island 3 over there. He’s just been such an influence on my life. He’s a magnificent alpha. Watching him work is a pleasure. For example, his group is going through some difficulties right now. Janice is younger, and she is trying to move up in rank over Jen, who is older and the matriarch of that group. There was some conflict between them earlier in the week, and Higgy—it’s like watching a maestro in an orchestra—he’s just ‘you’re allowed to come here but not this much closer’ or ‘you don’t look at her that way.’ The alpha’s job is to keep peace, even if there is some aggression.”
COURTESY OF LION COUNTRY SAFARI
Clockwise, from top, Higgy, an island leader, Tuli, one of the park’s giraffes, Larry, a whitehanded gibbon monkey, a group on one of the chimp islands, Dr. Tina Cloutier Barbour, and Irene carrying Tonk
AARON BRISTOL
PARK WITH A HEART
“Lion Country Safari was the first one that implemented cardio mobile monitoring— and blood pressure monitoring as well," says Cloutier Barbour. “Cardiac disease is the No. 1 cause of mortality in chimpanzees—it seems to impact our male chimps more than the females.
Swing, our oldest chimp, was retired from a lab many years ago. There was a researcher named Linda Koebner who was really interested in figuring out if chimps could be rehabilitated and learn how to be chimps after being in laboratories. The only place that was willing to give that a try was Lion Country. So the initial six or seven retired laboratory chimps—Swing was one of them—came here to try to integrate with ‘normal’ chimps and be social. It was successful here. [After that] they were able to found the National Chimp Sanctuary and Save the Chimps and the Center For Great Apes.”
BASHFUL
Driving toward the giraffe herd, McCann says “The challenge of giraffes is working with their needs. Some of the giraffes are very particular. They are very wary. For example, when they are ready to walk through the chute they don’t even want you to look at them.
“They are also prone to heart-related concerns later in life, as the chimps are. Theirs is more related to the fact that their hearts have to work so hard to pump 6 feet against gravity to their heads.”
WEATHER WOES
“We have protocols and procedures for heat and cold and hurricanes,” McCann says.
“We don’t have much of an issue with extreme heat; the animals are mostly from climates that have high heat and humidity. … the rainforests of South America, the plains of Africa. We do like to give cold treats: frozen Crystal Lite ice pops for the chimps, blood popsicles for lions, to give them opportunities to cool off. Sometimes we’ll set up the sprinklers for the antelope and the alpacas.
“Our cold weather protocols mostly affect our smaller species and our reptiles. We don’t want our cold-blooded animals to be exposed to temperatures that are too cold, because they are more sensitive. So we’ll bring them into the building, provide extra food, extra hay bedding. For most of the animals here, though, it does not get cold enough that we have to adjust much.
“We train for hurricanes all year round [the regular health care training that brings animals into their houses pays off here with treats and activities], so the animals that have secure facilities such as the lions, the rhinos and the chimps will go to these secure facilities. The hoof stock has different protocols. Because they are prone to flight or panic if something weird is going on, it’s actually more dangerous to try to contain them in a barn where they could hit a wall or seriously injure themselves. So they have a natural instinct to go out in the center of the pasture, find the low spots, turn their rumps to the wind and get away from trees and buildings. We open up access to buildings to give them freedom of choice, and this reduces stress on them significantly, which is one of the major hazards for animals. They ride it out better than we do.”
Dining area in Paige Pitts' featured house
STYLE FLORIDA & DESIGN
COUPES DE GRACE › 84 HOME TOUR: NATURAL STYLE › 86 THE COVER UP › 94 FALL PRODUCT SHOWCASE › 96
CARMEL BRANTLEY
COASTAL CHARM
The coastal aesthetic is everywhere, from websites to paint colors, celebrating light-filled rooms, sea-inspired hues, natural textures and more. Discover Erin Paige Pitts' fresh take on the idea, and trending products to update your look.
Tip The Balance
Symmetry enjoys major hype, with its perfect balance and predictable forms. But don’t discount the allure of more avant-garde and asymmetric designs—they’re often the most memorable and magical. That’s certainly true of the Narcisse collection by Baccarat. Imagined in 1971 by sculptor and furniture designer Boris Tabacoff, these off-center, fabulously faceted Champagne coupes appear to mimic narcissus as they lean toward the sun.
Narcisse Champagne coupes, $480/set of 2, Baccarat, us.baccarat.com
The millwork’s design added to the textural play of the space as it wraps the entire foyer and ascending staircase.
The clients craved a contemporary Bahamian style for the home’s exterior, so architect Gary Eliopoulos designed it with piers, classic black shutters and a gate that leads to an entry courtyard.
Eternally Elegant A maven of timeless design, Erin Paige Pitts (above) created a clean, freshly traditional aesthetic for a Boca Bay Colony home.
Written by CHRISTIE GALEANO-DEMOTT Photography by CARMEL BRANTLEY
lean-lined and timeless translate to fresh and fabulous when Erin Paige Pitts has her way. With nearly two decades of interior design experience, Pitts is a master of her craft and delivers custom, visually stunning spaces that are specifically catered to her clients’ lifestyles. For this Boca Raton residence, she worked with an empty-nest couple who wanted a warm and cozy home that also doubled as an entertainment pad for their visiting children and grandchildren. Pitts responded with many special spaces, including a spacious great room for gathering, an outdoor living area for entertaining as well as smaller, more intimate spaces for relaxing within the 7,000-square-foot home. The designer’s mastery of color, layering, lighting and millwork helped her curate a home that’s effortlessly timeless with contemporary details and a few surprises along the way.
The homeowners craved a serene color palette, so Pitts integrated predominately light icy blues, creams and grays with touches of pale greens and deep
TOP: Departing from typical South Florida marble, stone or porcelain floors, Pitts outfitted the home with rich walnut floors to appeal to her clients’ Northeastern sensibilities. A bright, contrasting backdrop helps deliver the home’s sundrenched, light-filled aesthetic. ABOVE: Pitt’s masterful millwork animates the great room’s impressive ceiling design.
A dramatic Visual Comfort polished nickel chandelier with a cream linen shade hangs above a Crate & Barrel table in the breakfast nook.
Pitts admits that while she likes white kitchens, she doesn’t like just white kitchens. There must be a twist, like the island’s end panel design and range’s backsplash.
The home’s tranquil blues-y color palette is reflected in the dining room, while pops of pattern add interest to the space.
blues. The focused palette creates a sense of continuity throughout the home, indoors and out, so that both the great room and patio spaces are decoratively linked and become extensions of one another.
“All the spaces need to have a relationship to one another. They don’t need to match, but there needs to be a cross relationship from space to space,” Pitts says. “When that’s done well, a house actually lives even larger because there aren’t defining separators.”
Applying a layered approach to color and prioritizing texture over pattern, Pitts teams a unifying palette with an assortment of layered textures to create spaces with depth. In the breakfast nook, for example, she combines the subtle textures of a Phillip Jeffries woven striped wall covering with the textured weave of built-in bench cushions. Two blue-and-white Wisteria woven chairs sit with a walnut table that complements the walnut floors below.
“It’s all these little elements dancing together in unison that makes a space interesting,” Pitts explains. “In good design it isn’t about one thing, it’s the well-considered way that all things work together that makes it successful.”
The first-floor primary bedroom’s décor is also layered with an upholstered Bernhardt textured headboard that mirrors the millwork’s linear design, tweed-upholstered benches and gray paneling referencing the gray in a textured Stark rug. Vibrant Euro shams pull the room’s color
LEFT: To accentuate a long custom vanity, Pitts created a tile runner with a mosaic inset and framed it with blue-grey subway tile.
BELOW: Wispy drapery adds softness while allowing the unobstructed views to take center stage.
The patio’s wood ceiling detail, reminiscent of the interior’s floors, gives the space an intimate, inviting feeling. Large sectionals ensure enough seating for the entire family.
story together and play on the rug’s geometric pattern.
In the kitchen, the island performs as the primary focal point. The base’s criss-cross pattern mimics the ceiling’s detailing, and by choosing different colors for its end panels, Pitts creates visual interest and depth for the space. Likewise, instead of choosing a single pattern for the backsplash, Pitts placed a vertical detail to the right and left of the range and then inset a chevron pattern in the center. This is how Pitts works her magic, layering details into her spaces to make them visually interesting and truly engaging.
The designer animated the home’s entry foyer with classic Northeastern millwork, as she did in the primary bedroom, where typical drywall is replaced with stunning vertical paneling that boxes over the bedside tables. Designed in a contemporary fashion, the foyer’s white semi-gloss paneling creates a backdrop that allows the furnishings within it to pop, including a mahogany Jasper bench by Michael Smith.“I didn’t want to make it too traditional, because it’s Florida, but I wanted to do it in a clean, transitional, fresh way,” says Pitts.
To brighten the home’s interior, Pitts chose statement lighting, mainly in polished nickel. From the duo Visual Comfort chandeliers in the great room to the Jamie Young kitchen pendants, the substantial pieces ground the spaces with delight. “I believe lighting is the jewelry of the house. I don’t like diminutive lighting,” she explains. “I like lighting that stands on its own two feet.”
Reflecting on the project, Pitts explains that the home looks now as it did on the design boards that guided the project. She attributes the success of the final product to her clients, who embraced the design process and trusted that Pitts was always working in their best interest.
A New LEAF
From dainty to dramatic, lush foliage offers a fresh alternative to wallcoverings’ full-blown florals.
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP:
Velvet Leaves in Ivory and Sage, Schumacher, fschumacher.com
Willow in Yellow, Lee Jofa, kravet.com
Coralie in Eau De Nil/Ivory, Sanderson, sanderson.sandersondesigngroup.com
Gilded Garden in Gold on Shetland Horsehair, Phillip Jeffries, phillipjeffries.com
Marakanda in Emeraude/Dore, Casamance, casamance.com
Weymouth in Leaf, Brunschwig & Fils, kravet.com
TAKE THE EDGE OFF
Rounded forms and curvaceous shapes are still big news in the design world, as they ease elegance and comfort into rooms throughout the home.
—Ross Hamilton, Founder, Hamilton Conte
1. Edgewater Lounge Chair, $1,498, Serena & Lily, Palm Beach, serenaandlily.com 2. Oliver Sofa and Seven Cocktail Table by Hamilton Conte, to the trade, J Nelson Inc., jnelsoninc.com 3. Newton White Console, $19,980, Boca do Lobo, bocadolobo.com 4. Harrison Bench, $2,395, Jayson Home, jaysonhome.com 5. Luna Fresca Blanket Roll, $86, Caminito, caminito.co 6. Clyborne Textured Ceramic Vases, $70 each, Crate & Barrel, Boca Raton, crateandbarrel.com 7. Calanova In/Outdoor Coffee Table by Palecek, price upon request, Clive Daniel, Boca Raton, clivedaniel.com 8. 60-inch Round Dining Table, price upon request, Clive Daniel, Boca Raton, clivedaniel.com
HIGH LIGHTS
Light up any interior space with statement-making chandeliers and pendant lights in unexpected shapes, styles and textures.
1.Solaris Chandelier, $3,150, jaysonhome. com 2. Ava Large Chandelier, $1,310,
Crate & Barrel, Boca Raton, crateand-
barrel.com 3. Ginko Collection by Andreea Braescu, pricing available by request, An-
dreea Braescu, andreeabraescu.com 4.
Chiffon Chandelier, $2,375, Bone & Brass, bonebrass.com 5. Gold 22 Light Chandelier, price upon request, Clive Daniel, Boca Raton, clivedaniel.com 6. Renwick Large Sphere Chandelier in Gild, $2,529, Aerin, Palm Beach, aerin.com 7. Sanibel Chandelier, $3,498, Serena & Lily, Palm
Beach, serenaandlily.com
—Jan Tschichold, designer, typographer and author
OFF KILTER
Want a stylish way to relax your room? Today’s asymmetric forms and unbalanced silhouettes deliver lively interest and a shot of informality to any space.
1. Ike Bookcase, $3,850, Jayson Home, jaysonhome.com 2. Hyperion Light, $3,769, Sklar Furnishings, Boca Raton, sklarfurnishings.com 3. Corby 23-inch Geometric Kilim Pillow Covers, $70 each,
Crate & Barrel, Boca Raton, crateandbarrel.com 4.
Andorra Wicker Pendant Light by Palecek, price upon request, Clive Daniel, Boca Raton, clivedaniel.com 5. Canephora Mirror, $3,970, Caffe Latte Home, caffelattehome.com 6. Odilia Curved Sofa by Randolph & Hein, to the trade, J Nelson Inc., jnelsoninc.com 7. Tears II Coffee Table, $9,500, Koket, Miami (by
appointment), bykoket.com
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SUSAN LACHANCE
