Shades of White

Transforming a Hobe Sound contemporary from dark to light

WRITTEN BY ANN TAYLOR PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRANTLEY PHOTOGRAPHY

Surrounded by clusters of loblolly pines and tall palms are a house and guesthouse that stood empty far too long. Contemporary, in contrast to the Caribbean-style architecture of the majority of other homes in the South Florida private golf community, the property had been on the market for some time, waiting for the right buyer to come along.

That buyer fnally arrived in the form of a couple from Connecticut seeking a vacation home. The minute they walked in the front door and took in the soaring ceiling, open living spaces and the abundance of windows and glass doors that blurred the line between inside and out, they smiled.

Their smiles grew even wider once they followed the path around the rectangular pool with one sculpted edge to the guesthouse. With two bedrooms in the main house and two in the guesthouse, it was just the right size to welcome winter-weary friends and family.

Even though the linear architecture was a defnite departure from their traditional two-story center hall residence in Greenwich, they looked at one another and nodded in agreement. This could be the home away from home they had been looking for. However, before going a step further they decided to seek professional advice from Jackie Armour, president of JMA Interior Design in Jupiter.

“A good friend of mine introduced me to them four years ago, and we met at the house,” Armour explains. “I hadn’t even gone inside when I said, ‘This place is amazing.’ Architecturally, I could see that it had so much potential. The biggest problem was it was dark — dark foors and dark kitchen cabinets.

“As we walked around, we talked about what we could do here and there, changes that could be made,” says Armour, whose next step was to get the house plans and have a conversation with Kenneth Miller, the award-winning architect.

And herein lies a happy tale within a tale. Miller told the designer that when he frst saw the north-facing lot adjacent to the golf course in the early ‘90s, he envisioned a contemporary structure and began designing what he saw as the perfect house for the site.

He found clients who shared his vision, and as soon as the construction dust and noise were no more, they settled in. Years later, when it came time for them to move on, the house stood empty, waiting for the next owners. It just took longer than expected.

“It took someone like this couple, especially the wife, who was willing to see the possibilities,” says Armour, noting her client’s ability to look beyond what was there and embrace changes.

The transformation began with an all-white palette, which, Armour points out, appears easy to do, but isn’t. “Whenever I used to see an all-white house in a magazine I would think, ‘Oh, that’s a no-brainer,’ but I now know there’s a lot that goes into it. From an artistic perspective, it’s really very challenging.”

The frst challenge was what to do with the dark maple foors. Original to the house and in good condition, Armour’s solution was to have them bleached and whitewashed. Viola! They gleam. “The foors really turned out amazing,” the designer enthuses.

“We also gutted the kitchen with its dark maple cabinets and now everything is stainless steel and white, including the all-white dinnerware. The wife was going to replace the pendant lights over the island but I suggested that we paint them white and she agreed. It made a huge difference as now the kitchen has a very light, airy feel.”

The entire house shares the same feel, thanks to the client’s selection of furnishings that are sleek, sculpted and yes, white. Add vintage to the list, and Armour knew just where they needed to go — the Palm Beach Antiques and Design Center, where under one large roof two dozen-plus vendors offer ever-evolving displays of high-end furnishings, lighting, art and jewelry.

It was the right call.

“About 40 percent of the inventory in this particular antique store is mid-century modern, and the wife really wanted unusual furnishings. We found the bulk of what she was looking for there and everything just fell into place seamlessly,” says Armour.

So it’s time to take a mini-tour, beginning in the foyer, where a Lucite console table and large mirror with Lucite frame pair up to form a welcoming committee.

“We knew we needed something long for the entrance like the console, and it, along with the mirror, just happened to be at the Antiques and Design Center the frst day we went there. We both took one look at them, then at each other and together said, ‘This is it,’” Armour smiles.

In the center of the console is a striking coral sculpture. Created by gluing small pieces of coral together to create a work of art, it makes an instant and lasting impression.

Ahead is the spacious living, dining and kitchen area, all furnished in subtle shades of white with brilliant colors and subtle textures provided by Mother Nature as seen through glass walls supported by architectural beams.

The all-white theme continues throughout, including the patio, where a glass-top table with circular concrete base and sculpted vintagestyle chairs await.

Armour is quick to note that the vintage furnishings were custom-upholstered with stain-proof fabric, and will stand up to the stickiest of fngers and surprise spills. “Today we have so many more fabric options available that take wear and tear, but just to be on the safe side we did buy extra fabric.”

For the dining room, the wife chose a rectangular glass-top table with Lucite legs, accompanied by vintage Charles Hollis Jones chairs with similar style legs — the perfect match.

“We found the table in a modern furniture showroom on Designer’s Row in West Palm, and the chairs, which are super comfortable, in a nearby showroom. When we got the chairs they were upholstered in a bright green fabric, so we had them reupholstered in a shade of white,” Armour notes.

A pair of tall metal crane sculptures, circa 1970s, stand watch in a nearby corner. “We saw those on the very frst day we went shopping. The wife’s eye caught them because they were so unusual,” says Armour. “I remember her asking me if I thought we could use them somewhere. I said sure, let’s bring them home and see where they ft. It didn’t take long before they found their place in the living room.”

Another “fnd” that felt right at home from the get-go is the elongated metal sculpture over the freplace. “It’s an original Curtis Jere vintage midcentury modern piece from the ‘50s,” says Armour. “The wife and I were together at the Antiques Design Center when we saw it and, without hesitating, we both said, ‘This is going over the freplace.’”

The master bedroom, a half dozen steps up from the main living area, bears special note. With windows framing views of palm fronds, branches and birds perched among the foliage, there’s the sense of sleeping in a tree house.

Artwork that calls to mind blue waves accents the dining room, which features a rectangular glass-top table with Lucite legs and vintage Charles Hollis Jones chairs.

“The focus here is on what is outside, and we didn’t want to distract from that,” says Armour. “I loved the serenity of looking out and seeing nature. It’s very private and embracing.”

The designer confesses that from a very early age she wanted to be an architect. While growing up in Florida, where there was a steady stream of construction going on, she would ride her bike around the neighborhood, camera at the ready, and take pictures. “I was always fascinated with construction, so when I got to high school I signed up for a drafting class. I was the only female there,” she laughs.

When she enrolled at the University of Florida she realized she really didn’t love architecture, but interior design instead. Her design philosophy is simple. “I try to approach a project from a very holistic perspective by incorporating my client’s lifestyle and vision. That’s important to me because then I think your work becomes much more inspirational,” says Armour.

“The majority of our clients like new things; we don’t always have the luxury of fnding unusual pieces. I love what I do, and love it when I have clients who are so smart and creative. This house is so amazing because the wife just had great instincts and we were really able to connect and collaborate — it’s defnitely up there in my top fve favorites.” ❂

Tropical Tips

Jackie Armour’s Tropical Tips:

“I like to do a subtle tropical look with fabrics and fnishes, bring ing in sand colors and the blue of sky.”

“ We use a lot of natural greenery. Utilizing whatever is in your yard inside is a great way to create a tropical look. It’s easy, inexpensive and best of all, anyone can do it.”

“ I’m o bsessed with orchids — to me they scream tropical and the more the merrier.”