Palm Beach Panache
A quintessential beach retreat à la Lee Robinson Written by Bridget Williams Photography by Eric Williams Rife with vibrant, tropical-inspired colors and patterns, Lee Robinson of the Lee W. Robinson Company has created a quintessential beach retreat for the Louisville owners of an oceanfront condominium in Palm Beach. The Lilly Pullitzeresque theme is introduced at the point of entry, vis-à-vis a lively treillage bamboo wallpaper from Thibaut installed above the chair rail. Near the front door, a powder room has been turned into a jewel box with a furniture-style vanity faux-painted to resemble green embossed leather and metallic tropical-inspired wallpaper from Clarence House. The gentle sound of running water emanates from a wallmounted fountain with an aged patina located at the start of a long hallway that nearly spans the entire length of the unit and culminates in a picturesque view of the pool and the breaking waves of the Atlantic. Overhead, mirrored insets in the coffered ceiling amp up the drama. Situated at the midpoint of the hallway and just outside the arched entryway to the living room is a built-in wet bar with a Lee Robinson signature design element: wire mesh grates with fabric backing in the upper cabinet doors. 86 slmag.net
A fitting color palette of coral and sunny yellow can be found in the spacious living room. Healthy bromeliads fill a pair of large stone planters on pedestals that reside in opposite corners of the room. The room displays a fine attention to detail: a diamond pattern in the wall paneling under the window casement, which is repeated in the lower cabinet doors of the built-ins; upholstered window cornices and exquisitely tassel-trimmed drapery (“Neptune’s Treasure” from Scalamandré); subtle strié wallpaper; and thick brush fringe trim on the matellise-style upholstered armchairs. Construction of the built-in entertainment bookshelves mimics the wet bar and serves as a repository for charming family photographs and other treasured mementoes. Asian influence of varying degrees is expressed in nearly every room, evidenced by a pair of vase lamps in the living room. Chinoiserie-style wallpaper with a predominantly yellow background in the dining room perpetuates the home’s sunny disposition. Underfoot is a green and white needlepoint rug with a diamond pattern that is repeated in the basket-weave caning on the backs of the dining chairs.
