Veranda – March 2022

Optimism and a vibrant, joyful spirit run through each room of this year's spectacular project.

Vivid citrus shades, monkey mania, bold ceiling details, and exciting voyages deep in the jungle and into the depths of the sea: these are just some of the adventurous ideas playing out at this year’s Kips Bay Decorator Show House Palm Beach, where 24 top designers from around the country have come together to reimagine a 1920s Mediterranean Revival estate. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the home is quintessential Palm Beach—and its transformation is as refreshingly current as it is connected to the past.

Throughout are modern tributes to the local vernacular, from historic nods to local pioneers like Henry Flagler to artistic, exciting interpretations of the city’s trademark tropical flora and fauna, and cozy places of respite that reflect the city’s polished sense of ease and sophistication. But perhaps most resonant is a triumphant sense of optimism appearing in vibrant, happy hues ranging from bold yellows to tangerine, strapping blues to greens in every shade. A sense of jubilance rises anew, just in time for spring.

Plan your visit to experience the Kips Bay Decorator Show House this year from Saturday, March 5 until Sunday, April 3. Tickets start at $40 with proceeds benefiting the Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County. The Show House is open Monday through Sunday from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.

Nikki Levy Interiors’s “Petal to the Metal”
At first, Florida-based designer Nikki Levy was simply tasked with transforming the small bath on the second floor of the home. However, upon learning that the primary bathroom had gone unclaimed, she asked if she could take on that space as well—and the results were transformational. What was once a cavernous bath became a spa-like retreat filled with verdant color and exquisite finishes.

Levy cleverly covered the walls in an emerald vinyl abaca mural by Phillip Jeffries and continued the Asian-inspired floral onto the vanities, allowing the workhorse built-ins to become “pieces of art,” she notes. Likewise, a second natural wallcovering (also Phillip Jeffries)—this one a geometric pattern using authentic paulownia wood—trims upper cabinetry in a groovy veneer, like stunning historic marquetry. Meanwhile, radiant green tiles from Artistic Tile encase the room and showcase the invigorating power of the shade. “I see green as a neutral,” says Levy. “When you go outside and look at the trees, you’re not looking at green as green. You’re looking at the organic nature of it and allowing it to absorb into your psyche.”

Bathing the room in light is a series of magnolia blossom sconces by Currey and Company (that relate well to the gold finishes on Kohler fixtures and handsome countertops from Primestones) and a pair of windows dressed in soft linen Roman shades by The Shade Store.

Nikki Levy Interiors’s “Happy You’re A-Round”
For the small second-floor bathroom, Nikki Levy focused on balancing heavy materials with soft curves and scalloped details. The fluted vanity topped with Silestone Cala Blue quartz from Cosentino perfectly embodies this harmony between masculine and feminine. Levy notes the circle and half-moon motifs seen in the tiles (Artistic Tile) and the painterly

Phillip Jeffries wallcovering represents the “twirling of a child and their infectious joy.” The gold Kohler fixtures and pearl-like pendant light from Currey and Company serve as dazzling jewelry, dressing this bath in subdued, sophisticated elegance.