Palm Beach Estate

A renovation of a Streamline Moderne oceanside estate honors its historical roots

COMPLETED

1996
(Cecilia Nichols, pre-Formwork)

LOCATION

Palm Beach, Florida

SERVICES

Architecture
Interiors

TYPE

Public / Residential

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

Rene Gonzalez

GENERAL CONTRACTOR

Woolems Luxury Builders

BACKGROUND

Designed by Maurice Fatio in 1936, designated a historic landmark in 1990, "The Reef" is located on two acres on the Atlantic Ocean in Palm Beach, Florida. The Streamline Moderne estate had undergone multiple renovations that significantly departed from Fatio's open-air living concept. Its breezeways, covered terraces and outdoor living rooms had been enclosed. Commissioned to restore, renovate and expand, Rene Gonzalez (primary architect), Cecile Brisac and Cecilia Nichols stripped the building of its post 1936 layers uncovering and elaborating on the original design intent..

Water, palm fronds and sky appear at various scales and in multiple forms on east and west as they shape spaces with no boundaries between interior and exterior

DESIGN CONCEPT

Building on Fatio's tropical house concept of outdoor living spaces, an another layer of in-between spaces and materials were developed. These "in-between spaces" such as breezeways, covered open rooms and stepped terraces are substantial and detailed to be translucent and airy.

Outdoor living spaces were expanded and added, tying the existing house to new landscape elements

MATERIALS

White stucco walls, glass block and white painted metal were restored to their original state and as the primary design palette. Select new materials were added to the palette: Jerusalem stone, coral rock, translucent onyx panels and mahogany.