Speaking English - The Palm Beaches Luxury Living & Lifestyles

31 May Speaking English

Posted at 06:28h in Featured Story, Interior Design by Luxury Home Magazine

By Peter Frerichs

For many couples, when the kids vacate the nest, its the time to embark on something new. For the recent empty nest owners of this classically inspired English Tudor, the goal was to create a space that would continue to welcome the kids and grandkids for years to come. A space that the man of the home could burrow into, complete with an unapologetic mancave including a golf simulator hydraulic floor, entertainment theatre, and an abundant variety of spirits. The lady of the home loves pink, but the husband prefers neutrals, and marrying these two created a stunning result.

Amy Storm and Company is a Chicago-based interior design firm who does projects in Illinois and nationwide. Amy is the Lead Designer, while her husband Josh, takes up Creative Director duties. Amy’s larger team works on an impressive array of projects, but their collective passion is interior design for new construction and remodels.

The family is quite sociable and enjoys the relative transparency of the façade, opening their sitting porch to foot traffic and exchanging pleasantries with the neighborhood denizens.

It’s easy to meander in a project, and while meandering can engender aesthetic revelations, Amy and her team employ a unique process with clients known as the Design DNA. No two homes are alike, and the Design DNA pulls out what is distinctive and personal to homeowners, what is negotiable or starry-eyed, and what’s downright offensive to every fiber of their being. The Design DNA is a Bible of sorts, the standing principles of a project that serve as the ideological pillars to guide the journey.

The home sits on two lots and is very different from the owner’s previous home, a high-end, shabby chic. The couple wanted a more modern feel while at the same time maintaining a traditional Tudor style.

The wooden beams that call your attention upon entering the great room were originally slated to match the iron ore hue of the home. Upon installation, Amy and her team loved the natural color and opted to keep them. The beams match the stairwell treads and flooring and create a light airiness.

Where intimacy exists in striking space, Amy created a natural grounding with a floor to ceiling fireplace clad in venetian plaster that serves as a more intimate gathering space than the adjacent great room. A geometrically enticing chandelier by Hudson Valley highlights the warm woods and natural light throughout.

A set of arched shutters, repurposed from the couple’s old home and placed on sliding tracks, creates a remarkable sightline as you’re shepherded through the home’s expansive hall. Suspended white and gold interior ceiling pendants by Currey & Co light the way.

A striking floral pattern encapsulates the lady of the home’s office. The iron ore shade on the shelving and cabinets pairs perfectly with the floral print background.

Designed to be the workhorse of the kitchen, Amy and her team added a window to this scullery to take advantage of the adjacent mudroom’s abundant light. The rich walnut with gold trim, designed by artisans to be of a ‘found piece’ caliber, elevates a typical utilitarian space to a sociable and luxurious space.

By far the most whimsical space in the home, the daughter’s bedroom is bathed in creamy hues accentuated in light oak, and features an elevated sleeping area with a reading and a sitting nook beneath.

Amy and her team employed three shades of muted pinks liberally in the daughter’s shower. Inspired by one shade of pink, they had custom glazed tiles in three hues of the shade created, then installed in a herringbone pattern with elegant gold shower fixtures to add elegance.

The primary kitchen is a place to relax and entertain, with the scullery entrance just to the right of the range. Classic white Calcutta marble and crisp white cabinetry marries well with the solid walnut with brass inlay island counter.

In the second primary suite, a stunning contrast of hues and textures, the blue wood veneer wall is an exemplary choice juxtaposed by the bed’s narrow white border and neutral hues.

The marble sink is the perfect landing to an vibrant floral wall print that is both classic and playful. Amy’s addition of gold in key places contrasts well makes this one of the most striking areas of the home.

Amy and her team’s work with the gentleman of the home’s mancave might be the most impressive from a design and functionality perspective. The builder had to excavate an additional ten feet to accommodate the hydraulics of a golf simulator. The floor’s slope changes to mimic Pebble Beach and other courses’ short game, while employing top trace technology. A stunning blue table behind the home theater recliners features a routed in map of some of the homeowner’s favorite holes, and the exposed ceiling creates an industrial look with two dramatic 85-inch televisions framing the surroundings.

Resource Guide

Family Room
• Lamps: Regina Andrew, Tropez Table Lamp
• Side table: Arteriors, Dorey End Table: The Beth Webb Collection
• Console table: is COG
• Rug: Davis & Davis, Custom

Hearth Seating Area
• Chandelier: Hudson Valley, Round Out
• Chairs: Gabby, Topeka Chair
• Rug: Custom Goat Hair Rug, M-D Home Collection

Office Hallway
• Chandeliers: Currey and Company, Pierrepont White Small Pendant

Office
• Wallpaper: Mayflower Wallpaper (Sanctuary Collection), Morissey Flower Wallpaper in Raspberry
• Chair: Laura Davidson, Astoria Swivel Armchair (Fabric: Laura Davidson, Coral Pink)

Loft Bed
• Anthropologie, Woven Hanging Chair
• Wallcovering: Custom- Left Bank Art, Cherry Blossom Collage (Artist: Giselle Kelly)

Kitchen
• Barstools: Hickory Chair, Laurent Counter Stool, Fabric: Fabricut: Animal Spots Noir
• Island Counter: Solid Walnut with Brass Inlay
• Perimeter Counter: Antolini, Calcata OMG

Second Primary Suite
• Wallcovering: Phillip Jeffries, Chiseled Blue
• Bed: Universal, Theodora Bed

Golf Simulator
• Full Swing Golf www.fullswinggolf.com

Powder Room
• Wallcovering: Ellie Cashman Design, Dark Floral II
• Sconce: Kelly Wearstler, Melange Medium Elongated Pill Sconce
• Vanity: K&B Galleries, Ltd., Palmer Industries, The Classic Collection Console Leg System
• Sink Fixtures: Newport Brass, Vander Widespread Lavatory Faucet