Palm Beach design is elegant, light-filled, and especially happy. Interiors here have a sunny optimism, even on a cloudy day. Nothing defines Palm Beach style more than its bold and playful palette. Bright and colorful hues offer a truly tropical twist and draw inspiration from the cheerful locale. Think turquoise, lime green, sunshine yellow, coral, and flamingo pink. Fearless mixing of colors is also a hallmark of this style.
Like nautical style, its Northeastern counterpart, Palm Beach style embraces all aspects of sea life—but with a distinctly tropical spin. Shells and coral are often-spotted elements, but palm fronds and the stately peacock chair, which is making a major comeback since its Swinging ’60s heyday, take the look to a more exotic place.
The 20th–century Serge Roche French designer’s use of shell and palm motifs in his sought-after white plaster sconces, torchères (a fancy way of saying floor lamps), and tables cemented his pieces as a staple of this style.
If it’s bamboo, rattan or wicker, it’s Palm Beach—with extra points if it’s lacquered in white or turquoise.
Where else are you likely to see fretwork combined with an aviary print, plus some caning and maybe a Greek key or two thrown in? It’s this fearlessly fun approach to decorating that makes this style one of our favorites.
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