Designer Celerie Kemble and Architect Elizabeth Graziolo Designed This House That Doubled as a Wedding Venue for the Homeowners

The wealthy enclave of Palm Beach has become synonymous with opulence, but down a quiet road in the Florida town one historic house suggests a freer, less formal vision of life. In fact, that was the only brief for Celerie Kemble and Elizabeth Graziolo of Yellow House Architects, who were hired by a young couple they worked for once before: heavy on the ease and comfort, light on the formality and excess. “They are so openhearted, open-housed, open-minded,” says Kemble about the homeowners. “They are smart, and they aren’t caught up in the pretense.” That first project was a Manhattan townhouse, bought by their client whose then girlfriend (and later wife) suggested he hire Kemble to decorate the home. Graziolo was soon brought on as well to refine the building’s interior architecture. The project was one of Graziolo’s first after leaving Peter Pennoyer Architects to establish her own New York–based firm. The homeowner’s mother had worked with Kemble’s own mother on a prior project—a realization that came out when work was underway. This was to be a family home: It was the venue for the homeowners’ wedding and now the dream house of their young son. Friends join family on many occasions at the over 15,000-square-foot house, celebrating birthdays, holidays, and charitable causes in one of the many entertainment areas. The living room and library both lend themselves well to guests. The dining room has flexibility to serve as both an indoor and outdoor space. And of course there is the pool, surrounded by native trees and shrubs and anchored by an octagonal folly-cum-poolhouse at its far end. Nathan Browning of Island Planning did the landscape design, which plays a vital role in maintaining the calm, magical oasis the property’s original owner intended. “Across from the house there is this mangrove island, and behind that is the sunset and the sky,” says Kemble. “The house has a relationship to Florida that is rare.” The wood-paneled bar was a must for the music-obsessed husband and took cues from the couple's favorite pub in London, Chiltern Firehouse. Graziolo made sure to hide the speakers and DJ booth, while Kemble employed woven blinds and wicker furniture to give the impression of a far away fantasyland where music and magic meld. To add to the ambience, she had the custom mirror above the bar properly antiqued. The house was built in the 1930s by one of Palm Beach’s most sought-after architects, Marion Sims Wyeth. While his contemporary Addison Mizner was building Spanish Colonial–style homes for other early settlers of Palm Beach, Wyeth opted for an architectural style inspired by the surrounding islands and more conducive to a poetic way of life. “There’s this delicacy in terms of the architectural language which is very different from the usual, louder architecture in Palm Beach,” Graziolo says. “This was the work of a mature architect who had done a zillion things before then and wanted to practice his best craft later on in life.” Iconic interior designer of the early-20th-century jet set Ruby Ross Wood decorated the home for its first owners. A few chandeliers from her tenure were preserved and moved to different rooms. Original historic details, like the frilly ironwork of the main stairs and the front balcony, served as reference points for Graziolo. “How can you add new architecture to this house and remain quiet and elegant?” she asks. “A lot of the work we did inside, starting with the library, was very restrained.” Graziolo borrowed motifs from the entry’s railing, collapsing them into the design for the pilasters in the wood-paneled library and extending Wyeth’s architectural language into the present day. The latticework in the living room feels fresher than traditional latticework as it curves up to meet the ceiling. Works by Helen Frankenthaler, Walton Ford, Harold Ancart, and Orville Bulman enliven the home’s interior. This house, though grand in scale and undeniably elegant, is intended as an unpretentious reflection of the owners’ personal histories and values: historic preservation, kindness, and comfort. “The house evolved out of good stewardship, good planning, and respect,” Kemble says. “It's really special.” The project was deeply meaningful as both Kemble and one of the homeowners were raised full-time in Palm Beach at a time when most properties in the area were seasonal. “The whole town is a resort,” says Kemble, whose ancestor incorporated the town in 1911 as did her client’s ancestor. “It is so fun that several generations later we are in the same room and talking about what it means to live there.” Working on this property, rare in its size and historic relevance, was an opportunity for both women to reconnect with something integral to who they are and show what Palm Beach might be in the future.