I recently finished the interior design and remodeling of my client’s new vacation home off Las Olas Boulevard and one bridge away from Fort Lauderdale beach, we created what I call a “Zen Balinese Contemporary” design. After that, I started a very fun Fort Lauderdale beachfront vacation home that was more “Modern Coastal Beachfront” with a Zen-style design. So, my plan was to spend the summer catching up on miscellaneous office work, website updates as well as some home improvements on my own eclectic home.
If you read the introduction on my website you will see that my first love for architecture and interior design was influenced by having grown up in Fort Lauderdale and the surrounding areas. I fell in love with both the Mediterranean, Spanish and British Colonial / Bahamas Revival that resides from Coral Gables to Boca Raton and obviously Palm Beach. By 1925 Addison Mizner was the primmer architect for Palm Beach and its wealthy inhabitants. Architects are still inspired by Mizner’s Mediterranean and Spanish influences. Even down at the Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo, I have seen some amazing Mediterranean / British Colonial / Bahamas interior design and architecture.
I began to go through my website and I began to mention any Mediterranean, Spanish, British Colonial or Old World interior design or architectural elements - Once again, if you have read any previous blogs you may know of my belief in the “Powers of the Universe” and Google of course! So, About 2 weeks later I received a call from a personal assistant, informing me that her employer would like to meet with me in regards to remodeling his Mediterranean home in east Boca Raton.
I should have known that my meeting with Carl was going to be a Karmic experience.
I find myself standing in a porte-cochere featuring large arches, framed with its 90’s white bands that match the two flanking arched windows - Before me is a pair of beautiful carved solid mahogany doors that have become badly damaged by both sun and salt. Most people don’t realize the damage from salt when you live so close to the ocean.
I ring the doorbell and hear the sound of yapping dogs, a gentleman wearing sunglasses answers the doors and with a smile he holds out his hand to welcome me with shake and introduces himself as Carl, then he informs me that he is blind.
HMMMM, Yes! a blind client - this is going to be an interesting afternoon.
I enter the raised foyer where I can see over a large living room featuring a wall of glass sliding doors and overhead transom window with a built-in drywall valance below.
The 12’ ceilings have a large 30” deep tray ceiling with a high-hat light in each corner, to the right is an unused open space with a large arched window and a small chandelier - on the oposite side is a pair of doors to an un-utilized room with a matching arched window - around the corner I can see into the great room.
Before picture of foyer
Before Piano Room
Before Living Room Right
Before Home Office
Before Living Room Left
Tray Ceiling
Terra Cotta Floors
All of the walls in mentioned areas and including the master bedroom and bath are a painted in a single layer rag faux finish in a golden ochre and framed by a 5” crown and baseboard that are stained in a dark cherry. All of the floors through out the entire home are the “Mexican Terra-Cotta” clay tiles with the ceiling painted a drab dirty off white.
We sit down in a pair of chairs that face out upon a very drab patio, it’s framed by large white storm shutters everywhere.
I see beyond a lifeless pool area but all along the back is a +/- 200 ft brand new dock on the Boca Raton Intercoastal waterway.
I start with the usual banter - Oh what a beautiful home you have, how long have you lived here? and what is your vision for your home ? the last is one is my favorites, its always interesting to see what comes back at me -
My perspective client tells me that he loves the Mediterranean interior design style and he wants everything removed and start from scratch. Needless to say that I am so excited and images of possibilities begin to run through my head. For me being an Interior Designer is like being a psychic, both in the sense that my inspiration can come from the space or from my client and often its from both.
I started with telling Carl that the living room tray ceiling with a high-hat light in each corner looks like an up side down pool table - all I could hear in my head was a line from the movie “Mommy Dearest” where Joan Crawford screeches “Tear down that BITCH of a bearing wall and put a window where it OUGHT to be” Mine was more on the line of “Tear out that BITCH of a pool table and put a grand wrought iron mediterranean chandelier where it OUGHT to be”
I saw old world Mediterranean chandeliers and sconces everywhere such as relocating the dinning room acanthus leaf chandelier to the front room and placing the grand Piano under it. The dining area needed a much larger chandelier to be in scale with the table and the large existing artwork, where I saw tall sconces flanking it. The family room / fireplace was badly in need of a chandelier as well. The kitchen hosted a large peninsula that said “I need pendant lights!”
Please note the half wall that surrounds the family room - seeing that dominate large stone fireplace I knew that I wanted to cover it with a natural stone and a beautiful marble top.
Before pictures of Mediterranean Dining and Family Room
Before Dining Room
Before Fireplace Wall
Before Family Room
Interior design concept for Master Bedroom with British Colonial - Bahamas Style
The master bedroom had the same dark ochre old world faux finish, cherry woodwork and dark wood furniture, with drapes made in a Burgundy Red with small gold scrolls that truly gave the room a morgue like feeling. I loved the scale of the room with its large bay window and doors to the patio. I wanted to brighten up the room -
When it comes to Master Bedroom the first two things that I take into consideration is -
# 1 ) Who is the client? Is it a Male or Female or a couple? M/F, M/M, F/F or perhaps M/F/F, F/MM ? and let’s give a shout out to our Non-Binary community too - Hey, you never know - and I love my eccentric clients.
#2) Generally speaking I think the master bedroom should serve two purposes - when you wake up in the morning the room should make you feel good and energized and at night it should bring you peace and serenity.
In oder to lighten up the rich look of the Mediterranean style I wanted to incorporate a British Colonial - Bahamas style, with a flare for the tropical Bahamas and a feeling of Mizner’s old Palm Beach estates.
Before Master Bedroom
Before Master Bedroom Sitting Area
After sharing all of my inspirations and visions for his Mediterranean style waterfront home in east Boca Raton we bided our fair wells, and as I was at the front door shaking his hand, Carl asks me, how can he be sure that I wouldn’t run off with his money -
WOW !!! This is a first, and I guess it is where Karma begins to come into play -
My reply to Carl was that even a blind man could see how excited I was about his project including all of my ideas that I shared with him - I wasn’t there for the money but because I love working with my clients and through interior design and home remodeling we can transform their home to meet and exceed their vision. I told Carl that my website reflects who I am and it shows my working relationships and creations with my past clients as well as their reviews. I explained to him about my beliefs in Karma and the Universe and perhaps were just not a good match, and that he should continue searching for an Interior Designer.
I believe it was the next day that he called to ask me to write up a contract. So now let the ride begin and I will share with you what it is like for an Interior Designer to work with a blind client. I will show you how the interior design process works for me where I get my inspirations. I have plans to incorporate the Mediterranean style as well as influences from British Colonial - Tropical Bahamas and all balanced with the feeling of South Florida.