Airy Vision - An Architectural Gem in Palm Beach Gardens

While exploring Palm Beach Gardens’ gated communities for a South Florida winter retreat, Manhattanites Budd and Jane Goldman stumbled upon an unexpected standout: a 1980s house with captivating details reminiscent of the sculptural designs by the late architect Norman Jaffe. “The soaring ceilings were unique,” Budd recalls of the vaulted, hipped and paneled features. “We immediately fell in love with the openness.”

Although in need of modernization, the abode offered a rare combination of architectural character and waterfront living. Positioned along a lake, the structure feels both open and private, with long views that draw the eye toward the outdoors and hint at the getaway lifestyle the couple desired.

Confident in the property’s opportunity for updates, the owners turned to designers Lisa Hynes and Heather Weisz for an ambitious yet respectful renovation. “The clients saw its potential,” Weisz remarks. So did their architectural designer, Brian McCarron, who previously worked for the firm that conceived the residence 30 years prior, Stene Kunik Associates. “Architect Mitch Kunik was my mentor,” McCarron says of the firm principal. “This house was ahead of its time—a showpiece from its inception, and a master class in what you can do with wood trusses.”

For the home’s next chapter, the footprint and roof structure were maintained, while the layout was recomposed. “We kept much of what Mitch did but reconfigured the living program,” McCarron explains, noting how the dining room became a den, while the new dining area connects to the kitchen. The team also installed larger windows and doors and added glass walls to the primary bedroom, heightening its water views. Overhead, upgraded wood panels highlight those strong angles. “Because of the quality of the architecture,” general contractor Scott S. Sullivan says, “the ceilings deserved to be accentuated.”

To complement the serene backdrop, Weisz and Hynes leaned into richly textured finishes—like neutral-toned porcelain floor tiles and stone countertops—as well as a soothing palette of creamy hues. For easy entertaining in the kitchen and dining area, the team devised an island incorporating a cantilevered breakfast table and pop-up television. “It’s all about function and beauty,” Hynes comments. Another concealed television emerges from the foot of the bed in the primary suite, a tranquil retreat cocooned in wood walls and rendered in warm tones, including luxurious draperies and a rug resembling raked sand, a nod to the locale. “The bedroom is color drenched in wood,” Weisz describes, “but with lots of quiet layering.”

Elsewhere, strategic moments of color emerge through artworks that were acquired as the interiors took shape. “Deciding which walls to highlight with the clients’ collection was an exciting part of this project,” Weisz says. The living area, for instance, hosts opposing pieces: an ethereal figural work and a group of geometric lithographs, both displaying shades of red, gold and black.

Furniture decisions, meanwhile, were influenced by the residence’s linear architecture. The designers played into the geometry—like the dining area’s rectangular table and chairs—and juxtaposed it through curves, as seen in the living area’s plush seating. The greatest challenge came from the lighting selections, which were driven by the ceilings’ angles. Softly rounded pendants counter the dining area’s crisp furniture, while the living area’s globe lights required the most contemplation—becoming a three-day affair of scaffolding and beach ball-like mock-ups to ensure the fixtures hang just right.

Among the renovation’s most rewarding outcomes are enhanced views of the waterway and reinvigorated garden and pool. “The look is lush and tropical, with lots of different textures,” says landscape designer Todd MacLean, citing flowering Brazilian beauty leaf trees, purple orchid trees, peach hibiscuses and Bismarck palms with their leather-like fronds. “It’s a little piece of heaven.”

The reimagined setting offers an idyllic escape from Northeastern winters, Jane says. “Having a lovely, comfortable home is the very foundation of a great Florida lifestyle for us,” she muses. Yet the abode’s uplifting appeal transcends seasons. “You walk into this house,” Weisz adds, “and your mood instantly elevates.”