BACKMeet the Team Who Brought This Palm Beach Mansion Back from the Brink
As Betsy Shiverick recalls, “We kept driving by it. The house was in terrible shape, but it’s such a noble, iconic treasure.” And she had no doubt that Fairfax & Sammons — equally adept at classical-style new designs and sensitive updates to historic properties — was the right choice to undertake the project.
After demolishing a not-needed servants’ wing that had been added in the 1980s and restoring the exterior and the interior of what remained of the original house — including the entry, stair hall, living room, two bedrooms, and a tower that became Shiverick’s office — the architects created a new family room, kitchen (with a breakfast terrace) and two more bedrooms, plus a bunk room. Throughout the house, they used original materials, both in restoring the old interiors and in crafting the new rooms. “Every material is a real material — plaster, tile, wood stone, or metal,” Sammons says.
They also created a pool and a tiled courtyard meant for entertaining. “Courtyard living is important in Palm Beach,” Sammons explains. “You live outdoors.”
- Pila Viladas, 1stDibs
SEE THE WORK
