Prior to establishing her own firm, Caitlin Kah spent a decade at the well-known Palm Beach firm of Kemble Interiors. Today, from her base on Peruvian Avenue, she creates fresh and livable designs that range from traditional to contemporary. Her mantra, she says, is a “no-ego” approach, her primary aims being to meet the needs of a diverse clientele and to produce environments that are both stylish and functional.
Kah recently completed a project in collaboration with Julia Amory, whose fashion boutique enjoys an ideal well-trafficked location on South County Road. Speed was of the essence and the commission was completed in just three-and-a-half months. To avoid lengthy delays, the space was transformed without a contractor, notably by the installation of a dramatic tented ceiling, created with custom Kravet fabric. Other key features include Phillip Jeffries grass cloth wallpaper, an extra-wide sisal carpet and lighting solutions by Holbrook. The latter were critical as the store has relatively small windows that admit insufficient natural illumination. This required lights that protrude through the tented ceiling, as well as backlit mirrors in the dressing rooms.
The store showcases Amory’s own art collection, including works by the French painter and sculptor, Roger Muhl. The owner sourced furniture from India, and the dressing rooms are decorated with fabrics from her own mill on the subcontinent. In contrast, a prominent secretary desk was discovered by Amory at an antique store in Texas. The whole idea, Kah says, was to make the place “feel like Julia’s own house, imbued with her distinctive taste and style.”