Caitlin Kah opened her boutique design company four years ago, after a decade as lead designer for the highly regarded firm, Kemble Interiors. It was a referral from one of her first clients, a blue-chip art collector with a home in Lost Tree, which led these Palm Beach homeowners to sign on the dotted line. They, too, possess an impressive art collection. Together with Savannah Glock, a key member of her team, Kah was tasked to create interiors that would be both colorful and adaptable, since the couple’s art moves frequently between Palm Beach, and their homes in New York City and Long Island.
Normally, Kah explains, she would “design a room around a specific artwork, but here, at a moment’s notice, a painting might be moved to another home.” So, the assignment required her to splash every room with color to help define the spaces, but also to create an environment that would permit any artwork to fit in seamlessly. “It was a delicate balance,” Kah says. “We didn’t want to overpower the art, but we had to keep the design interesting.”
Built as a spec house, the home is located on Pendleton Avenue, overlooking The Breakers golf course. Originally, it had four bedrooms and an adjoining guest house, but one of the bedrooms was converted into the husband’s office. (The guest house, which Kah didn’t touch, is reserved for their grandchildren.)
Chairs by Ralph Pucci with Pierre Frey fabric; sofas by Pierre Frey; poufs by Highland House; wood coffee table by Liljencrantz; candlesticks by Casa Branca; side table by Studio Van Den Akker.
Four panelled multi-media screen Caribbean Teatime by David Hockney; sculptural chairs by Holly Hunt; tables by Avenue Road; rug by Rosemary Hallgarten; drapery by Holland & Sherry.
Paintings by Roy Lichtenstein and Mark Rothko; custom dining table by Egg Collective; dining chairs and custom rug by Pierre Frey; Jonathan Adler candlesticks.
Painting by Allan Wolf-Tasker, dining table and chairs, custom made by Grafton Furniture with Schumacher fabric, pendant light by Urban Electric.
Painting on stairwell by Jongsuk Yoon; custom ombré stair runner by Art and Loom.
Custom bed by Grafton Furniture with TV lift at foot of the bed; bedding by Matouk; ottoman by Cuff Studio in Pierre Frey mohair fabric; chairs by Holly Hunt, drapery by Pierre Frey in Pueblos Botanica; chandelier by Anna Karlin.
Sectional sofa by Kravet; puzzle stools by Holly Hunt; large painting by André Brasilier; Chevaux du Ciel.
Wooden hand chair, owner’s own; ceiling lighting by Studio Van Den Akker; desk by Joseph Jeup at Jerry Pair; table lamp by Porta Romana; ombré curtains by Dedar.
Chair by Baker Furniture; apple sculpture in a tribute to René Magritte; bed by A. Rudin for Jerry Pair; painting above bed left, by Bonnie Lautenberg and right by Jean-Michel Basquiat, color-washed walls painted by Kellie Leighton; drapery by Pierre Frey; nightstands by Christian Astuguevieille for Holly Hunt.
Inside, one of the most spectacular and imposing pieces is Caribbean Teatime, a four-paneled mixed media screen by David Hockney. Produced in a limited series, the work also features in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Although a fan of Florida favorites, rattan furniture and palm trees, Kah didn’t use either for this project, but she says she was glad to see elements of both in the Hockney work. Although it was originally intended to be a functional way to divide space, Kah felt that here the screen should form the focus of the living room.
The starting point for the interior scheme was a bold multicolored fabric by Pierre Frey. With a large repeat, it seemed ideal for the dining room chairs, each one upholstered in a different section of the pattern. And to fit alongside major works by Rothko, Lichtenstein and Warhol, Kah commissioned custom rugs, tables and beds that were bold but still complementary to the artwork.
Kah concludes by saying that the homeowner was “fun and a joy to work with,” adding proudly that “she loved almost everything that the team and I proposed.” In short, a dream client with a fabulous art collection gave this rising design star the space and the freedom to work her magic.