When building his Fort Lauderdale dream house in 2020, this homeowner sought an experienced interior designer who could oversee the inevitable pandemic-era construction glitches with the kind of precision that would get him into his home three months early. “I decided to move here during Covid to escape condo living in Washington, DC, where I was a partner at a global law firm,” he recalls from his six-bedroom, 6,016-square-foot home, set in a gated golf community.
“My client ended up being the reason I moved here,” Syntha Harris recalls of her own journey, shifting her business from northern Virginia, where she had operated for more than 20 years, to South Florida. “I’d designed his DC home and office, so I knew his aesthetic and expectations.”
The homeowner’s wish-list was for a coastal contemporary home, with clean lines and a neutral palette. “Even though I embrace the refined elegance of modern design,” Harris says, “I like to complement it with a degree of warmth that comes from years spent in the Northeast. My taste is neither cool like Miami design, nor preppie and colorful, like traditional Palm Beach design.”
For Harris, warmth comes in subtle ways. One is through finishes. For example, the porcelain tile selected for the fireplace feature wall is beige, with mottling like dappled sunlight. And as a counterpoint to the great room’s high ceilings, she opted for a grounding chocolate-brown for kitchen cabinetry, instead of stark white. The warmer wood tone is carried into the twin overscale cocktail tables in the seating area. One of the challenges for Harris was creating intimacy on the main floor, with its 17-foot-ceilings and wall of glass. There she created two conversation spaces with L-shaped sectionals facing each other.
Artwork from Blue Gallery in Delray Beach is the focal point in the living room. A mounted coral piece from Arteriors lightens the coffee table.
“From one large space, we created multiple ‘rooms’ for different functions,” Harris says of the backgammon nook.
Pillows from Ryan Studio and Square Feathers add texture and warmth in the living room.
Chocolate-colored cabinets add warmth in the kitchen.
Abstract ink and archival paper artworks from the Ornis Gallery in High Point, NC, set the tone for this black-and-white guestroom.
Overlooking the golf course, a large veranda has a blue-tiled spa and pool.
Among the earliest furnishings she found was the porthole bar with polished brass details that nestles near the home’s entry. Four club chairs grew around it, along with a glass-and-chrome circular cocktail table. “Mixing metals layers in warmth,” Harris explains of her material selections that include brass, chrome and bronze. The juxtaposing of organic, curved pieces alongside linear furniture has a similar warming effect.
The home’s palette is mostly neutral: soft whites, creams, grays, with hints of steel-blue. The biggest punches of color come from the artwork, which includes a vibrant painting by David Schluss. Furnishings are done in performance fabrics suitable for the coastal setting, with indoor-outdoor selections for the exterior furniture.
“I feel at peace every time I walk into my home,” remarks the homeowner, no longer a transplant. In the background, the green expanse of the golf course stretches away seemingly for miles.
