Interior Designer on Palm Beach Island
Designing Interiors for Island Homes
Interior design on Palm Beach Island is its own discipline. The vocabularies here, Palm Beach Regency, Bermuda-coastal, Mediterranean Revival, and Modern Coastal, are specific to the island and to its history. Many homeowners arrive with a designer they already work with from out of state. Others come to us for a full Palmhouse-led interior. Either way, our interior design work translates design intent into rooms that work, with the in-house construction team to execute every choice.
Palmhouse Design & Build is based at 801 Maplewood Dr, Suite 25, Jupiter, FL 33458, a short drive from the island. We have been working in island interiors for 20+ years. Our Florida General Contractor license is CGC1537109. Consultations on the island are by appointment. Call 561-831-4170 to schedule.
How Our Design Engagement Works, and What It Costs
Most people asking about an interior designer want two things answered before they call: what it costs, and where the designer stops and the builder starts.
We answer the second one first, because it changes the first. We are a design-build firm, so the person specifying your finishes and the team installing them work under the same contract. There is no handoff meeting where a drawing becomes someone else’s problem, and no gap where a designer’s specification turns out not to be buildable.
Design fees are quoted against scope after a first conversation, not from a rate card, because a single room and a whole-home program are not the same work. What we will tell you at that first conversation is the range, the deliverables, and what is included. You will not get a number that changes later without your written approval.
A first consultation covers the rooms in scope, how you actually use them, your timeline, and the constraints of the property. Call 561-831-4170 to schedule one. We meet on-site Monday through Saturday.
On Palm Beach Island the design has to account for review before it accounts for taste. Anything touching the exterior goes to ARCOM, or to the Landmarks Preservation Commission on a designated home. We confirm designation status at the start so the design work is aimed at what will actually be approved.
Design Vocabularies We Work In
Four aesthetic vocabularies have a strong local presence on the island. We work in all of them.
Palm Beach Regency. Color, pattern, gilt, lacquer, palm motifs. The look defined by Mizner-era island history and refined through generations. Done with discipline, it reads as island heritage. Done without it, it reads as costume. We specify finishes that hold up in salt air rather than trends that photograph well for one season and pit in the next.
Bermuda-coastal. Soft whites, natural woods, restrained palm and shell motifs, transitional millwork. The most-requested current direction in our work. Crisp white painted millwork is beautiful on day one and shows humidity stress fast if the paint specification is wrong. We use alkyd primer and acrylic-urethane topcoats for the long run.
Mediterranean Revival. Architectural lineage from the 1920s Spanish-Mediterranean estates. Heavy plaster, tile, ironwork, deep wood, archways. Interior design here honors the architecture. Plaster and lime-wash finishes need vapor-permeable substrates. We work with that rather than against it.
Modern Coastal. Cleaner lines, neutral palette, modern fixtures, restrained use of color. Common in newer builds and in fully gutted renovations. Minimalist hardware in chrome and unfinished brass corrodes within 18 to 24 months in oceanfront homes. We specify finishes that read modern and survive salt air.
What We Design AROUND on the Island
Salt-air corrosion, humidity-driven wood movement, UV fade on east and southeast exposures, and mold-resistance in primary-bath and laundry adjacencies all change what works. Specifications that perform in a Connecticut renovation will check and crack here. We have delivered enough island projects to know what fails and what lasts. Our interior design services account for these coastal conditions from the start, so material and finish selections are made with long-term performance in mind. That is the design conversation we have with you on day one.
The Five Questions We Ask Before Starting
Most designers start with mood boards. We start with these five questions about the home. The answers determine what is possible.
- Is the home in a landmarked district or designated a Historic Significant Building (HSB)? This routes review through the Landmarks Preservation Commission, not ARCOM.
- What is the home’s architectural era? Mid-century Modern, Mizner Mediterranean, Maurice Fatio Moroccan, 2000s contemporary. Each requires different design vocabularies and detail respect.
- Does the home have original architectural detail that the homeowner wants preserved? We document before we design.
- Is there an architect or designer of record from a prior project? We honor existing relationships.
- What is the seasonal usage pattern? Year-round, winter season only, occasional. Materials and finishes specify accordingly.
These five questions shape every selection that follows.
Coordinating With Out-of-State Designers
Many island homeowners maintain primary residences in New York, Greenwich, Boston, or Chicago. They bring designers from those firms. We coordinate.
We coordinate on selections. We source locally when the out-of-state designer needs a Florida-specific material partner. We translate the designer’s intent into construction documents our build team can execute. We handle the on-site execution and the construction-side decisions that only happen in the field. Island addition projects require the same level of coordination, especially when new construction has to integrate seamlessly with the existing home. The out-of-state designer keeps the design lead. We keep the build moving and we make their work look right when it is installed.
The day-to-day reality of this coordination involves direct lines between our project manager and the homeowner’s designer, weekly schedule and selection updates that go to both, and an on-site presence during deliveries so that the high-value items the designer specified arrive intact and get placed where they were drawn. We document conditions in detail before any work starts so the designer has accurate as-built information to design from. We have done this dozens of times. There is no scope conflict. There is no designer ego.
Landmarked and Historic-District Interiors
Some island homes have protected interior elements that limit what can be modified. Original plaster ceilings, hand-carved millwork, period light fixtures, and original tile fields may be subject to historic review. We coordinate with Town of Palm Beach review where needed. We advise on what stays, what can be restored, and what can be reimagined within the protected envelope.
Restoration is often the better answer than replacement. A 1920s plaster ceiling with hairline cracks can be repaired and refinished by a plaster specialist for less cost and more historical accuracy than a contemporary substitute. Original mahogany millwork can be refinished. Original tile fields can be cleaned, regrouted, and protected. We work with restoration specialists when scope warrants. The homeowner gets a clear picture of what is original, what is reproduction, and what is genuinely new before any selections happen.
Our Team and Process
Palmhouse Design & Build is led by Rosie Barrig, a residential space planner with deep experience in coastal interiors. Jonathan Barrig and Gabriel Barrig hold Certified General Contractor credentials. Jason Vassalotti, our OSHA-certified project manager, brings 20+ years of construction experience. Our Florida General Contractor license is CGC1537109.
Read about Palmhouse Design & Build, meet our in-house design and build team, and review our full design and build process. Browse our interior design portfolio for a broader look at the work. The island context is captured in our luxury home remodeling work on Palm Beach Island.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you work with homeowners who already have an out-of-state interior designer?
Yes. Many of our island clients work with designers from New York, Greenwich, or other markets. We coordinate selections, source locally, and execute the design with our in-house construction team. There is no scope conflict.
Do you work in Palm Beach Regency, Bermuda-coastal, and Mediterranean Revival aesthetics?
Yes. Our team works across the island design vocabularies including Palm Beach Regency, Bermuda-coastal, Mediterranean Revival, and Modern Coastal. We adapt to the home, the homeowner, and the architecture.
Do you provide interior design across all of Palm Beach Island?
Yes. We work on single-family interiors from the South End through Midtown to the North End and the Estate Section. Consultations are by appointment. Call 561-831-4170.
Do you work under NDA on high-profile interiors?
Yes. Discretion is standard on the island. We work under NDA, do not name clients in marketing, and maintain a single point of contact throughout the project.
Do you offer interior design without construction, or only as part of a renovation?
Both. We provide standalone interior design engagements and design-build engagements where our construction team executes the interior alongside the renovation. The same in-house team supports either path.
Start a Conversation
Interior designer for Palm Beach Island homes, by appointment. Florida General Contractor license CGC1537109. Call 561-831-4170 to schedule a consultation.