“We definitely wanted to experience something different.” Adds Tommy, “We always liked being on the water, but this was a pleasant surprise because it’s not quite as windy, and it’s beautiful to look at morning, noon, and night.”
“We’re still figuring out what we like and don’t like,” explains Dee, who mentions that while they have made this residence their home, the family can also contemplate potentially living at two other nearby houses they also happen to own. “We had never lived in Palm Beach, so this is a fun transition.”
The couple’s chief Palm Beach residence—how many people can say that?—is a 5,000-square-foot three-bedroom Mediterranean-style house built in 2006. There are columns and arched ceilings everywhere you look, along with plenty of courtyard nooks and verdant gardens. “We have a much more active lifestyle here,” says Tommy, who sold the Connecticut residence in addition to the family’s Miami and New York City places. “Exercising, tennis. In the Northeast, living in Greenwich, we were commuting in and out of the city. And we didn’t have the weather to be able to be outdoors a lot.” Adds Dee, “Palm Beach is so green and so lush year-round. Every time someone gives us an orchid plant, they’re never thrown out; they’re attached to a tree.”
In fact, the Hilfigers were immediately drawn to the indoor-outdoor architecture of their new home, which, modeled after many of Palm Beach’s older estates, features an interior courtyard. “The first thing we wanted to do, though, was lighten and brighten,” says Tommy. He explains that the previous owners had decorated in heavy and dark tones. “The wood was mahogany and cherry. All the windows had blinds on them, blocking the light. There was a lot of art, patterned drapes, patterned wallpaper, patterned furniture. Paisleys, florals, Oriental carpets. We did a clean sweep.”
The couple turned to AD100 designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard to help open up and reenvision the space. “We built the look around the location,” notes Dee. “Something fresh and easy. The palette: coral stone ivory. And it’s a beautiful Spanish/Mediterranean-style home, so Martyn brought in some Moorish accents, and we’ve also got splashes of blue and white.”
Ironically, Bullard aimed to bring the outdoors inside “by stripping the house back, bleaching the wood, and adding more patio space,” he says. “We then chose to bring in the foliage—the giant palm trees—to break down the barriers and ease the feeling throughout.”
Palm trees, ficus hedges, and gardenia bushes line the swimming pool. Serena & Lily chaise longues, with cushions of Vincent Van Duysen for Perennials Fabrics, take shade under a Serena & Lily umbrella.
