Tropical Style: Private Palm Beach Book

An intimate glimpse at a score of homes exhibiting a wide range of approaches to living under the tropical sun.

Palm Beach is home to the nation's upper crust. Both old and new money flock to this narrow island for "the season," and the houses that line the waterfront exhibit a vast array of design ideas and solutions for tropical living. Among the twenty homes featured in this volume, the sumptuous Mediterranean-style mansions of Palm Beach's 1920s society architect, Addison Mizner, are represented, as are houses by all the other prominent Palm Beach architects, including Maurice Fatio, John Volk, Howard Major, and Belfore Shoumate. Author Jennifer Ash also takes the reader off the beaten track to fascinating residences only a native Palm Beacher like herself would know about: an artist's bungalow on bohemian Root Trail, a luxuriously appointed yet fully seaworthy yacht, a cozy retreat in a landmark church. And while relating the gossip-packed stories of many of the island's famous residents, she gives the reader a guided tour of interiors designed by both local and world-renowned designers, including David Easton and Juan Pablo Molyneux.

From the rococo splendor of Mar-a-Lago--designed by Joseph Urban for Marjorie Merriweather Post and now a resort owned by Donald Trump--to the ultramodern chic of a house by Richard Meier, Tropical Style offers intimate access to the exclusive way of life behind the island's meticulously manicured hedges.

Jennifer Ash has written for W, Town & Country, and Diversion. Co-author of The Expectant Father: Facts, Tips, and Advice for Dads-to-Be, she lives in New York City but makes frequent visits to her hometown, Palm Beach. The work ofAlexMcLean, photographer of Abbeville's Private New York and Great American Houses and Their Architectural Styles, regularly appears in numerous French and American magazines and newspapers, including Vogue, Elle Décoration, Vanity Fair, and the New York Times. He lives in New York City.

184 illustrations, 178 in full color