When designer Caroline Rafferty’s friends Melanie Charlton Fowler of Clos-ette and her husband, Jordan, came to her, they had a specific vision. They wanted Lyford Cay meets Palm Beach. Caroline, a House Beautiful Next Wave designer, was down for the challenge.
“Melanie had the whole thing in her head imagined already,” says Caroline. “She brought me along a lot, exposing me to a style of work I hadn’t done before.” Caroline brought in a pastel color palette and peppered in touches of rattan and vintage finds from Florida’s South Dixie Highway. Her goal was to create something both fun and classic. “Any style can go kitschy if you don’t put your personal stamp on it. Melanie was committed to making it her own.”
Personal touches came large and small. They painted the floors instead of refinishing them. In the living room, Caroline hired muralist Joseph Steiert to paint a tropical chinoiserie scene inspired by the family’s beach club. When Melanie asked for a shell fireplace, Caroline sourced a local artist to bring it to life. “She was willing to take risks,” Caroline says.
The mural on the living room walls was inspired by the family’s beach club. “We ran with it and made it her own,” says Caroline. She placed two blush sofas back-to-back to maximize the room’s long layout. Textures come alive in this space, with Caroline mixing jute with rattan with driftwood. (Find the rope-covered side table here.) The result is a room that feels classically coastal without being too beachy.
Caroline turned this small guest room in to a jewel-box space by going bold with the wallpaper and textures.
Risks included painting the entire exterior of the house a soft Caribbean pink. “Striking the right balance between the peachy pink and the green took a lot of work. The green couldn’t be too sweet,” Caroline says. They opted for a more gray shade of green and then brought pops of other softer colors throughout the main living areas in the house to tie it together. In the bedrooms, Caroline played with patterns and texture. Wallpaper with a large-scale pattern and an exaggerated headboard transformed the guest room into a retreat. The girls’ room went bold with a similarly purple paper. Grass-cloth wallpaper went on the ceiling in the primary bedroom.
Melanie’s vintage finds were the last piece in Caroline’s puzzle of personalization. “She’s a collector by nature,” says Caroline. Florida’s famed South Dixie Highway, also known as the Florida stretch of U.S. Route 1, is an antiques hunter’s heaven. Sometimes Caroline joined her friend and client; other times Melanie would come by with new acquisitions. Regardless of where or when they were found, these pieces played a key role in adding the last bit of personality and texture needed to pull Caroline’s design together.
Though Bahamian pastels and vintage Florida finds might not have been a part of Caroline’s portfolio before, they certainly are now. The finished product is a home perfectly suited to Melanie and her family, complete with a dash of Caroline’s signature elegance.
“I love this wallpaper,” Caroline says. The girls’ room is complete with two white spindle beds and an inlay table that doubles as a desk.
“This area is an extension of their home; they really live out there,” says Caroline of the home’s loggia. With performance fabric and outdoor-approved furnishings, Caroline was able to create a colorful escape. The outdoor spaces came to life with the help of landscape architect Fernando Wong. “He really took this house and made it so charming,” says Caroline.
![“Melanie really loved Celerie [Kemble’s] collection for Lane Venture,” says Caroline. In the backyard pool area, Caroline upholstered a few pieces from that collection in a poppy pink to stand out against the lush greens.](https://okl.scene7.com/is/image/OKL/CRafferty21_4?wid=1066&op_sharpen=1)
“Melanie really loved Celerie [Kemble’s] collection for Lane Venture,” says Caroline. In the backyard pool area, Caroline upholstered a few pieces from that collection in a poppy pink to stand out against the lush greens.
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