Peek Inside Tommy and Dee Hilfiger’s Palm Beach Pad

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.”

Asked about his uncanny ability to shorthand with his clients, Bullard points out that this is the fourth home the trio have done together, as well as a big hotel project. “So I know them very well,” he declares. “I know the way both of them pick because they’re both fashion designers. Like me, they love continuous evolution. And they love many different facets of design and the ideal of how to live within that. Plus, it’s also helped that I’ve traveled with them, been on vacation with them, been on their yacht. We’ve seen a bunch of things together that have been inspiring, that have become part of our shared vocabulary.”

“The house has a wonderful soul. We just had to take away the formality and make it feel a bit younger, sexier, looser.” —Martyn Lawrence Bullard

“Tommy in particular has very set ideas and parameters, and Martyn knows that,” remarks Dee. “Tommy likes things clean, and he likes hints of pattern. Like, maybe on a pillow. It’s very easy for us to work together. I think we’re different clients, but still, we’re definitely not clients who say, oh, do whatever you want.”

They all agreed that while the decor needed a complete refashioning, the bones of the house would suit them and their family’s needs just fine. “We didn’t do much structurally,” says Dee. “There were these unnecessary decorative columns in the bedroom that we took out.” Of the refresh, Bullard simply says that “the house has a wonderful soul. We just had to take away the formality and make it feel a bit younger, sexier, looser.”

There was, however, one room that got extra attention. “Dee did insist on changing the kitchen because it had heavy caramel-colored countertops and just this heavy marble,” Tommy confides. Good thing, too, because, as it turns out, the kitchen is where the family seems to gravitate most often. Says Dee, who, as mother to three and stepmother to four, is often hosting a crowd of family members, “The kitchen is the soul of all our homes. We do a lot of gathering here.”

Via Architectural Digest