There Are So Many Genius Tricks In This Year's Kips Bay Show House Palm Beach

Alessandra Branca's room might look like the tiled bedroom of a Portuguese villa, but in reality, that tile motif is painted on—in this case by the masters at de Gournay, but nonetheless the potential for a quick (and renter-friendly!) alternative to decorative tile.

Kevin Isbell's "writer's retreat" is "a tribute to Hemingway," says the designer. To make the Gracie wallpaper in the room look more modern and graphic, he blew up the scale, then paired it with smaller prints, proving that a variety of print sizes makes for a compellingly layered room.

"When I first saw my room I thought, it's so short," recalls Leta Austin Foster. But, using a bright, allover print—like this reissue of the iconic Mogadishu print from China Seas in turquoise—topped with a light, faux wood ceiling, makes the space look much airier. "The wood panel really draws the eye up," says the designer. Plus, its organic warmth, coupled with the plush furniture, make the space "so cozy."

When presented with a closet/his-and-hers bathroom, Betsy Wentz of Studio B wanted them to feel cohesive...so she carried over fabric from the walk-in closet into the bathroom (after working with architect Tom Kirchhoff to create a better flow between the rooms). The vintage chaise, reupholstered in a Josef Frank fabric for Schumacher, adds softness to the tiled bathroom.

Colette van den Thillart didn't have much to work with besides a drab, gray porch. Instead of forcing it to be a formal space, she embraced the casualness of outdoor living. "I decided that instead of a formal dining table I'd do this more loungey setup, with several low tables," the designer explains. "That's more how I live now anyway."

When landscaping the home's driveway, Jobe Lopez opted for a mix of low shrubbery and tall trees that frame the house's facade and draw the eye up.

"I loved the idea of this abstract room," says Joe Lucas. He covered the walls of his "1940s French meets California meets Palm Beach" room in a graphic Fromental wallpaper, then pulled colors from that for the rest of the space.

In Keith Baltimore's wellness retreat, the designer clustered several lantern lights to give the effect of a tent. "It's like a little oasis in your own home," he says.

Given the opportunity to design without a client, Sarah Blank knew she wanted a colorful kitchen. "Clients always revert back to a neutral but when they see it they really love it," she explains. To give a little more patina to the space, she refinished the original floors and then added a long, antique wood table. "It adds warmth and could also serve as a dining room in a house that doesn't have one," she says.

Jonathan Savage was inspired by St. Barth's for his poolside cabana. To further invoke the feel of a beachside cabana, he eschewed traditional walls in favor of teak slats for breeze and a back wall hung with a curtain from The Shade Store.

A square lawn? How boring! Mario Nievera and Keith Williams devised a graphic shape to the grass around the house's pool, essentially building a pattern into the landscape.

Windows not in the perfect place in your bedroom? No problem, as Robin Gannon sees it. The designer used a cutout headboard to place a bed in front of the window without blocking light (which is diffused through Luxe Sheers from The Shade Store)—then added artwork at eye level to subtly mimic window placement.

"I started with the idea of reflection," explains Sarah Magness of her second-story meditation room. After settling on an iridescent Gracie wallpaper for the ceiling, Magness continued the concept on bookshelves, where lights illuminate precious objects and artwork.

On the back porch, Sherrill Canet achieves the effect of an open air space on a covered porch by painting the ceiling a subtle shade of light blue.