A cozy vacation home gets a vibrant yet serene makeover.
New York designer Todd Romano takes on Albert Hadley's Naples home just the way he would have liked it: without much fuss.
A storybook gate set into a verdant hedge offers a peek at this beguiling 1920s cottage. Its understated Old Florida charm captivates passersby every bit as much today as it did two decades ago, when it belonged to one of America's most beloved decorators, the late Albert Hadley.
A cool palette on this vacation house's enclosed front porch keeps the Florida heat at bay. For crisp contrast, Louis XVI–style chairs are covered in Lee Jofa's bright coral Crescendo Ultra suede, and walls are painted in Benjamin Moore's Sweet Celadon. Floors throughout are in Benjamin Moore's White Wisp. Floor lamp from Vaughan.
Lemonade is served on a 1950s French table of tile-topped rattan.
A seating area on the porch features chairs in Brunschwig & Fils' Les Fougeres — "a wonderful old pattern that Elsie de Wolfe used in the 1940s," Romano says.
The front door opens to a view of the owner's painted Italian secretary in the living room. Lantern, Vaughan.
The color palette for the entire house is drawn from a French armchair in the living room covered in Brunschwig & Fils' Pondichery. Pillows in Norbar's Mondo add tropical punch to the neutral sofa, upholstered in a Gastón y Daniela linen blend. A pair of antique bergères is in China Seas' Lyford Diamond Bamboo. Coffee table from Bunny Williams Home. Walls painted in Swiss Coffee and ceiling in Blue Bonnet, both by Benjamin Moore. Rug, Patterson Flynn Martin.
A lively turquoise zebra print that recalls the rippling sea, Brunschwig & Fils' Le Zebre, covers dining chairs by Todd Romano for Schumacher.
The window wall was the only spot to squeeze a double bed into the small guest room, so Romano chose Serena & Lily's Seahorse headboard to allow daylight to shine through. Walls are painted in Irish Spring with trim in White Dove, both by Benjamin Moore. D. Porthault linens bring in a splash of coral. Pineapple lamp from Mecox.
The guesthouse is painted the same shade of watery turquoise as the front porch.
Learn more of Todd Romano's trade secrets here. For more details, see resources.
This story originally appeared in the April 2016 issue of House Beautiful.
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