Magazines: Florida Design
(Vol19, No. 1)

A Perfect Fit
A renowned designer and his clients find and fashion a home that pleases all.

Interior design: Louis Shuster with Molly Silverstein, Shuster Design Associates, Inc., Wilton Manors, FL
Builder: Paskoski Construction, Fort Lauderdale, FL
Text: Marlene Sholod
Photography: Kim Sargent, Palm Beach Gardens, FL

Back

For more than a decade, one couple looked for “the right house,” and their interior designer of choice, Louis Shuster, often accompanied them to give his opinion. The couple knew that they wanted a family house where they could entertain comfortably. Finally, a 6,700-square-foot custom estate home in Palm Beach County felt right “…with room for everything,” the wife says. And Shuster agreed. “The minute I saw the presence of the house and its condition – fresh, clean, good baths, Saturnia floors – I knew it was the right one too,” he says. The deal was done.

The clients’ desire for a newly designed home that emphasizes storage and functionality brought Shuster’s combination of great design and good business sense to the forefront. “The design is ultra-functional,” he says. “Everything has a purpose; it’s not just pretty.” Structural renovations included enlarging the master bath along with the master closets, altering the nearby powder room to accommodate the wife’s office and – because the couple entertains a great deal – the kitchen was gutted and redesigned to open up to the breakfast and family areas.

Desiring a warm and comfortable yet eclectic feel, the owners wanted an Asian influence that would include and complement their art. Upon entering, the texture of materials and an earth-tone palette captures the colors of their paintings. A soft maize color is evident throughout most of the home, as are exotic woods. Split-bamboo ceiling beams have an Asian look giving the 16-foot-high ceilings character. “Louis has a gift for fitting art into spaces,” the wife says. “Our art and collectibles seemed to be waiting for this house, even our northern pieces.”

The great room is considered the heart of the home, where the fireplace provides the focal point set against a rich “bittersweet red” backdrop and framed by custom cabinetry made of rift-cut oak and wenge woods. The tall cabinets have a dramatic feel with rectangular panels that complement the square shapes of the shoji-style door. Hearthside, a custom-designed sofa, lounge chairs from Holly Hunt and A. Rudin armchairs provide ample seating. Hand-carved mahogany floor lamps add a sensual touch, while the untitled “paintings within a painting” by artist Michel Pellus echoes the room’s color palette.

Warm maize walls carry into the dining room, where the base of a David Sutherland bronze and rift-cut wood table supports a seamless toned-maple top that expands to accommodate a gathering of 16. Above, an architectural fixture with shaded lights echoes the squares of the table base and the artwork. Nearby, comfort reigns in the open family and breakfast areas, where cushioned Palecek woven rawhide chairs circle the table beneath a Robert Abbey chandelier.

Shuster warmed up the private areas of the home with custom furnishings, neutral hues and ample natural light. As is the case with the rest of the house, everything looks good and works. And the end result… a happy marriage of the styles and aesthetics of a designer and his clients.