Experience the Allure of Outdoor Entertaining at the Palm Beach Home of Hilary Geary Ross and Wilbur Ross
The couple enlists designer Scott Snyder to refresh the glamorous loggias of their Florida villa
Palm Beach loggias aren’t merely an architectural flourish; they are a way of life. Winter in the South Florida enclave means open windows and alfresco living, and these elegantly columned, sheltered sanctuaries are as vital as any room, offering a special allure where the boundary between house and garden becomes wonderfully porous.
At their finest, loggias are an artful combination of functionality and seductive, sophisticated style. That balance is achieved to near perfection at the waterfront Palm Beach home of Wilbur Ross, the former U.S. Secretary of Commerce and a veteran of private equity, and his wife, Hilary Geary Ross, author of the books Palm Beach People and New York New York, both created with photographer Harry Benson.
“When we bought the house more than two decades ago, the loggia had been enclosed, so we opened it up to bring it back to its original self,” says Geary Ross of the area off the dining room of their 1939 Georgian Revival villa, Windsong, designed by noted Palm Beach society architect John L. Volk. “Our family was growing with grandchildren, and we wanted more indoor-outdoor space.”
Following the initial renovation, which earned architect Thomas Kirchhoff the Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach’s Ballinger Award in 2004, Mario Buatta added covered terraces on either side. The late designer, who worked on multiple residences for the couple, tented the expanses in pale blue and white stripes, with tables for dining or cocktails. All of it overlooks the gardens and waterfront pool terrace in an extension of the home defined by comfort and refinement.
Recently, the pair decided it was time for a refresh, so they called on designer Scott Snyder, who oversaw the interiors of their former Washington, D.C., home and possessed a thorough grasp of their vibrant aesthetic. “Hilary has this wonderful way of mixing classic pieces with unexpected finds,” Snyder says. “She’s always impeccably turned out, and she surrounds herself with interesting people of all ages. I wanted the loggia to have that same energy.”
To that end, Snyder covered the seating in sky blue fabric and installed a Greek key-pattern rug by Stark, complementing the mix of vintage blue- and-white Chinese export porcelain. Sprinkled throughout are glamorous vintage elements such as a Karl Springer mirror over the fireplace and a pair of spiraling plaster-finished lamps by Christopher Spitzmiller.
Art plays a major role in the loggia and in the garden beyond. Notably, there are a number of works by Chinese artists—an interest sparked by the couple’s frequent travels to the Far East—including a figure, in the style of a Xi’an terra-cotta warrior, colorfully painted with Warholian Marilyn Monroe faces by Liu Fenghua.
They also own a prized collection of works by Belgian Surrealist René Magritte, whose 1932 work Quand l’Heure Sonnera, an enigmatic landscape with a classical torso and a hot-air balloon hovering in the sky, hangs in the loggia. Geary Ross finds an intriguing kinship between Magritte and the poetic, whimsical work of French duo Claude and François-Xavier Lalanne, the latter represented by a bronze sculpture of a monkey in the garden.
“The Lalannes and Magritte both take ordinary things and make them feel extraordinary, magical, and full of imagination,” Geary Ross says. “Each slightly twists reality so the viewer sees the world in a different light. Magritte does this in his paintings by creating visual puzzles, while the Lalannes do it in sculpture by turning animals and plants into surprising objects. They both make you think, and they both make me smile.”
Landscape architect Mario Nievera, who designed the surrounding garden nearly 25 years ago, notes that it “needed to work for a couple but also for larger gatherings, because they entertain a lot.” A key to the landscape’s magic is the house’s positioning, which allows it to enjoy southern views down the Intracoastal Waterway. “The way the light comes through the property is so special,” Nievera observes.
Geary Ross also enlisted Snyder to update a second loggia, off the entrance hall. Less for daily use, this one augments the other during large gatherings as guests spill outdoors. Here, oversize seating by Walters is upholstered in a Quadrille aubergine-and-green flame stitch fabric, while large Trianon lattice urns stand atop pedestals. The effect is unfussy but also decidedly chic.
“It’s all joyous and inviting,” says Snyder. “Like Hilary.”
A version of this article first appeared in print in our 2026 Spring Issue under the headline “Sitting Pretty.” Subscribe to the magazine.