The residences that architect Thomas Hickey and interior designer Edward Yedid, partners in the two-decade-old firm Grade New York, typically work on tend to be, well, big. “Most are 15,000 to 20,000 square feet,” says Yedid. “Not that we won’t take on anything smaller, because ultimately we want to do house projects where we can affect the entire thing holistically, bringing layers to modern design in a way that’s warm and inviting.”
A couple of years ago, a client enlisted the duo to lend their warm modernist touch to a renovation project in Palm Beach, Florida, where she and her husband had bought what they described as a starter vacation home, one that would allow them to test the waters and see how they enjoyed spending time there. At approximately 5,200 square feet, the four-bedroom house is fairly modestly scaled—petite, almost, by some Palm Beach standards. The L-shaped layout wraps around a swimming pool and an outdoor entertaining area, all of it tucked away behind towering lush greenery, with the beach a short walk away.
In the office’s sitting area, vintage Arp armchairs and a Grade-designed club chair are grouped with a side table by Pierre Yovanovitch (left), the oak bookshelves were custom designed, and the rug is by Beauvais Carpets. French designer Mathieu Lehanneur created the wall sculpture as well as the cocktail table that rests on glass bubble legs. Photo: Douglas Friedman; Styled by Anita Sarsidi
Built just a few years earlier, the structure was in good condition, but the wife wanted to put a distinctive stamp on the interiors. That meant tailoring the spaces for hosting family, including young grandchildren, while creating “a Palm Beach feel without the expected,” says Yedid. “At the end of the project, when I asked her what she thought about the work we’d done, she told me, ‘It’s Florida without being Lilly Pulitzer, which is a hard line to walk—and you nailed it.’ ”
Indeed, Hickey and Yedid infused the home with a welcoming vibe that balances toes-in-the-sand informality—reflected in the soft textures and beachy palette of corals, blues, and warm neutrals—with an elevated mix of vintage and contemporary furnishings, refined finishes, and eye-catching art. Floors were sanded, bleached, and restained a shade lighter; walls were upholstered or glazed in Venetian plaster.
Richard Schultz chaise longues and armchairs for Knoll border the pool, interspersed with a trio of tables by Sebastian Herkner for Ames beneath a Tuuci umbrella from RH. Photo: Douglas Friedman; Styled by Anita Sarsidi
Architectural interventions were minimal, though new custom millwork was installed throughout, from expanded storage in the kitchen and built-out closets in the primary bedroom to open bookshelves and a burl-wood desk for the office and lounge that the husband uses to work from home. In order to give that latter space privacy, Hickey and Yedid closed it off from the adjacent hallway with a glass wall that is opaque near the desk and becomes clear next to the lounge seating.
“Now it can be used as a place for him to have meetings, and there is a sound barrier when the kids are running around,” says Yedid. The sitting area is furnished with a wool-clad Paul Mathieu sofa, trim 1950s French armchairs, and a custom club chair, all arrayed around a milky glass table by Mathieu Lehanneur, who also created the wall sculpture that resembles a rippling ocean surface above the mantel.
A Vincenzo De Cotiis light fixture from Carpenters Workshop Gallery adds a dynamic sculptural presence above the dining area’s custom Corian table and 1950s Joseph-André Motte chairs upholstered in Erika Shamrock Textiles fabrics. Photo: Douglas Friedman; Styled by Anita Sarsidi
Mounted behind the desk at the room’s other end is a densely encrusted canvas in a striking, lapis-like shade by Bosco Sodi, a work that Yedid and the wife selected on one of their gallery visits together. The two consulted closely on the art, all of which was bought specifically for the house and includes pieces by Kiki Smith, Sheila Hicks, and James Benjamin Franklin.
Among the home’s most prominent works is a specially commissioned José Parlá painting, a maelstrom of lyrical swirls and splashes in exuberant hues overlooking the heart of the home—the high-ceilinged room that encloses the living and dining areas as well as the open kitchen. Here, family meals are served at an expandable white Corian table that Yedid ringed with vintage Joseph-André Motte chairs playfully covered in alternating salmon and navy upholstery.
In one of the guest rooms, a James Benjamin Franklin painting hangs near a custom-designed desk that is topped by a vintage Per & Annelise Linnemann-Schmidt table lamp and paired with a Verner Panton chair for Fritz Hansen; the rug is by Jebara & Co. Photo: Douglas Friedman; Styled by Anita Sarsidi
The primary suite’s linen-upholstered Roman Thomas bed is flanked by plaster-front nightstands designed by Grade and Jeff Zimmerman handblown-glass wall lights mounted atop a Toyine Sellers fabric wall covering. A specially created artwork by Robert Greene conceals a pinup board above the Ralph Pucci desk and a Pierre Paulin chair. The bespoke oak bench is upholstered in a Pierre Frey linen, an Angelo Mangiarotti marble table stands next to a Dagmar Design lounge chair in a Holland & Sherry alpaca-wool blend, and the rug is by Beauvais Carpets. Photo: Douglas Friedman; Styled by Anita Sarsidi
The living area, meanwhile, is composed around a sprawling Grade-designed sectional sofa in a cozy blue chenille that’s large enough for multiple generations to pile onto. Yedid combined it with vintage armchairs and ottomans by Motte and a custom cabinet for storing games and toys. “Kids play in this area, so most everything is soft,” says the designer. “And that’s why there’s no carpet, because the client wanted them to be able to do whatever they want on the floor.”
“At the end of the project, the wife told me, ‘It’s Florida without being Lilly Pulitzer, which is a hard line to walk—and you nailed it’ ”
Edward Yedid
That is, when everyone’s not enjoying the outdoors, playing on the lawn or in the pool, both of which are accessible via the multiple glass French doors that flood the room with light and provide wraparound views of greenery. Though Hickey and Yedid left the landscaping as is, they did update a terrace—shaded by dramatic rectangular topiaries—by installing a firepit and a variety of modern seating.
“It’s a fun place for them to wind down, have a drink, hang out,” says Yedid, who has visited the house with his own young daughter when the grandchildren were in residence, toys everywhere. Ultimately, he adds, what he and Hickey set out to do was “all about creating great experiences for the family.”
A version of this article first appeared in print in our 2024 Spring Issue under the headline “Fresh Outlook.” Subscribe to the magazine.
