Florida Interior Design--Tropical Style and SubstanceCategory: Business
Article posted by: Leslie McKerns
by Leslie McKerns—McKerns Development
According to Chip Dupont, ASID, FIIDA, Interior Design expert, don't expect the predictable in Florida interior design. In South Florida, we have a varied population made up of celebrities, Crown Heads of Europe, design and business leaders, says Dupont. If anything is popular, it is an individual look.
In his world of high design interiors there are influences beyond Mediterranean, such as Florida vernacular, Southern Plantation, Old Key West, Havana, Old World and the Exotic. Stones and other hard surfaces are combined with authentic woods such as Pecky Cypress and Old Florida Pine to create the tropical Florida feel. Stone colored concrete--at times inset with colored glass--and other man-made materials are joining granite in popularity.
Good strong design has legs under it. Architecture and Interior design as one. How do you divorce the dermis from the epidermis? There is style and substance in Florida interior design.
Dupont has a degree in Architecture with a major in Interior Design and, in addition to his flourishing design practice, teaches Interior Design at FAU within the School of Architecture.
Dupont mentions the importance of color in the tropics; blue sky dominates and natural light fills sunny interiors. It is March in Florida and in South Florida it is 80 degrees and sunny outside. An inside--outside world prevails and outdoor living rooms and kitchens are becoming the norm.
New technology lets brass and other metals be used outside; wicker now stands up to weather, and special outdoor fabrics in prints and colors are all impervious to the elements.
And, for beating the tropical heat? Beyond breezeways and overhangs, there are new moisture systems pioneered by Disney that mist a space keeping it 5 -10 degrees cooler. You don’t feel the moisture, you simply experience the freshness, says Dupont.
Focal point does not have to be limited to just one, and it is not only the view that is important, it is what is important to the client as a person. Just remember to disperse those collections throughout the space. You don’t want them all jammed on top of one another like a train wreck, adds Dupont.
Chip DuPont has become a close associate of Lady Henrietta Spencer-Churchill, eldest daughter of the 11th Duke of Marlborough, whose ancestral home is one England’s finest castles, Blenheim Palace.
“Our first meeting was at a Boston-based interior design convention. We bonded while standing shivering in our pajamas in the middle of the night at a park across from our hotel. A fire had broken out and we were victims of a hasty evacuation.”
Over time, Dupont was invited to visit with Lady Henrietta in London. “We spent a day together, browsing shops and eating pub food. The next day she offered to drive us out to her family’s “country house.” I had no idea. Imagine my surprise when we pulled up to Blenheim Palace and were greeted by the Duke himself!”
Currently, Dupont and Lady Spencer-Churchill are shooting a promo piece for a PBS special together, “Great Estates of Palm Beach.” Lady Henrietta is host.
Key words: tropical interior design, outdoor living rooms, tropical style in interiors, McKerns Development, Florida style interiors, tropical living, tropical Florida style interiors, interior design for the tropics, South Florida interior design, interior design in Florida
Posted By: Leslie McKerns
Web: http://www.mckernsdevelopment.com
Contact: e-mail
| About the Author: |
| Leslie McKerns, owner of McKerns Development, a Florida based PR, Marketing and Strategic Business Development firm, is a consistent contributor to major magazines and newspapers, and the Real Estate Editor of CitySmart magazine. McKerns Development, PR, works with developers, architects and interior designers to promote their services and build business. For free tips, interior design and marketing news and 5 unique service packages, visit http://www.freewebs.com/mckernsdevelopment |
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