Old-World Charm: Sophisticated Florida Home with Coastal Regency-Inspired Details

Outside of a child’s room, it isn’t often that pirates are an inspiration for a home’s décor. Heather French, co-founder of French & French Interiors, decided to take on a project in the Snell Isle neighborhood of St. Petersburg, Florida, when the couple, who had recently bought the house, surprised her with that reference. “The clients found us through Instagram,” French says, noting that her firm is based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, but takes on projects nationwide. “They really wanted that pirate ship, old Florida vibe, but in a sophisticated, not thematic way.”

To French, that directive meant adding tons of personality to the existing builder-grade, white box rooms that she describes as a “blank slate.” Checkerboard tile floors established the old-world feel the clients requested and provided a backdrop for the richer tones and bold florals that French layered in each room.

For the living and dining space, which opens to the kitchen, French used a Morris & Co. patterned fabric for the drapes. With that fabric as her keystone, she painted millwork a forest green and repeated a goldenrod yellow on the dining chairs, sofa, and stools. French complemented the kitchen’s white oak cabinetry with Cambria’s Brittanicca Gold Warm design. She chose this quartz design for its golden veins of color and used it on both the counters and a dramatic backsplash. “It’s such a beautiful gold and it’s also a sophisticated pattern,” she says. “I’ve used it in a few homes we’ve designed, including my mom’s.”

To create a cohesive feel in the multifunctional space, French wallpapered the ceiling with a pattern that has a subtle floral design weaving through the monochromatic scheme. “When you’re adding layers and personality to a home, remembering the ceiling is really important,” French says. “I love how that yellow paper cozies up and pulls together the kitchen, dining, and living areas really nicely.”

One of French’s design principles is to present clients with a cohesive plan for the entire project. “I think our clients trust us because they can see the whole vision,” she says. “It’s how we get our clients across the finish line in a more exciting way.” That excitement is evident in the primary bedroom and library, where colors carry through from the main living space—creating a nice flow and continuity—but with tweaks that give each room its own feel.

In the library, a dramatic coffered ceiling and built-in bookshelves are painted the same forest green as the millwork in the kitchen. A grasscloth mural wallpaper by Pierre Frey is framed by the shelves behind a small sofa and then continues around the room. The elevation of the dark green to a starring role creates a cozy feel in the library.

The primary bedroom bumps a celestial blue to dominance with French again paying attention to the ceiling by painting it and the surrounding millwork in the blue hue. The forest green steps back in as an element in the wallpaper and fabric—two botanicals that are a fabulous, if unexpected, combination. “It’s an unusual palette, in an unusual combination of patterns,” French says. “Sometimes as a designer, you just know what works and how to break the rules. There was something about the overlap of those patterns that worked really well.”

When asked to point out if there are any Jolly Rogers or treasure chests incorporated into the home’s design, French laughs and admits that there aren’t any of those clichéd elements. Instead, she created a house filled with layers of wood, stone, and fabric that evokes Old Florida but is far too sophisticated for Blackbeard and his ilk.

Read this article as it appears in the magazine.