Nina DeKay Grauer had been living in southern Palm Beach County for a few years when she noticed the exciting growth happening in West Palm Beach and began making plans to move to the area. As principal designer and founding partner of DeKay & Tate Interiors, a design firm with offices in Palm Beach and Denver, Grauer is well-versed in matters of real estate, so when she found a 1938 ranch-style home near the El Cid neighborhood (not too far from family and friends), she promptly purchased it.
The decision to buy the 1,800-square-foot residence was an easy one, but the renovation that followed wasn’t quite as effortless. Grauer enlisted her business partner, Eleanor Tate Trepte, for the job, and the two went to work guided by style and ideas from the 1960s and ’70s.
“I’ve always been fascinated by the music, the psychedelic art, and the overall vibe of that era,” says Grauer, “so that’s where we found our inspiration.”
While work on the exterior of the house was minimal, the interiors underwent a total transformation. Rooms were reconfigured to open the living room and reposition the bedrooms to allow for a more modern layout, while electrical and plumbing systems were brought up to date. All this took money, dust, and time, but the designers didn’t let that dampen their spirits. Instead, they concentrated on selecting the ideal colors to play up texture and pattern in some parts of the house, as well as enlarge the space and impart calm in others.
These personal touches are evident in every corner of the home. In the living room, the designers installed a custom bar topped with shelves filled with books and mementos, as well as a hidden door that opens to the primary bedroom, a secret passageway inspired by Grauer’s aunt’s New York City apartment. “I remember that place as being super loud and a little hectic,” says Grauer, “but then you went behind a bookshelf and there was this bedroom sanctuary.”
Sanctuary is actually a good word to describe the home’s primary suite. A departure from the vibrant florals and embellishments found in the rest of the home, this room offers a quiet palette of neutrals and blush pink, with a grass-cloth wallpaper in a subtle checkerboard pattern. The home’s guest bedroom tunes in to a completely different vibe with bold colors, whimsical art, and eclectic accessories. The kitchen lowers the volume again with white cabinetry and a glass tile backsplash. “There’s definitely a yin-yang of ideas at play,” says Trepte. “It’s a happy, cozy place that feels like home for me too.”
For her part, Grauer couldn’t be happier. “This home is my own little retreat,” she says. “I love hosting friends and entertaining on the weekends, but I also like being here at peace. It’s exactly what I wanted.”
Story Credits:
Text by Kelley Marcellus
Photography by Carmel Brantley
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