Manalapan Home Embodies Spanish-Mediterranean Style

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walkways paved in gray and white marble lend a classic touch to the main entry of a home in Manalapan before a stately black door opens into a turret-style foyer, its entire exterior clad in climbing greenery. Once inside the property, an interior courtyard reveals a crystalline pool and a quaint lanai that showcases the property’s expansive water views. Laid out in a U-shaped floor plan, the house occupies nearly 6,000 square feet of space and is surrounded by water on two sides.

“The layout emanates a casual, easygoing vibe, and the home has wonderful entertaining spaces inside and out that make it an effortless place to gather,” says Alex Alonso, head of mr alex TATE Design, who was responsible for the residence’s recent renovation. “The owners are from Canada, but they reside here for more than half the year because they love the weather and South Florida lifestyle.”

These clients had originally envisioned a larger construction project, which would have extended the second story to add more square footage, but they ultimately decided to keep the existing footprint and modify the spaces. As a result, a wing was expanded and reconfigured to connect it more organically to the rest of the house.

“The architecture in Manalapan ranges from Spanish-Mediterranean to Colonial Bermuda-style to modern glass structures, and the town has an unpretentious disposition that feels instantly charming and inviting,” says Alonso. “This home’s original aesthetic included architectural elements more aligned with a Mediterranean style, so that dictated the direction we took with the restoration.”

The design team replaced the flat slate shingles with a Spanish red tile roof, brought in new windows, and expanded the exterior openings to create more indoor/outdoor living spaces. When it came time to decorate the interiors, Alonso told his team to have fun with color, pattern, and texture. Case in point: the living room’s trellis ceiling, which is rooted in chinoiserie and Victorian designs. “Being so close to Palm Beach, we wanted to be playful with botanical and floral prints but not be too on-the-nose with typical Palm Beach tropes,” laughs Alonso. “It was a fun game of when to pull back.”

Ultimately, the home created feels cohesive and timeless, which was achieved by relying on classic evergreen motifs such as tropical patterns, bold stripes, rattan, and wicker.

“This project was five years in the making, with many starts and stops due to construction issues and material delays,” says Alonso. “But through it all, the homeowners were fantastic to work with, as well as open and responsive to the design journey.”

Story Credits:

Interior Design by Alex Alonso, mr alex TATE Design, Miami, FL

Text by Jeanne de Lathouder

Photography by Gabriel Volpi, Miami, FL

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