Modern Masterpiece in Delray Beach

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Business brought John and Angela DesPrez to South Florida more than a decade ago, but a specific house convinced them to call Delray Beach their home for good.

While the couple had lived happily in Boston for years, when the financial services company of which John is CEO moved to South Florida, they bought a property in Highland Beach on the Intracoastal and embraced the local lifestyle, including forging a relationship with the Boca Raton Museum of Art. The DesPrezes have an extensive collection of contemporary art, which John began accumulating more than 20 years ago, and the couple is dedicated to living with those cherished works.

The house was conceived specifically for its prime beachfront site by architects Wesley Kean and Chance Stillman, who designed the three-story structure to take advantage of the ocean view. The first floor acts like a subterranean level, housing two two-car garages, a gym, an office, and a hidden entrance. “It’s the antithesis of modern development,” says John. “You drive down the street and there are no doors visible.” The reason the exterior recedes from the view of passersby is to provide the homeowners with privacy and remove the distraction of the roadway between the home and the beachfront. “You can forget that A1A even exists because you see over it,” says Kean regarding the home’s second-floor public living spaces, third-floor bedrooms, and rooftop deck—one of the few that have been permitted in Delray Beach. Native, salt-tolerant landscaping and a muted gray shade further camouflage the first floor. “The lower level is about the shadow that really connects you to the landscape,” adds Kean. “As you rise up, the materiality becomes much lighter.”

The architects liken the design of the home to that of a catamaran, with angles and sails opening skyward. “The motor court is darker and more out of view,” says Stillman. “As you look up, the vessel starts to emerge and that’s what cradles the main living space.”

Wooden exterior fins, which continue inside the home, highlight windows that shield views of the street from inside, yet frame a wide view of the ocean. The tone of the wood was chosen to mirror what was found in the natural environment outdoors, a tactic that drove color choices made throughout the residence. “We wanted sleek and contemporary, so we made choices that were clean,” says Angela. “This is a contemporary house, but it’s far from being a white box.”

In terms of the look indoors, the interplay of exterior and interior materials was key. The same type of coral stone used outside sets an ideally neutral backdrop for the homeowners’ art collection inside. On the first floor, a curved wall crafted of ribbed light oak disguises an elevator and hides some of the residence’s utilitarian spaces. On the second level, where the main living areas are located, the elevator enclosure becomes a visual element within an open floor plan meant to serve as a gallery space for various paintings and sculptures.

Wood, texture, and curves tell the story in the kitchen, which offers a sleek balance of white lacquer and blond oak. Here, a large island is angled in a very similar way to the ribbon motif outside the house. “We opted for a very contemporary effect,” says John. “There are no cabinet pulls or knobs anywhere, and that was a very conscious choice.”

The living room is an area for contemplation of both natural splendor and human creativity. With glass walls highlighting the Atlantic Ocean, the eye can’t help but jump from the water view to the art, which includes an abstract glass sculpture by Brent Kee Young and a blue-toned painting by Jane Maxwell. A glass-railed staircase contributes to the gallery vibe with its sculptural silhouette.

“All in all, the house accomplishes everything we wanted,” says John. “It allows us to live with the art we’ve collected and love, and it has evocative layers that tell the story of the dunes, water, and sky that are right outside.”

Story Credits:

Architecture & Interior Design by Wesley Kean & Chance Stillman, KoDa, Miami, FL

Text by Kelley Marcellus

Photography by Jeanne Canto, North Miami, FL

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