It was a full three months before designer Lisa Michael was in the same room with her clients, a New Jersey couple who hired her to outfit their North Palm Beach condo retreat. “We found Lisa on the Internet,” the wife shares. “She’s a really good communicator and made me feel like I was there with her throughout the process.”
Having determined the couple favored “ethnic flair with a contemporary bohemian twist,” Michael deftly mixed saturated orange and indigo walls, open weave rattan chairs, a Moroccan inspired etagere, and African baskets to achieve the requisite eclectic vibe.
“I didn’t want a literal coastal feel but rather a resort ambience or exotic escape that you’d find at an exclusive boutique hotel in the Caribbean, Bali or Thailand,” she says.
Just prior to the big reveal–and her first meeting with the husband–the designer made the decision to stencil the living room wall with a blue paisley pattern. “I was nervous he wouldn’t like it but he loved it, and everything else,” says the designer.