20-02-2025
This Casbah-Inspired Balcony Pays Homage to Old Florida and Morocco
Architect Addison Mizner is famed for his 1920s Spanish- and Mediterranean Revival-style villas, mansions, and resorts that continue to define the design style of South Florida. Long Island-based designer Amal Kapen, however, leaned into Mizner's perhaps lesser-known Arabian architectural influences to give this balcony at the 2025 Kips Bay Decorator Show House in Palm Beach a casbah-inspired makeover—and it very well could be overlooking a Moroccan palmerie.
"I thought a lot about the work of Mizner and the Arabian influences he incorporated in his style of architecture," says Kapen. "He was not formally trained and brought in elements of whimsy, which makes him so special. I wanted to add similar flourishes to my design to evoke his style.'
Kapen tips her hat to her Middle Eastern heritage as well, but she translates it in Floridian shades of green, blue, and pink. The balcony's redbrick wall was her first challenge; it felt more akin to a mansion in Georgia than a lush perch in Palm Beach or Marrakech. She collaborated with friend Sally Bennett of Hue & Dot on a custom vinyl wallcovering, which was then topped with mint green treillage.
'I have always been a fan of treillage, and I am thrilled with its enduring power in design,' Kapan says. Surrounded by the wallcovering's flowering vines and lush plants, the seat area feels like a desert oasis. Carved brass accents via the Vaughan lantern and hand-carved Made Goods mirror offer an extra dose of well-traveled flair.
Mid-century Florida Regency style arrives through Kapan's collection of vintage furniture and textiles in the balcony's signature palette. She sourced the seating area's reeded coffee table from Brittany's Bamboo Barn and the vintage camel cocktail table from Palm Beach Regency. Kapan visited Meg Braff's West Palm Beach shop for the playful koi dining table and iron chairs.
"Floridian design is so happy and has a personality of its own," says Kapen. "This room was a collection of all my favorite elements of this style: colors that you can't really use anywhere else and the mix of natural and formal materials."
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