Traditional Homes
Writer Sally Finder Weepie | Photographer Carmel Brantley & Ken Hayden | Producer Tori Mellott | Architectural/Interior Design Frank de Biasi
Portals through space and time seem to open whenever Bob Matthews steps into one of the rooms in his Palm Beach home. They transport him to exotic destinations—to ancient Pompeii, to Dickensian London, to the land of Arabian Nights. And they take him to his most treasured place of all—close to family.
“Right now, that’s what it’s all about,” Bob says. “My daughter Bianca is 15 and just got her driver’s permit. Miranda is 17 and is looking at colleges. They’ll be off on their own soon. That makes these moments precious. I want to enjoy this time while I can.”
The house Bob, a financier, and his wife Mia, and actress, share with their girls helps him do just that. it was designed in a collaboration with Manhattan interior designer Frank de Biasi to be beautiful, yes, but also functional for family living.
De Biasi worked with the couple to craft a smart, functional floor plan. An oval front foyer opens to free-flowing interiors that let gatherings easily spill out through a wall of French doors to lapping waves and soft breezes on the oceanfront patio. “It’s a great party place and a great family place,” de Biasi says.
The exterior style says surely this house must have been raised from: the Palm Beach sand by architectural icon Addison Mizner back in the 1920s or ‘30s. Patinated wrought-iron lanterns, stenciled pecky cypress ceilings, and Corinthian columns hand-carved from stone would have you believe that this Mediterranean-look home dates from centuries even further past. But this is a house built in the 21st century—only its artisan traditions date to an earlier time.
“We used craftspeople from around the world to create a home with personality,” de Biasi says. “It’s a fusion of global cultures that reflects the well-traveled lifestyle of this family.”
Inside, elaborate coffered cielings, intricate crown moldings, plinth blocks, and Old World antiques also say this is a house rich with history. “The devil is in the details,” Bob says. “There are so many little touches in this house that people don’t notice the first time around.”
Walls of hand-tooled leather, striéd Venetian plaster, and Morocan tiles set a breathtaking backdrop for anqtiques from around the globe. “Searching for pieces was the really fun part,” says Bob, who has journeyed with Mia to Italy, France, Portugal, Morocco and elsewhere.
“We’d pick up things on our trips—pieces we love, like a great painting in Casablanca. Those things make a house special.”
“Traveling to Morocco when we were designing the house was huge,” Mia agrees. “Being able to touch the tile, for instance, to feel the materials where they live, was important. These things give the house a great authenticity. It feels like it’s been here a long time. There’s a soul to our home.”
It’s an old soul, but one that maintains all its youthful verve. Dashes of contemporary furnishings, happy colors, and fun-loving teens ensure this home lives for today. “The house is traditional, but timeless,” de Biasi says. “Fresh and inviting to everyone.”
It’s a place where Yorkies are welcome on the furniture and beach balls bounce across the lawn. Because that’s the way this family wants it. “This is not a showhouse,” Bob says, “It’s a home.”