Modernism is not the first word that comes to mind when you think of the work of Robert A.M. Stern. The architectural titan has built his reputation as a classicist whose residential design skews decidedly traditional. But it’s worth remembering that Stern, a former dean of the Yale School of Architecture, was, in the 1970s and ’80s, a pioneer of postmodernism, a style that melded classical elements with contemporary flair. What has linked every one of his projects is an intimate understanding of visual culture through time.
In the great room, a sofa by Anthony Lawrence-Belfair and chairs by Roman Thomas surround a DeMuro Das cocktail table. A Joan Mitchell painting hangs above the fireplace, and the ceiling is clad in pecky cypress.
Now, working with the interior designer Ellie Cullman, Stern and his team have unveiled a project that is a definite departure: a Florida vacation home for an art collecting couple that takes tropical modernism as its antecedent, with a side of mid-20th-century regionalism. And with a house that is itself a tour de force, the architecture in a sense dictated what works to display. Once they saw the home, the owners started over. “The art was mostly purchased specifically for this house, because the proportions dictated much larger pieces,” Cullman says. Roger H. Seifter, the partner at Robert A.M. Stern Architects (RAMSA) who led the design, says one inspiration was a villa the homeowners had rented on St. Bart’s. The couple, who have worked with Stern’s firm for more than 25 years on several homes, loved the island home’s simplicity and sense of calm, and they asked for a similar ambiance for a vacation house on an oceanfront property north of Miami.
In an ocean-facing guestroom, the club chair and ottoman are by Anthyony Lawrence-Belfair. Bed linens by C&C Milano; 1950s Italian chandelier; curtain fabric by Kravet; rug by Doris Leslie Blau.
The centerpiece of the 12,000-square-foot, two-story house is a top floor great room that opens onto a loggia, with doors that retract into walls and large-scale artworks placed in key positions. For inspiration Seifter looked to two pioneers of Hawaiian modernism, Vladimir Ossipoff and Charles William Dickey, as well as to California architect William Wilson Wurster, whose houses were known for their open plans, unadorned natural materials, and close attention to site. In this project, walls are in bleached walnut, the ceiling is sheathed in pecky cypress, and the floors are reclaimed limestone and antique oak. “It’s a very tactile house,” Seifter says.
Cullman stepped in to bring warmth and livability to the peaceful house. While she too has a reputation for traditional decor, she has been experimenting with more modern styles. “We’re taking what we have learned from the past and bringing it into the present,” she says. Here, textiles in solids, checks, and circles introduce a graphic quality to the home, creating a pleasant tension with the organic shapes of the landscape. The palette, while mostly neutral, is accented with soft wisps of ocean blue, pistachio green, and pale yellow. The couple’s longtime decorator, John Gilmer, assisted on finishing touches.
Take a Tour of This Stunning Modernist House
The decor complements the homeowners’ blue-chip collection of 20th-century art, which includes works by Roy Lichtenstein, Alice Neel, Stanley Whitney, and Pat Steir, assembled with help from the art advisor Nancy Rosen. A sculpture by Harry Bertoia in the stair hall echoes the verticality of the two-story window behind it, and a Joan Mitchell painting above the living room fireplace provides a focal point. In the game room downstairs, a painting by Jennifer Bartlett mirrors the pale yellow, luscious green, and sunset orange of the landscape outside.
Architectural drawings of the house by Seifter.
Architectural drawings of the house by Seifter.
In this way the architecture provides a frame for the artworks, and the huge canvases help animate the building around them. The result is a house that is as relaxed as it is layered, as refined as it is comfortable. And even if the project was a departure, both RAMSA and Cullman rose to the occasion by doing what they do best: bringing ideas (and proportions) from the past into the present to create a home that feels both classic and up-to-date. “This was very different for all of us,” Cullman says. “But in a way it was liberating.” ◾
This story originally appeared in the March 2025 issue of Elle Decor. SUBSCRIBE
