WEST PALM BEACH by Susanna Salk

2120
4906 S. Dixie Hwy,
West Palm Beach, FL 33405
561-585-8371 tel
www.moderndesign2120.com
G. Charles Brown has had plenty of experience dealing in antiques from a variety of centuries, but it wasn’t until he claimed the genre of modern — the kind he grew up with — that his career really took meaning. His gallery 2120 — so named for the two centuries it represents, showcases the elegant, the curious and the curiously elegant: a Sciangai folding cloth stand, burnt by Maarten Baas or a sensational Zeppelin suspension lamp by Marcel Wanders. Each piece displayed in the minimalistic, gallery-like space shines. “Even though you’re in West Palm Beach,” says Brown, “we hope that our modern and postmodern furniture and fine arts collection will make you think you’ve landed in one of Milan’s edgy design centers.”

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C.Bell Furnishing
4906 South Dixie Hwy
West Palm Beach, FL 33405                     
561-533-6505 tel      
www.cbellfurnishing.com

No matter what your mood when you enter it, it’s impossible not to feel cheerful after a few moments inside C.Bell, where Palm Beach is deftly mixed with Regency style (with a dash of Dorothy Draper) into an exuberant cocktail of high style. “We are a constantly evolving collection of contemporary, custom and mid-20th-century furnishings,” says Christine Bell. “It’s really tradition with a tropical twist, with whimsical uses of color and design.” A must-see is the back room, with its black gloss enamel walls and white enamel furnishings.

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Palm Beach Antique and Design Center
6910 S. Dixie Highway
West Palm Beach, FL 33405
561-588-5868 tel
palmbeachantique@yahoo.com

When John Salibello and Simonette Hakim opened the Palm Beach Antique Design Center, it was with the intention of gathering an exciting group of dealers together under one roof. “We wanted the inventory to be wide ranging,” says Salibello. ” Today, the Center offers pieces from the 19th century all the way up to the 1980s and at multiple price points.” With 23 dealers offering select picks from Tommi Parzinger to Milo Baughman, the Center has become a daily destination for dealers and shoppers alike. “People are constantly revisiting,” says Hakim (who oversees the Center while Salibello is based in his Manhattan shop). “They know our dealers are compulsive shoppers and they can’t wait to see what’s new!”

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Authentic Provence
Showroom:
522 CLEMATIS STREET
WEST PALM BEACH FL 33401
TEL 561 805 9995
THE SECRET GARDEN (by appointment)
5600 SOUTH DIXIE HWY
WEST PALM BEACH FL 33405
TEL 561 805 9995
www.authenticprovence.com

“I’ve always had a love for creating unique exterior spaces,” says Susan Hofherr, who along with her husband, Wolfgang, fashioned Authentic Provence to feel as if you were entering the enchanted greenhouse of a French chateau. Brimming with faux bois salon, French hand-carved limestone urns and finials and Caisse de Versailles planter boxes from the 16th to the 20th centuries, the expansive showroom space reflects the couple’s past expertise as European art historians, and their passion for the visual. Be sure to stroll through the “secret garden” they have created at their second location along Antique Row, filled with exceptional and very rare French garden antiques such as the monumental circa 1780 French limestone Fontaine Cascades.

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CIRCA WHO
531 Northwood Rd.
West Palm Beach, FL 33407
561.655.5224 tel
 www.CIRCAWHO.com

When Tracy DeRamus was thinking of the most fitting name for her shop, she echoed the light-hearted philosophy she still embraces whenever she finds a fabulous piece. “When I started out buying, people tried to educate me by saying ‘Oh, that’s a Karl Springer, circa 1970,’ and I always used to reply, ‘Circa who?!’ I buy a piece not because of who designed it when but because I love it.” Evidence of her passion can be found in the splashy mid-century modern and Hollywood Regency pieces set against the boldly striped store walls she’s painted flamingo pink, electric orange, canary yellow, celery green and chocolate brown. “It just makes me happy and I hope it does the same to my visitors,” she says of her infectious décor. The vintage Florida palette is the ideal backdrop for the many “as found” pieces she discovers in local estate sales and consignment shops. Favorites include faux bamboo Chippendale chairs, Lucite lamps with Greek key designs, elephant garden stools and, she enthuses, “anything with a pagoda top!”

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FS Henemader Antiques, Inc.
316 South County Rd.,
Palm Beach, FL 33480
561-835-9237
www.fshenemaderantiques.com

Being in Palm Beach, with their antique shop one block away from the sea and by having a love for 18th-century rocaille-style antiques, Rick and Holly Henemader naturally added seashells to their
Palm Beach shop, which touts “Floribbean” flair. “We look for the very unusual, like huge clam shells, and also the very colorful,” says Holly. Indeed, shells in bright oranges, purples, soft pinks, corals and brown stripes decorate the shop from top to bottom, clustered with stylish antiques, in elegant vignettes that remind one of the ocean’s magical properties and power. Coral also abounds. “It’s so sculptural and versatile,” says Rick. “From a beach house to a formal entry way, coral fits the spectrum of decors.”

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Coco House & Company
3625 S. Dixie Highway
West Palm Beach, FL 33405
561-274-4940 tel
coco@cocohouseandcompany.com

For Serge de Laville who — along with his American wife, interior designer Stefani de Laville — moved from the South of France to Florida 20 years ago, necessity was the mother of invention when it came to opening his and Stefani’s bijoux of a boutique, Coco House & Company. “Stefani had been buying lots of 19th-century English bamboo for our beach cottage,” he tells us.  “The pieces are charming, durable and whimsical, and, usually, the only affordable antiques in a many of these local shows.  We loved them.” As their collection (and obsession) grew, the de Lavilles acquired a storage unit until they finally knew it was time to go retail. The scope of the inventory has grown as well, to now include French rattan and 20th- century Moroccan antiques, many finds plucked from the couple’s recent summer travels there. “It’s great to be able to sell antiques like bamboo and rattan furniture,” says Serge. “It’s like the best recycling there is!”

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Dolce
3700 South Dixie Highway #8,
West Palm Beach, FL 33405
561-832-4550 tel
www.dolce.1stdibs.com
dolceantiques@bellsouth.net

If you’re looking for a Lucite spiked table, a pair of giant fiberglass harlequins, a Rococo grandfather clock or a nine-foot-tall brass palm tree, then Dolce is your destination. “I crave a wide range of aesthetic,” says owner Tony Sirianni, who travels the world over for the one-of-a-kind. “Extraordinary things are best enjoyed when juxtaposed against unlike objects. I especially enjoy anything that startles me or makes me laugh.” Case in point at Dolce: a giant pair of TV “eyeglasses” made from 1940s television tubes which at Dolce, shares space with a Murano “Wave” chandelier and a pair of folk art cowboys. “I have always been attracted to folk art,” says Sirianni, “It is the simplest response to the human spirit.”

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Objects In The Loft
3611 South Dixie Highway,
West Palm Beach 33405
561-659-0403 tel
www.objectsintheloft.com

It started in the elegant, loftlike space on the second floor of the gallery that owners, Rico Baca and Wade Terwilliger, filled with the 20th-century objects they had always loved. The pair had not only been collecting, but furnishing their 1929 Spanish-style home in West Palm Beach with the pieces from the likes of Gio Ponti and Vladimir Kagan. “We eventually wanted to open a place to share our extensive passion for this genre,” says Baca. “From Italian glass to Paul Frankl rattan, Mission to modern, you’ll find it all at Objects in the Loft.” One-time visits to the space (which now comprises two floors) are rare. “Many of our clients have become friends,” says Terwilliger. “We feel like we are a part of their homes. Our clients are also extremely knowledgeable and up-to-date — so they keep us on our toes!” 

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Wilson Antiques
3716 South Dixie Highway,
West Palm Beach, FL33405
wilsonantiques.1stdibs.com
561-802-3881 tel
 “We hope people will extend their imaginations when they enter our shop,” says Nanci Wilson. She had her husband, John, have hand-picked 18th- to 20th-century European architectural items that possess oversize and whimsical flair, whether it be a 13-foot Belgian florist table (complete with zinc top), eight-foot chandeliers from an Italian theater or an 11-foot armoire. Located side by side with the shop’s garden area (touting 18th-century stone finials, French shutters and custom-made planters), Wilson Antiques comprises two galleries that reflect the pair’s 15-year passion for antique furniture with consoles, lighting, mirrors, tables and seating. Highlights from their ever-rotating collection include an 18th-century French monastery table with sliding drawers, a 1950s Italian satellite chandelier and a 19th-century French walnut daybed.

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Galere
3717 South Dixie Highway
West Palm Beach,FL 33405
561-832-3611 tel
www.galere.net
“Our goal is to provide people with the art and design they would normally only find in an art auction, but here at Galere, there is all the time in the world to make up your mind,” says Kurt Ducovna, who moved from his hometown of Cincinnati (“I really, really, hate cold weather!”) 15 years ago to open Galere. A giant Fumio Takasugi clay hand sculpture beckons you inside the space and once there, Gene Davis’s “Morning Mist” canvas hung along the main wall sets a serene backdrop for admiring the work of other masters such as Karl Springer, Paul Evans, Pedro Friedeberg and Andy Warhol.
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William Ockham Antiques at D and G
3234 South Dixie Highway
West Palm Beach 33405
212-319-2929 tel
www.williamockham.com
 
With 12 local dealers offering everything from French Empire to early 20th century, William Ockham Antiques at D and G is an elegant example (thanks to dealer Gilbert Guerin, who owns it along with Catherine Adler and Lon Morris) of the philosophy that there is strength in numbers. “I opened the shop along with an array of other dealers to be able to have a much larger and more diverse collection of beautiful objects than would be possible on one's own,” says Guerin, who sells his own pieces under the D&G banner. “I chose the site because of its location on West Palm Beach's famous Dixie Highway; it’s become such a well-known destination for international antiques buyers.” Here, you’re as likely to find pair of Italian brass, faux bamboo armchairs complete with round patent leather seats, as you are an unusual and large 19th- century bronze figure of a rearing horse. “It has such a marvelous dark green patina!” says Guerin.

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J+M Antiques
3714 S. Dixie Hwy
West Palm Beach 33405
954-629-1383 tel
www.jmantiques.1stdibs.com
 
“We sell mostly early European furniture but we always mix in some mid-century pieces to keep things interesting,” says Jerry Kielian of his store J+M Antiques, which has been doing just that during its 12-year span on the acclaimed Antique Row of West Palm Beach. “There’s nothing like hanging an Old Master painting above a mid- century chair,” he adds. “The contrast can be stunning.” Kielian offers plenty of pieces that can stand on their own, however one can’t ignore a nine-foot, English washed oak table with exaggerated baluster carved legs, or an Italian Empire desk with a carved coat of arms, or a rare pair of Venetian 18th-century Blackamoors. Alone or paired, the constant is that the inventory is always changing.

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N. P. Trent Antiques
3729 S. Dixie Hwy, West Palm Beach 33405
561-832-0919 – tel
www.nptrentantiques.com
Audrey & Stuart Peckner knew exactly the client they wanted to attract when they first began selling antiques. “We wanted to create a niche for ourselves by only selling the best examples of period furniture, meaning ‘no reproductions,’” says Stuart. Since their move to Florida, 35 years ago, the couple discovered how much they were drawn to the English, French and Italian furniture that dated to before 1830 and, so, decided to distinguish themselves in this group’s specialty. “This genre is so well suited to many of the local interiors here,” says Audrey. Their instincts proved successful and, since then, N.P. Trent has gained a following for those hunting for such special pieces as an Italian Neoclassical mirror with original gilding, circa 1790, to a Regency, green chinoiserie painted breakfast set (a favorite of renowned interior designer Albert Hadley), and a rare German cabinet from Dresden. “So little survived the carpet bombing there during World War II,” says Stuart, “It's great for us to have found such a wonderful example.”

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CÔTÉ JARDIN ANTIQUES
3416 South Dixie Highway
West Palm Beach, FL 33405,
Phone: 561-805-7571
www.cotejardinantiques.com

It was in the heart of their vacation home in Provence where Nopporn Khaewpong and Basil Kavalsky found inspiration — and inventory — that the duo opened Cote Jardin Antiques. French 18th- and 19th-century furniture and decorative antiques for both the home and garden, Continental furniture from Gustavian to Biedermeier, all capture the elegant spirit of this special region. The men opened Cote Jardin, first in their home base of Washington, DC, back in 2004 —and the sunny, relaxed atmosphere of Florida made perfect sense as a second location. “We’ve always had a particular affinity for garden antiques,” says Khaewpong, “and having a store now in West Palm Beach allows us to carry beautiful terracotta jardinières and statues that may not stand up to Washington winters.” The store’s recent addition of Herve Baume of Avignon’s modern garden furniture makes for an ideal match: “His easy style fits almost any décor and seems to breathe the Provencal lifestyle,” says Kavalsky.

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gary rubinstein antiques
3901 S. Dixie Highway
West Palm Beach, Fl.33405
561-249-7095
305-924-1796- cell
garyrubinsteinantiques.com
and
gary rubinstein antiques miami
859-861 NE 125th St.
N. Miami, Fl. 33161
305-891-7580
305-924-1796
garyrubinsteinantiques.com

After living in Florida for almost 10 years, the idea of opening an antiques store was never a question of "if" for dealer Gary Rubinstein but "when." And as far as choosing Miami or Palm Beach for its locale, there was no hesitation for which city: he simply chose both. While his two-year-old Miami shop is limited to the 20th century with a heavy emphasis on Italian design, Rubinstein — who gave up a career in medicine to pursue his true calling some 20 years ago — felt Palm Beach was ready for a different focus. His just-opened shop on South Dixie Highway offers 17th through 20th-century furniture, art and decorative objects, which echo Rubinstein's own person preference. "The juxtaposition of sleek mid-century design with the pared-down geometry of the late 18th century is especially beautiful," he says. Eye-catching pairings in the airy, minimalist space feel more like entering a Manhattan loft than a Palm Beach showroom. Set against a polished porcelain floor, a pair of 19th-century, Russian Neoclassical chandeliers share space with an Italian modern six- door credenza attributed to Paolo Buffa from the 1950s. "Everything here," says Rubinstein, "has that ‘X’ factor that makes something really special."

 
DEALERS FAVORITE PLACES TO EAT AND STAY
HOTELS:

HOTELS
The Breakers Palm Beach
1 South County Road
Palm Beach, FL 33480-4024
(561) 655-6611
www.thebreakers.com

THE OMPHOY OCEAN RESORT
842 SOUTH OCEAN BLVD.
PALM BEACH, FL
TEL: 561 459 2711  
www.omphoy.com

Chesterfield Hotel-Palm Beach
363 Cocoanut Row
Palm Beach, FL 33480
(561) 659-5800
www.chesterfieldpb.com

Hibiscus House
501 30th Street
West Palm Beach, FL 33407-5121
(561) 863-5633
www.hibiscushouse.com

Hotel Biba
320 Belvedere Road

West Palm Beach, FL 33405

(561) 832-0094
www.hotelbiba.com

RESTAURANTS:  
MARCELLO’s LA SIRENA
6316 SOUTH DIXIE HWY,
WEST PALM BEACH, FL: 33405
TEL 561 585 3128  
www.lasirenaonline.com      

Café L’ Europe
331 S County Rd,
Palm Beach, FL 33480-4443
561 655 4020 –tel
www.cafeleurope.com

Belle & Maxwell's?
3700 South Dixie Highway
West Palm Beach, FL 33405-2268
(561) 832-4449 tel

Vagabondi Restaurant
319 Belvedere Road

West Palm Beach, FL 33405

Tel (561) 249-2281
www.vagabondirestaurant.com

 
Cafe Sapori
205 Southern Boulevard
West Palm Beach, FL 33405-2737
(561) 805-7313 tel
www.cafesapori.com

Rhythm Café
3800 South Dixie Highway
West Palm Beach, FL 33405-2232
(561) 833-3406 tel
www.rhythmcafe.cc