1950’s Oceanside Condo Makeover

When RAYMOND NICOLAS was tapped to remodel and preserve a condo within the Orleans Chateau and Villas Complex on Fort Lauderdale’s Harbor Beach, founder and creative director Raymond Jimenez sought to transform the outdated 1950s-era interior into a sophisticated, modern property with a seamless open floor plan, deconstructing the notion of a typical beach condo. The home previously had a closed-off, segmented floor plan with only one Jack-and-Jill bathroom for the art collecting owners to use. Jimenez performed a full gut renovation, down to the cinder blocks on the 1,100-square-foot home, and created a two-bedroom, two-bathroom oceanside paradise.

Crucial to the new design, Jimenez designed an open space with seamless transitions from one room to the next. The kitchen, which boasts hidden storage through its clean lines, and subtle yet contrasting finishes, opens up to the living room on one side and the den on the other. In doing so, Jimenez integrated the kitchen and lounge areas to facilitate the owners’ love of entertaining. Further connecting the kitchen and living area, Jimenez embedded rich, naturally warm Ipe wood planks that line the ceiling directly from the main entrance, through the living room, and into the kitchen area. Strategically maintaining the airy allure of the space, Jimenez also embedded a thin and extended trimless linear diffuser in lieu of having multiple air conditioning vents. Along with this level of detail, Jimenez installed three side-by-side 24” fully-integrated appliances – a 102-bottle wine cellar, and a smart touch control refrigerator and freezer – all of which remain hidden behind sleek, white kitchen door panels from Ornare. The large matte taupe kitchen island is topped with a thick, cantilevered live-edge Ipe wood slab, and oriented parallel to the cabinetry in an effort to maintain the flow and circulation of the space.