Tropical Style in the Suburbs

Avery Roberts has been to Palm Beach only once in her life, but she’s always had a thing for coastal living and all things pink and green. “I’ve been drawn to sunny, happy colors and that old Florida charm for as long as I can remember,” says the stationery designer. She began collecting and refinishing secondhand “Palm Beach–chic” furniture—like faux bamboo chairs and lacquer tables—as a hobby 10 years ago.

So when Avery and her husband, Tommy, moved into their home in Raleigh, NC with their daughters Alden, 9, left; and Sallie Clarke, 7; and their Brittany spaniel, Buxton, she didn’t let the location affect her design mission. Room by room it became a tropical paradise, filled with big floral prints, wicker furniture, and her favorite preppy color palette. “My home may be surrounded by pine trees, not palms,” she says, “but the inside still feels like a vacation.”

The roll-arm sofa once belonged to Tommy’s mom. Avery had it reupholstered in a kelly green cotton blend and added pink and green pillows. The big, cushy club chairs from a consignment shop got re-covered in floral cotton fabric from P. Kaufmann. Both the faux bamboo coffee and side tables were yard sale finds that Avery had painted White by Benjamin Moore in a high-gloss finish—her go-to white for furniture.

Avery kept the original cabinets but painted them White by Benjamin Moore in a high-gloss finish. She also put in a white subway tile backsplash and changed the countertops from laminate to white quartz. Geometric-print wallpaper from Alan Campbell and a pink and green runner from the Stark outlet in Charlotte prep up the room.