A Fantasy Cottage in Palm Beach

HOUSE TOUR | ROOMS & GARDENS | WORLD OF CABANA

For returning clients, New York and Palm Beach based interior designer David Lucido transformed a modest guest house into a transportive retreat using floral fabrics, painted floors and a palette drawn from sundrenched destinations. He talks to Busola Evans. 

BY BUSOLA EVANS | ROOMS & GARDENS | 15 JUNE 2026

A custom table with handmade ceramic tiles and bespoke banquette is bespoke. The vintage chairs are by Guillerme et Chambron.

There are spaces designed for everyday life and there are those that exist slightly outside it. This Palm Beach guest house, by interior designer David Lucido, belongs firmly in the latter category. Reached by a winding garden path, the one-bedroom, one-bathroom retreat has a distinct dream-like quality with an assemblage of sun-faded colors, textured surfaces and carefully layered references from Europe to Japan.

“I wanted to create an escape for people,” explains David, who runs his eponymous studio between New York and Palm Beach. “It needed to feel charming but not too serious.”

The project followed his acclaimed renovation of the clients’ primary residence, a house conceived around what he describes as a ‘rustic and romantic’ sensibility. The guest quarters, however, had remained untouched. “It looked good enough,” David recalls. “But once they saw what we could do in the main house, they wanted this to feel just as special.”

It would have been easy to roll out a miniature version of what had been done previously but instead David decided to create something more transportative and with its own personality. Working within the existing footprint, he reimagined a ‘fantasy cottage’, with nods to France and Italy taken from the main house while introducing an unexpected Japanese influence.

Japanese influences are most evident in custom joinery and architectural detailing.

The project’s modest scale proved to be one of its biggest strengths. “I actually have a strong preference for smaller spaces in terms of design,” reveals David. “It forces a lot more creativity. Smaller spaces, bigger ideas."

Nowhere is that creativity more evident than in the main living area. Faced with the challenge of accommodating visiting family, David designed a custom sofa – upholstered in botanical print by Colefax and Fowler – that conceals two horsehair-tufted twin mattresses that can be dressed as beds when needed.

“I knew I wanted a floral sofa so I was looking for a fabric that could be recontextualized and not feel so granny-like,” says David. “And I feel because we have this fabric on this low-slung Japanese-style sofa, it is able to do this.”

The fabric became the springboard for the overall color palette and vintage Jean-Michel Frank style club chairs, discovered years ago at a Paris flea market, add a collected feel. A graphic rug acts as a visual counterpoint to the room’s softer elements.

A palette of saffron, terracotta and natural fibres creates the warmth of a holiday destination.

In the bedroom, David allows more theatrics. Inspired by the canopy beds found in grand Italian hotels, he designed a four-poster with a canopy in a striking ikat by Manuel Canovas. A raffia wallcovering lines the room while custom millwork incorporates a desk (above which hangs an Andy Warhol artwork from the clients’ own art collection), shelving and a wardrobe with perforated fronts that speak to the design in the living space.

A palette of saffron, terracotta and natural fibres creates the warmth of a holiday destination. “I knew I wanted to have a yellow and red theme in this room. In a weird way, I find yellow is a neutral,” says David. “We carried the color from the drapes and made custom yellow lampshades around the chandelier which creates a really nice warm glow. Because the house isn’t an everyday space, I feel the clients let me take risks with some prints and colors.”

In the bedroom, the canopy for the four-poster is an Ikat from Manuel Canovas.

The completed guest house feels remarkably coherent despite its mix of influences, and stands as a reminder that great design is not dependent on scale. David has created something that many larger homes struggle to achieve – a place with genuine character and a strong sense of identity. “And it feels like you’re on holiday,” he adds. “Which makes it very special.”

The bathroom walls are wrapped in ‘Deco Palm’ wallpaper from Schumacher. The custom vanity with fittings is from Lefroy Brooks. The vintage sconces are by Sergio Mazza.