Sea Change

After years of living in a traditional home with formally defined rooms, Mark and Ellen Rothenberg were ready for a change. They traded their Parkland house for a light-filled, coastal contemporary one with a dock on the Intracoastal Waterway in Lighthouse Point. They knew the home was top quality because it was built by Ellemar Luxury Construction – the company that they own. 

Architect Rick Bremer of RWB/Linares Architecture Inc. and designer Renee Burns of Rooms by Renee (both based in Boca Raton) designed the couple’s dream home, which the latter describes as über-contemporary.

“It was a beautiful design,” says Burns, who has been an interior designer for 24 years and worked with the Rothenbergs on their Parkland home. 

She and the owners were involved in all of the selections, furnishings and accessories for the two-story attached home, comprising four bedrooms, five bathrooms and a roof deck. The open-plan, 4,100-square-foot home took 18 months to build and was finished in August.

Burns began the entire process by making a client wish list. 

“I really listen to what they want and go from there,” she says. “I give them their vision.”

Her goal was to create a comfortable yet light, elegant space in keeping with the homeowners’ wishes for a more casual and uncluttered lifestyle. They also wanted an open plan conducive to entertaining. 

The neutral color palette comprises white, gray and taupe with touches of blue. Hints of green from plants and accents bring in a bit of nature.

“The green touches gave enough of a punch of color,” Burns says. “There’s nothing distracting from the water. You want your attention to go outside, and it just does. Even though the space is so beautiful inside, it lets you look outside and not be distracted.”

The floors throughout the main level are gray porcelain in a matte finish, while wood elements provide warmth. Accessories add subtle texture and an organic feel.

In the kitchen, the Rothenbergs wanted a white aesthetic and chose a painted cerused oak in a satin finish for the cabinetry. (Cerusing is a finishing technique that accentuates the wood grain.) It took the cabinetmaker a couple tries to get the look just right. 

A 7-foot-square slab of gray porcelain tops the kitchen island. The backsplash near the range hood, made of gray-veined white Calacatta marble, wasn’t the original idea, Burns says. But the need for contrast became apparent after the installation of the expansive island top. The marble was an instant hit. 

“We all loved it so much,” she says.

The wood twig dining table covered with a sheet of glass is paired with contemporary chairs in white leather and chrome – a look echoed in the kitchen island stools.

“I liked the mix of dull porcelain and wood with shiny chrome,” says Burns.

Soft, recessed cove lighting highlights the dropped ceiling detail of the kitchen area, and a striking Chaos Collection light fixture from Modern Forms over the island adds wow factor, Burns says. 

“It was so perfect for the house. There’s something about it that balances and adds drama.” 

Over the gray sectional sofa in the soaring living room, a 13-foot-long pendant chandelier hangs from the highest part of the ceiling, which is 24 feet high. A colorful diptych artwork of a woman’s face makes a statement on the highest wall. In keeping with the Rothenbergs’ desire to live a more minimal lifestyle, there’s no media console under the 75-inch flat-screen TV. 

The impressive floating staircase to the second floor is also made of cerused oak. The homeowner acquired the stairs through a company in Indiana. Burns explains that, normally, stair treads are fabricated to look as if they’re 4 inches thick by mitering the wood. But these treads truly are 4 inches solid.

Behind the staircase is a wall of ledger stone, a material that was used on the exterior of the home. While waiting for the glass railings to go in -– and looking for ideas for the wall – Burns and the homeowners decided to finish the whole area with ledger stone. 

“It adds a really nice architectural element,” she says.

The staircase leads to the master bedroom and bath as well as two bedrooms for the couple’s college-age children. Another flight of stairs leads to the furnished sky deck.

Wood flooring is used on the upper level. The inviting master bedroom with Intracoastal views is simply appointed, with clean, modern lines and a leather headboard. 

The master bath features two showers and a porcelain floor in a herringbone pattern. The space continues the gray and white color palette with shower walls and a vanity top fashioned of Calacatta marble. A sleek freestanding tub with gray caddy is austerely sculptural.

With such a prime waterfront location, the Rothenbergs spend much of their time on the backyard deck, relishing the scenery and all the amenities at arm’s length. With its artful landscaping, outdoor fireplace, summer kitchen, resort-style pool, sectional seating, lounge chairs and dining table, the outdoor living space is ideal for private relaxing or large-scale entertaining. In fact, the homeowners hosted Thanksgiving dinner for 40 there last year. 

For Burns, after the final lighting fixture was installed and all the furniture and accessories were in place, she felt that her vision had been fully realized. 

“Seeing the water and the whole space, I felt a lot of satisfaction, because it was simple and elegant.” O

Photos by Carlos Aristizabal