Dear Jean and Richard, I heard a rumor you guys are redoing a Vanderbilt home (?) Anyone related to George Vanderbilt? —A Biltmore Fan

Richard: Hi B.F. Well, the rumor is mostly true. No Vanderbilt currently owns it, but yes—we’ve been contracted to restore and furnish the home originally built by George Vanderbilt’s sister, Lila V. Webb. The home is in Gulf Stream, Florida, on the ocean, just south of Palm Beach.
Jean: It was actually Lila’s son Seward who was the architect—he designed it as a gift to his mother in 1931, five years after she was widowed.
Richard: Nice gift! If I remember right, their home on New Yorks’ Fifth Avenue was a wedding gift from her father, then the richest man in America. Bill Vanderbilt was, after all, Cornelius’ son.
Jean: Yes, but they sold that house to John D. Rockefeller.
Richard: There goes the neighborhood! Was that in People magazine?
Jean: The Gulf Stream house is called Miradero, finished in stucco and tile and now surrounded by palm and banyan trees. And, of course, it has a fabulous pool area and big oceany back yard!
Richard: Well, yes, but when Lila built a second home beside it, she called that one Miradero South. Our assignment is the original estate, now known as Miradero North. This will be an extensive two year undertaking with a complete renovation of the guest house, also.
Jean: I doubt many people have even heard of Gulf Stream—it was founded in the early 20th century as a quiet retreat for sportsmen who enjoyed polo and golf. Some golfers might know it from the Gulf Stream Golf Club, which has as its centerpiece a beautiful Mediterranean-styled clubhouse designed in 1923 by Addison Mizner, considered the visionary behind the development of Boca Raton. Today Gulf Stream has fewer than 1000 residents, but is ranked No. 11 in the country among highest per-capita income.
Richard: There’s actually a 2005 book by Robert W. Ganger titled, Lila Vanderbilt Webb’s Miradero: Window to an Era. It shows photos featuring the home’s Moorish influences, arched doorways and colonnaded lanai. Architecture an interior designer dreams of!
Jean: It also shows some photos of interiors that are about to change. At some point, the home was “updated,” but those once fashionable treatments need to be revisited. After extensive conversations with our rather hip and trendy clients, we’ve all agreed to furnish their new home with a clean mix of comfy contemporary and fabulous antiques…a reflection of both the new owners and the beautiful original design. Let the architecture speak for itself.
Richard: That’s a given—tastes change, but good design outlasts fads and trends. Architecturally, this home remains romantic and inviting. And talk about location—there are only a handful of homes in Gulf Stream facing the Atlantic. Lila obviously had vision and style.
Jean: And resources…