When tasked with transforming a historic 1920s hotel into the White Elephant Palm Beach, Elizabeth Lowrey, principal and director of interior architecture at Elkus Manfredi Architects, jumped at the chance to reimagine the building down to its bones. Formerly known as the Bradley Park Hotel and now owned by New England Development, the recently opened White Elephant Palm Beach reflects the building’s history while hinting at its future, heralding in a new era for the storied locale. “This is one of the high points of my career,” Lowrey told Interior Design, noting that New England Development enabled her team to exercise much creative freedom, resulting in surprising details throughout such as eye-catching art and quirky upholstery patterns, as well as plenty of custom furnishings and millwork.
“For me personally, coming from a family of artists, all the stars aligned with this project,” she added. Given that Palm Beach now attracts serious art collectors with the global attention generated by events such as Art Basel in nearby Miami, Lowrey and New England Development decided to curate a diverse collection of notable 20th- and 21st-century original art. “The art was not done in a decorative style,” Lowrey said, making clear that each piece has the power to stand on its own.
The four-story, 32-room property is the sister hotel to the White Elephant Nantucket, also owned by New England Development. “The soul of the White Elephant Nantucket was carefully carried to Palm Beach,” she said, adding that the team opted for a neutral palette to create a soothing space that invites guests to walk in and “immediately exhale.”
