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ABOVE: Listed on the National Register of Historic
Places, the Sundy House Restaurant and Inn includes
the De la Tierra restaurant, an inn and tropical
gardens
ABOVE & BELOW: Natural materials integrate the
indoors with the outdoors, as seen in the De la
Tierra lounge, left, and Roux Bamboo bar, below.
ABOVE: Decoratively painted branches highlight the
ceiling in the Victorian-themed guestroom in the
Stables.
ABOVE: Warm wood furniture and flooring and an island-inspired
mural lend an exotic air in the master bedroom of
the “honeymoon” cottage.
ABOVE: The six guestrooms in the Stables overlook
the natural swimming pool, where guests can soak
in the sun or swim with the fish.
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Stepping into
the Sundy House, one has the feeling of entering another
world — waterfalls cascade into fish-filled ponds;
lush tropical gardens bloom with fragrant flora; cockatoos
and green parrots perch in trees. And that’s
just the setting. Add a gourmet restaurant, a charming
inn and a natural swimming pool — and paradise
has been “found.”
“Everyone who comes here is in awe of the surroundings,
the beauty,” General Manager Richard Martino
says. “This is a hidden gem.”
Built in 1902 for John Sundy, the first mayor of Delray
Beach, Fla., the aptly named Sundy House is the oldest
home in the area. Aware of the seaside town’s
great potential, Thomas E. Worrell Jr. purchased the
historic property in 1997.
“It was in a run-down part of town, and there
was a lot of diversity, but that also gave it a lot
of energy. I felt like Delray Beach was a real town,”
Worrell says.
Soon after, he transformed the house into a gourmet
restaurant named De la Tierra, which means “from
the earth” in Spanish. In addition, Worrell added
four, one- and two-bedroom guest apartments; six guestrooms
in the Stables — once the original stables on
the property; and a luxurious “honeymoon”
cottage.
An anthropologist, philanthropist and environmentalist,
Worrell is chairman of Dharma Holdings, Ltd., which
owns Dharma Living Resorts and Dharma Living Systems,
an environmental company. The resort arm of the company
comprises Sundy House and El Monte Casitas and El
Monte Sagrado Resort in Taos, N.M.
“Tom Worrell’s overall concept was to create
a bio-friendly, eco-friendly property,” Martino
says. “From the garden and waterfalls to how
the rooms of the restaurant and inn are designed all
tie in to the theme of being environmental and helping
sustain the environment.”
Interior designer Ady Artime, president of Southern
Interiors in Taos and Delray Beach, and Worrell’s
sister-in-law, designed the restaurant, the Stables
and the cottage.
For the restaurant, “Tom wanted to maintain the
Victorian theme of the original house but with a little
retro flair,” Artime says. A lover of indoor/outdoor
living Florida-style, Worrell also wanted to integrate
the indoors with the surrounding beauty. To fulfill
his wishes, she incorporated natural materials, such
as bamboo, stone, tile and wood, into the design of
each room.
Bamboo flooring and stained-cork walls characterize
the Roux Bamboo bar just inside the restaurant. A
door with a sandblasted-glass bamboo design appears
as an extension of the outdoors.
The restaurant features several themed rooms, including
the “Warhol” room, which displays Worrell’s
personal collection of Andy Warhol’s art. The
“Mediterranean” and “Fresco” rooms
both overlook the Taru Gardens — an acre of more
than 5,000 plants and trees that wind in and around
the property. African oil palm, starfruit, bay rum,
allspice, Brazilian jaboticaba and Guyana chestnut
trees are among the many different species grown on
the site. “We have a tropical fruit nursery from
which we select much of the fruit that we use in our
drinks and food,” Worrell says.
Worrell wanted to take the same integrated approach
when designing the six
guestrooms in the Stables. He even used part of the
original stables to lend authenticity to the renovation.
Artime then gave each guestroom a unique style while
maintaining the equestrian theme — traditional,
contemporary, Victorian, whimsical, eclectic and country
casual.
Artime created a Balinese setting in the master bedroom
of the “honeymoon” cottage, where a mural
of an exotic port of call wraps the room in South
Seas luxury.
Artwork by Haitian children and adults from the Milagro
Center — another of Worrell’s philanthropic
ventures that supports the cultural heritage of the
local Haitian community — colors many of the
walls throughout the restaurant and inn.
“Sundy House illustrates how to set up and maintain
a successful business in a beautiful setting and not
destroy the historical value of the original structures
or the environmental space,” Worrell says.
Recently, the De la Tierra restaurant was voted one
of the top three restaurants in South Florida by the
“Sun-Sentinel,” and the “Best New Restaurant”
and “Best Martini” by “New Times.”
For more information on the Sundy House Restaurant
and Inn, call 561/272-5678. Or, tour the website at
www.sundyhouse.com. |
