Builder Paul Courchene
and interior designers Jeff Strasser and Marc Thee
are accustomed to working as a team. Over the years,
the trio has collaborated on numerous residences throughout
Florida. “Our firms have done so many projects
together that we’ve become friends as well as
business associates,” Strasser says. So it came
as no surprise when Courchene asked the designers
to work with him on his own home.
Courchene, who bought a site in Delray Beach, researched
the neighborhood’s prevailing architecture before
designing the house. “The community is a charming
enclave between the Atlantic
Ocean and Intracoastal Waterway,” he says. “Most
of the homes were built in the 1920s and ’30s,
so I wanted to keep the exterior style in tune with
the character of the neighborhood.”
For the interior, however, Courchene envisioned a
new twist on a familiar theme — something with
classic bones yet with a modern Italianate feel. “He
wanted the backgrounds to be authentic to the time
period, but the furnishings to be like a breath of
fresh air,” Strasser says. “Paul was very
involved in the design process, particularly in choosing
the cabinetry and hard surfaces, such as the flooring
and fireplace finishes.”
ABOVE: Designer Jeff
Strasser chose X-frame chairs from the Barbara Barry
Collection for Baker Furniture to line both sides of
the walnut table in the dining room. For contrast, he
used upholstered host and hostess chairs in celadon
mohair. The buffet in the arched niche hails from Mexico.
