The Palm Beach Lakes development, Florida – The Bermuda | Architect Charles F. McKirahan | Builder Perini-Westward | Designer Henry End | Landscape Frederic B. Stresau | Accesories Burdine's

12/03/2025 11:00:00 PM

The four attractive houses here symbolize a venture in living that could have profound implications for your family and the way you live. In an era when more and more families are seeking to be themselves, to resist the creeping conformity that is imposed by look-alike houses in look-alike suburbs everywhere, these houses express the promise of an exciting new scope for individuality in family living. They are part of a beautifully landscaped and integrated minuscule neighborhood of seven houses—literally a model of the kind of private world that can be created for every family within a planned community anywhere. Eventually, 10,000 families will live in such houses as these in the completely new city of Palm Beach Lakes, Florida. A community like this could be planned for your area—and perhaps someday will be.

If you were to examine each of the houses you would find that they have been designed and oriented on their sites to incorporate two qualities especially prized by most families: privacy and spaciousness. Even the most expensive house would seem far from prohibitive in cost (the approximate price range is from $\$14,000$ to $\$25,000$ ) yet each reflects the smooth teamwork of the architect, the landscape architect and the builder.

Going from house to house, you would find the same custom quality materials and appliances, chosen for their good design and durability. All have exterior walls of white masonry; their roofs are white, handsomely patterned and heat-resisting concrete tile. Many of the floors are hardwearing, rich-looking terrazzo. Although the kitchens vary in size and plan, all are equipped similarly with built-in appliances; all but the smallest include a dishwasher, washer-dryer and motor-powered food preparation center. The bathrooms use space resourcefully, each with built-in lavatory and storage cupboards.

The Palm Beach Lakes houses illustrate how, with ingenuity and imagination, you can transform any well designed house—however modest—into a personal world of beauty and distinction. H&G accepted with pleasure an invitation from the builders to assist in bringing to life the four houses on these pages. The design and size of each house make it ideal for a certain kind of family, and so we have selected color themes and furnishings that gratify the special needs and interests of four distinct families. The Bermuda, by virtue of a plan that creates two bedroom wings widely separated, is a fine two-generation house for a couple and one or two in-laws. The Trade Winds has two entertaining areas and double-duty space, perfect for a family with teen-age children. With plenty of room for guests, the Islander could be a delightful second house—a home away from home to be enjoyed part of the year. And for a young couple on a budget and a schoolage child, the Edgewater offers an opportunity to make a small house attractive.

What makes a house a good bargain? In this case, its ability to provide plenty of space and privacy for two generations to enjoy. Of the Palm Beach Lakes houses, the Bermuda is the most costly (about $\$25,000$) but nevertheless a fine buy. For a couple who would like to share their house with a retired parent or two, the plan works extremely well. The master bedroom-bath, in a wing of its own, is separated from the other two bedrooms and bath by a living-dining area of great spaciousness and flexible proportions. Each generation has an immediate avenue through sliding glass doors to the rear terrace and pool without having to pass through the living areas. The kitchen is a modified U-shape open at one end to the dining room. Color succeeds in creating two contrasting moods for two generations: the master bedroom gleams with bright yellows and oranges, while the other bedrooms are in restful, muted colors. In the in-laws' wing, the two bedrooms share a bath that has a long countertop with twin built-in lavatories. Storage walls provide ample space—not just for clothing but for books and other personal belongings an older person might collect.