There’s something special about a historic home—the character and the story it tells. When it’s time for a legacy property to go on the market, how do you present it to a modern-day buyer?

Case in point: 206 Phipps Plaza in Palm Beach, built in 1926, listed for sale by The Jim McCann Group of Premier Estate Properties. 

The $39M property has an architectural pedigree: it’s a John L. Volk masterpiece, originally designed by Marion Sims Wyeth. Lovingly updated, the 9,427-square-foot interior integrates new spaces with original buildings exuding Old Palm Beach charm. Design and furniture studio Vesta Home was commissioned to stage the residence for sale, bringing a modern sensibility while honoring the classic details. The luxury company is known for transforming multimillion-dollar estates into irresistible, custom spaces that often sell above asking price.

Brianna Smith, Vesta’s designer, embraced this best-of-both-worlds approach in her expert staging for “Casa de Los Arcos” (“House of the Arches”). “We broke up the latticework in the foyer [a quintessential feature from the Volk era] by adding a large round mirror with a brass frame, which also reflects the beautiful doorway into the living room and provides buyers with a sneak peek of what’s yet to come,” she explains. Selecting curved furniture pieces, like Vesta’s Alta Lounge Chair, accentuates the living room’s soaring archways leading to the pool garden. 

The versatility of each space was also its biggest challenge. “It’s difficult for buyers to decipher how each space can be used if there are so many options for each area, as well as many choices as to how to lay out the furniture,” says Brianna. “The lounge area could have easily been a dining room with a long table, and the current dining room a breakfast table; the living room could have had multiple seating areas, etc.--these are all things discussed with the seller, who renovated the home for himself.” 

“Ultimately, we needed to imagine how today's buyer would use the spaces,” she adds. “People rarely use their 14-person dining tables, but an 8-person round table adjacent to the kitchen and family room makes perfect sense. The lounge area is perfectly furnished to enjoy the outdoor space when entertaining, as the windows to the pool open all the way.”

Planning and installation took place in two weeks, with more than 400 pieces of furniture, art and accessories used to create the design. (More product info can be found here.) Vesta manufactures the furniture in its designs so properties can be purchased fully furnished.

Says Jim McCann, Broker Associate at Premier Estate Properties, “Understanding the buyer and how they’d live in the space is the magic of stellar staging. Vesta’s design for Phipps Plaza combines Old Palm Beach charm with a modern aesthetic, inviting a new chapter for this storied property.”

“It’s exciting to showcase a significant property like this,” says Vesta Home’s Founder and CEO Julian Buckner, a South Florida resident. “The key to staging homes on this grand scale is a tailored approach based on location, architecture and high-level design so buyers can envision moving right in.”