Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Sunday, Jun 01, 2025

a tiffany studios landscape window overlooks a staircase with glass balustrade and a round glass topped table in foreground

How a Rare Tiffany Window Wound Up in a Florida Home

Its sudden arrival changed the game plan for designer Rodney Lawrence—to spectacular effect.

Some artworks are conversation pieces. Others completely change the discussion. Falling into the second category is a museum-quality stained-glass window that recently found its way to an oceanfront house in South Florida. The window, which Helen Gould, daughter of the Gilded Age railroad baron Jay Gould, commissioned from Tiffany Studios in 1910, was acquired by the homeowner mid-renovation, causing quite a flurry in the entrance hall, where it was set over the staircase.

Interruptions like this do not seem to faze Rodney Lawrence, the New York City–based designer who transformed the six-bedroom residence into a luxurious tropical retreat. Lawrence reconfigured the entrance hall millwork to make room for the window (the custom trim had been freshly fabricated and installed, but please, this is Tiffany). A chandelier, initially meant to be a focal point, was swapped out for a custom fixture by the lighting designer Michael McEwen that glowed in an interesting but not attention-hogging way. And the front door was repainted for a little side dazzle, though the sunburst pattern in the transom was removed. “Certain things needed to lighten up and certain things needed to get stronger,” Lawrence says.

In the living room, the cocktail table is vintage Wyeth, the sofas are by Dmitriy & Co., and the benches are by James Duncan. The chairs are by Kimberly Denman, the lamp is by Roman Thomas, and the artworks are by Beatriz Milhazes.


The project, an encore collaboration between Lawrence and a longtime client who had relocated to Florida to enjoy a more relaxed lifestyle, represents a dramatic shift in its own right. The client at first intended to build a highly modern, ground-up home on property he had bought in the area. “We were quite deep into it,” Lawrence says. They decided to transform an existing residence instead to reduce the timeline—though ultimately the renovation required two and a half years to complete. “Basically, we touched every surface,” he says.

The starting point was a spec house that was “not your typical Mizner, Spanish-style house,” Lawrence says, referring to South Florida architecture designed by the prolific and influential revivalist Addison Mizner in the early 20th century. He and his client liked that the 15,000-square-foot building had non-Floridian features such as paneling and columns. And they especially appreciated the way it flowed, how the spaces opened up to each other. “You could stand at one point in the kitchen and see all the way through to the billiard room on the other side of the house,” Lawrence says.

In the home office, the chairs are by Vladimir Kagan, and the artwork is by Mark Bradford.


Less appealing were the fixtures and finishes. Lawrence and his client upgraded and personalized almost everything, modifying the profiles on trim and the proportions on ceiling coffers (though they kept a hammered marble living room wall, which sets off one of the home’s colorful paintings by the Brazilian artist Beatriz Milhazes). They had kitchen and bathroom cabinets rebuilt, changed out plumbing, and applied a gloss to the underside of the staircase so it looked like painted wood and not ho-hum plaster.

The sofa is by Dmitriy & Co., the cocktail table is by John Pomp, and the chairs are from Modern Living Supplies. The side table is by Holly Hunt, and the nesting tables are by Paul Mathieu for Ralph Pucci. The pendant is by David Wiseman, the wallpaper is DeGournay, and the curtains are from NY Drapery.


They ventured outside to jazz up two loggias with metal-framed transoms and sidelights. In one, a “very sad fireplace,” as Lawrence described it, was reclad in coral stone, and the ceiling was painted pale blue. Working with Ben Green of the Miami-based landscape architecture firm Raymond Jungles, they sourced pots for the grounds that would be filled with plants, while mature Florida thatch palms were transferred from another of the client’s properties. “We like to make it look as if it’s always been there, using larger plant material and doing layers,” Green says.

Indeed, the theme of layering is central to the home. Most surfaces—and many objects—are not exactly what they seem at first but reveal their depths in their own time: The bejeweled spectacle of the Tiffany window almost overwhelms the fawn that sips from a stream against a backdrop of foliage. There is gradual revelation in the Milhazes paintings, which are created with built-up sheets of Mylar harboring submerged forms under brilliant color. The oak millwork in the interior is composed of tonal layers—sandalwood on gray. All is in the service of a gorgeous complexity.

The primary bathroom’s tub is by Waterworks, and the chandelier is by Ochre.


One might think a commitment to layering would make it easier to alter one’s course in a renovation, but there is nothing haphazard about Lawrence’s work. So when his client fell for a giant canvas by the artist Mark Bradford, the designer had it craned through the office window and repositioned the moldings to allow it to hang on a wall there. He was luckier when the client lost his heart to another Tiffany piece—a rare lamp modeled on a dandelion gone to seed (it set the world record for a Tiffany lamp sold at auction, with a hammer price of $3.7 million). That, thank goodness, fit easily on a bookshelf. 

Tour This Jewel-Box of a Home in South Florida

The cocktail table is by Fernando Mastrangelo, the chaise is from the Bright Group, and table lamp is by Tiffany Studios. The wallcovering is by Callidus Guild, and the triptych is by Tom Palmer.

Living and family rooms : The sofa is by Dmitriy & Co., and the artwork is by Beatriz Milhazes.

Primary bedroom sitting area : The sofa is by Dmitriy & Co., the cocktail table is by John Pomp, and the chairs are from Modern Living Supplies. The side table is by Holly Hunt, and the nesting tables are by Paul Mathieu for Ralph Pucci. The pendant is by David Wiseman, the wallpaper is DeGournay, and the curtains are from NY Drapery.

Primary bedroom : The bed is by Holly Hunt, the side table is by Jallu Ebénistes for Rune, the lamp is by Alberto Dona, and the bench is from the Bright Group.



Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
European and Arab Ministers Convene in Madrid to Address Gaza Conflict
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
UAE Offers Free ChatGPT Plus Subscriptions to Citizens
Lebanon Initiates Plan to Disarm Palestinian Factions
Iran and U.S. Make Limited Progress in Nuclear Talks
The Daily Debate: The Fall of the Dollar — Strategic Reset or Economic Self-Destruction?
Trump Administration's Tariff Policies and Dollar Strategy Spark Global Economic Debate
OpenAI Acquires Jony Ive’s Startup for $6.5 Billion to Build a Revolutionary “Third Core Device”
Turkey Weighs Citizens in Public as Erdoğan Launches National Slimming Campaign
Saudi-Spanish Business Forum Commences in Riyadh
Saudi Arabia and Spain Sign MoU to Boost SME Sectors
UK Suspends Trade Talks with Israel Amid Gaza Offensive
Iran and U.S. Set for Fifth Round of Nuclear Talks Amid Rising Tensions
Russia Expands Military Presence Near Finland Amid Rising Tensions
Indian Scholar Arrested in Crackdown Over Pakistan Conflict Commentary
Israel Eases Gaza Blockade Amid Internal Dispute Over Military Strategy
President Biden’s announcement of advanced prostate cancer sparked public sympathy—but behind closed doors, Democrats are in panic
A Chinese company made solar tiles that look way nicer than regular panels!
Indian jet shootdown: the all-robot legion behind China’s PL-15E missiles
The Chinese Dragon: The True Winner in the India-Pakistan Clash
Australia's Venomous Creatures Contribute to Life-Saving Antivenom Programme
The Spanish Were Right: Long Working Hours Harm Brain Function
Did Former FBI Director Call for Violence Against Trump? Instagram Post Sparks Uproar
US and UAE Partner to Develop Massive AI Data Center Complex
Apple's $95 Million Siri Settlement: Eligible Users Have Until July 2 to File Claims
US and UAE Reach Preliminary Agreement on Nvidia AI Chip Imports
President Trump and Elon Musk Welcomed by Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim with Cybertruck Convoy
Strong Warning Issued: Do Not Use General Chatbots for Medical, Legal, or Educational Guidance
Saudi Arabia Emerges as Global Tech Magnet with U.S. Backing and Trump’s Visit
This was President's departure from Saudi Arabia. The Crown Prince personally escorted him back to the airport.
NVIDIA and Saudi Arabia Launch Strategic Partnership to Establish AI Centers
Trump Meets Syrian President Ahmad al-Shara in Historic Encounter
Trump takes a blow torch to the neocons and interventionists while speaking to the Saudis
US and Saudi Arabia Sign Landmark Agreements Across Multiple Sectors
Why Saudi Arabia Rolled Out a Purple Carpet for Donald Trump Instead of Red
Elon Musk Joins Trump Meeting in Saudi Arabia
Trump says it would be 'stupid' not to accept gift of Qatari plane
Quantum Computing Threatens Bitcoin Security
Michael Jordan to Serve as Analyst for NBA Games
×