Palm Beach Vintage: Bold, Breezy & Totally Back
Splashy prints, bamboo furniture, and a healthy dose of glam are creeping back onto design feeds…and we’re not even upset. You weren’t imagining things and it’s no secret anymore: Palm Beach vintage style is having a full-on revival. Equal parts playful and polished, and no stranger to the easy breezy vibes, the Palm Beach aesthetic captures that quintessential day in the sand and sunshine from days gone by while also epitomizing mid-century resort culture. No longer reserved for high society, the elegant tropical flair of the Palm Beach vintage renaissance brings this aesthetic within reach for everyone.
Whether you live near the ocean or just wish you did, you can channel a little vacation energy into your everyday space with Palm Beach vintage décor.
1. Start with Color—And Lots of It
Palm Beach interiors are not shy. Rooms are drenched in pinks, greens, turquoise, coral, and sunshine yellow—often all at once in a bold dash to capture the life, vibrancy, and color palette of nature at its noisiest. This is a style that embraces maximalism which, when done right, feels fresh and fashionable as opposed to overwhelming.
Design Tip: Give your palette room to breathe by dispersing a healthy amount of creamy white and subtle brown colors through natural textiles like linen and jute.
2. Patterns That Pop
From oversized florals to geometric lattices and chinoiserie prints, pattern-on-pattern layers establish the foundation of the Palm Beach vintage trend. Banana leaf wallpaper behind a rattan mirror, or a striped settee topped with leopard pillows. And remember, to achieve that chic, intentional feel, the layers are done with a wink, not a wallop.
Design Tip: The key to properly achieving maximalism without overwhelm is keeping a common color running through your upholstery, textiles, and art to ensure a cohesive look.
3. Rattan & Bamboo Are Musts
Rattan furniture has made its own come back and bamboo is a natural part of the beachy theme. So it’s no surprise that these materials define Palm Beach vintage furniture. Bamboo, wicker, and cane weave their way through this iconic area of design, adding lightness, texture, and just enough retro to ground the vibrant colors.
Design Tip: Set the rattan lounge chair next to a minimalist floor lamp or an acrylic side table for a contemporary twist.
4. Glam Keeps It Grounded
Avoid kitschy and stay classic with a bit of an upscale polish to your Palm Beach style. Incorporate gilded mirrors, Lucite consoles, lacquered finishes, or brass bar carts to tame the wild of the patterns and color palette. These glam accents balance the breezy, beachy textures with sophistication and help achieve the high-end resort feeling.
Design Tip: Capture every element of the Mid-Century Palm Beach era with a gold, Space Race, Sputnik chandelier to elevate the whole room without feeling overdone and really embrace the boldest decades of the 20th Century.
5. Luxe Tropical Flair
A common mistake when trying for the Palm Beach vibe is going all beach all the time. However, the Palm Beach style isn't “tropical” in the tiki bar sense. It’s refined and often tailored; less pool-side tiki, more Old Hollywood beach mansion. Palm prints, yes, but on a sofa positively sinking under plush velvet pillows. Seashells, maybe, but in the form of ceramic sculptures or wall art.
Design Tip: It’s all in the layers. For every wild pattern there should be an element that balances it out. Pair the antique with the contemporary, the bold with the demure, the glitzy with the muted and matte. And keep all things to a minimum; don’t clutter the space!
6. Art That Makes You Smile
The Palm Beach style doesn't take itself too seriously. While you want those grounding pieces, you also can’t forget that the art can be bold, cheeky, and a little unexpected. Slim Aarons photography, retro beach scenes, and playful abstract and animal paintings all support the Palm Beach vibe.
Design Tip: Mix modern frames with vintage subjects to keep the art and the space balanced.
Palm Beach Vintage: Why It’s So Right, Right Now
If you’re ready to abandon minimalism, then you’ve found a home at the Palm Beach vintage décor resort! Bring a little fun back into interiors with the expressive, colorful, and personality-packed Palm Beach aesthetic. Still polished and curated, it invites you to be bold with your choices and playful in your styling, all while paying homage to a time when leisure was the ultimate luxury.
