For a dedicated horsewoman like Kelly Klein, who had been a competitive equestrian since age four, giving up riding two years ago was one of the most difficult decisions she’s ever had to make.
Over lunch at her new home in Palm Beach, Florida, the noted photographer and author (her sixth book, Pools: Reflections, a sequel to the 1992 bestseller Pools, will be published by Rizzoli next month) talks about her recent life changes—including her move into the house, one of the upsides of her choice to dismount once and for all. She heard about a secluded lot in Palm Beach, with 130 feet of frontage on the Intracoastal Waterway, she moved to buy it. Soon, she hired David Piscuskas, one of the eminences, with coprincipal Juergen Riehm, at the firm 1100 Architect to design her new home.
While construction was under way, the new homeowner orchestrated her plans for furnishings, art, and landscaping so everything would be ready when the house was finished. She commissioned a simple dining table from Lars Bolander and paired it with chairs from Restoration Hardware; she picked up teak pieces for the terrace from Donna Karan’s Urban Zen; she gathered several large-scale photographs from her collection, including one of resplendently feathery poultry by Jean Pagliuso, for her office/TV room. A nice surprise for Lukas was the car-shaped pine bed, designed by 1100 Architect, that he found in his new bedroom several weeks after they’d moved in. His mother’s bedroom has an outdoor shower with glorious views of passing boats and the sunset. And in the backyard, she installed a crisply detailed European-edge pool surrounded by lawn—then strategically planted palms and a sculptural sea grape tree.—William Norwich