Every other year Mansion in May offers designers the opportunity to explore ideas beyond the everyday – spaces that are transportive, expressive, and rich with narrative. For our room, La Femme Den, we embraced that freedom, creating a Palm Beach–inspired retreat layered with color, texture, and personality.
This year’s home was hosted in Chester, New Jersey. Mansion in May benefits the Women’s Association for Morristown Medical Center, a mission we were honored to support through our design. From the outset, we envisioned La Femme Den as a room designed not simply to be admired, but to be used – a space for gathering, celebrating friendships, and lingering over conversation.
To ground the room’s story, we created a fictional muse: Theodora Greer. A consummate hostess and social butterfly, Theodora became our guiding presence – someone who values beauty, ritual, and the joy of bringing people together. Her world is polished but playful, elegant yet inviting, and that sensibility informed every design decision.
At the heart of the room was a confident mix of pattern and color, anchored by a strong architectural framework. A chic double-sided sofa upholstered in mint green and neutral plaid allowed the space to function as both lounge and game room, while a honed ming green marble dry bar and fireplace introduced material richness and permanence. The palette leaned expressive but intentional, drawing from Palm Beach influences without feeling literal (considering we are in Morris County, NJ!).
La Femme Den was designed to feel alive – equally suited to a spirited mahjong game, a cocktail hour, or a long afternoon spent catching up with friends. Details were layered with care, always in service of comfort, warmth, and connection rather than spectacle.
The room allowed us to explore themes that continue to shape our residential work today: the power of narrative in design, the confidence to mix color and pattern when grounded in architecture, and the belief that the most successful spaces are those that invite people to stay awhile.
