Look who's (not) talking about Tom Ford's new house in Palm Beach
Fashion and style icon Tom Ford appears to have kept mum about his new Palm Beach digs — an ultra-contemporary, eco-friendly house that he bought for $51 million through a trust in December.
Ford declined to discuss the sale on Jungle Road with reporters after the sale closed. And you won't find any comments from him about the property if you do a quick search of the internet.
But there are plenty of other quotes from Ford, who in November sold his Tom Ford brand to The Estée Lauder Cos., which valued it at $2.8 billion.
Five of Ford's quotes plucked from the web may offer some insight into what the designer, film director and tastemaker thinks about his new home — and how he might define living the good life in Palm Beach.
'When I am on my deathbed, I don’t think I will be thinking about a nice pair of shoes I had or my beautiful house.'
So Ford said in an interview more than a decade ago in an undated interview — likely from 2011 — with The Talks.
The rest of his quote continues: “I am going to be thinking about an evening I spent with somebody when I was 20 where I felt that I was just absolutely connected to them.”
People aside, Ford does know a thing or two about beautiful things. He founded his eponymous fashion label in 2005 — after stints as creative director for Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent — and built it into a powerhouse.
In any event, Ford’s new house in Palm Beach has earned plenty of compliments for its sleek-yet-warm modern style. It won the couple who built it and their architect an award for architectural excellence from the Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach.
The house that Tom Ford bought:Designer Tom Ford behind trust that bought Palm Beach house for $51 million: sources
House sold a year before Ford bought it:Award-winning contemporary-style house fetches $35.75 million in Palm Beach: deed
'I strive to create products with authenticity, quality, and substance.'
That quote, which is featured on the Tom Ford website, certainly speaks to the designers’ respect for quality.
The Preservation Foundation’s Schuler Award recognized plenty of high-quality features in the house designed by architect Daniel Kahan of Smith and Moore Architects.
The house features a gallery-white exterior, a flat roof and multiple pairs of custom-built, 13-foot-tall French doors. The floor plan revolves around an open-air courtyard, and the house was built to be extremely energy-efficient: It has an extensive system of rooftop solar panels among its many eco-friendly features.
Read more about the house:Architect Daniel Kahan designs a modern-style home with an environmental focus on Jungle Road
Down to the ground:Crews begin razing billionaire William Lauder’s $110-million-plus tear-down mansion in Palm Beach
'If my house is a wreck, I’m a wreck.'
That’s what Ford told The Talks in his interview.
We’re not sure how Ford would define his house being “a wreck.” But sleek, contemporary-style houses are not places for clutter, the enemy of all minimalists.
Ford’s Palm Beach estate, by the way, comprises two single-story buildings — the main residence and a guesthouse — with a combined 12,914 square feet of living space, inside and out, according to Palm Beach County property records.
'Happiness is a switch that you flick in your brain. It doesn't have anything to do with getting a new house ...'
Happiness, of course, is where you find it. And in Ford's case, he might flip the happiness switch in his Palm Beach house, which includes an expansive living room with a 15-foot ceiling, a library, an office and a space originally designated as a music room.
The full quote from The Talks interview reads: “Happiness is a switch that you flick in your brain. It doesn't have anything to do with getting a new house, a new car, a new girlfriend, or a new pair of shoes.”
'Flip-flops and shorts in the city are never appropriate. Shorts should only be worn on the tennis court or on the beach.'
But surely Ford would make an exception for lounging in shorts by his swimming pool, which is positioned between the main house and the guesthouse. The pool can be viewed from the open-air loggia that fronts the breakfast area, kitchen and family room.
Ford's quote about when to wear shorts comes from a 2011 article in AnOther Magazine.
Ford's December off-market purchase was brokered by Christian Angle of Christian Angle Real Estate. Read more about the sale here.
dhofheinz@pbdailynews.com
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Darrell Hofheinz is a USA TODAY Network of Florida journalist who writes about Palm Beach real estate in his weekly “Beyond the Hedges” column. He welcomes tips about real estate news on the island. Email dhofheinz@pbdailynews.com, call 561-820-3831 or tweet @PBDN_Hofheinz.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: What might Tom Ford think about his new $51M house in Palm Beach?
