On the market in Palm Beach: A remodeling project on the South End updates a 1980s condo

Christine Davis
Updated ·5 min read

Over the past three years, Palm Beach has seen a rush of new residents, many arriving from the Northeast.

Amy Thiessen was among them, and like many other newcomers, she bought her Palm Beach condominium during the real estate boom sparked by the arrival, in early 2020, of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I am selling because I didn’t expect to be spending so much time here. Now, I am looking for a house,” she says.

By April 2021, Thiessen had closed the purchase of her South End condominium with views of the Intracoastal Waterway.

“I’ve owned an apartment in New York City since 2012,” she explains. “I work in finance, and before that, I lived in London.

“I grew up in Sarasota, and during COVID, I visited friends in Palm Beach. I decided it would be great to live here.”

Thiessen is the head of sales at Keel Harbour, a Palm Beach private-equity firm with other offices in Manhattan and London, and she travels for work frequently. But she is looking to put down more substantial roots in Palm Beach.

As such, her condominium — No. 106 N in the Sutton Place development at 2778 S. Ocean Blvd. — is for sale. With two bedrooms, two bathrooms and 2,200 square feet of living space, inside and out, the apartment is listed at $1.795 million by Douglas Elliman Real Estate agent Joseph Scheerer.

Amy Thiessen bought her 1980s-era Sutton Place condo in Palm Beach in 2021 and then carried out a major remodeling project.
Amy Thiessen bought her 1980s-era Sutton Place condo in Palm Beach in 2021 and then carried out a major remodeling project.

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The fact that the condo lives like a single-family home was a prime attraction, she says.

“It’s on the ground floor and very private with a huge terrace on the water. It feels like a house but with all the amenities of a condominium.”

She adds: “I saw that this condo had the potential for indoor/outdoor living, which was what I was looking for.”

To make that happen, she completely renovated her unit, working with Jorge Monteiro of the Jupiter firm MDI General Contractor, and Ronald King, a Sarasota interior designer who has since retired.

Everything in the residence is new, Thiessen explains — the kitchen, the bathrooms, the laundry and the lighting, electric and plumbing systems.

With seating at one end, the work island runs the length of the kitchen, separating it from the dining area.
With seating at one end, the work island runs the length of the kitchen, separating it from the dining area.

The renovation also ensured her north-facing unit could take better advantage of its proximity to the Intracoastal.

“I knocked down the kitchen wall. And I moved the doorway to the main bedroom. Now, when standing in the living area, I can see all the way to the water.”

Moving the bedroom door had another plus. It opened up a space off the kitchen, making room for a den.

“Nobody has this floorplan,” she says. “It was Ron’s idea to move the bedroom doorway, take the kitchen wall down, and make the space expansive and open.

The den has a wet bar with built-in cabinetry and refrigerated wine storage.
The den has a wet bar with built-in cabinetry and refrigerated wine storage.

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The open floorplan starts at the foyer, which opens onto the living and dining areas. The kitchen is adjacent.

These main rooms, central to the unit, are flanked by the bedroom suites. Banks of impact-resistant sliding-glass doors in the north-facing rooms open to the terrace.

“I can open all the sliding doors and have great parties from the terrace to the indoors,” Thiessen says.

The private patio at a ground-floor condominium at Sutton Place offers a view of the Intracoastal Waterway.
The private patio at a ground-floor condominium at Sutton Place offers a view of the Intracoastal Waterway.

She credits Monteiro for his “great sense of architecture focusing on lines and symmetry,” which helped make King’s designs for the interiors come to life.

“Everything is brand new. We reconfigured the bathrooms — both have walk-in showers — and Ron maximized my condo for storage, adding closets in my bedroom suite,” Thiessen explains.

“I wasn’t in Florida for the renovations. I was in New York. And I was thrilled with the end result. Ron and Jorge did a great job.”

Floors throughout are covered in porcelain tile, and the bathroom showers are finished in marble. Built-in cabinetry includes a wet bar, shelving in the den, and built-ins in the closets and laundry area.

The kitchen is fitted with Shaker-style cabinetry, quartz counters, a marble backsplash and stainless-steel appliances. The oversized work island, with cabinet doors on both sides, gave her customized storage for her cookware.

“It was designed by Ron, and it fits all my pans. I like to cook,” she says.

The apartment comes with two uncovered parking spaces near the building's entrance.

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Built in 1981, Sutton Place is the fourth condo development north of the bridge that leads to Lake Worth Beach. Its two six-story towers offer 76 units, and Thiessen’s condo is in the northern building. With 24-hour door staff, the common-area amenities include a gym, a clubhouse with a kitchen, a sauna, private beach access, a swimming pool, a whirlpool spa and cabanas facing the waterway.

The Sutton Place condominium development is at 2778 S. Ocean Blvd. on the South End of town, a few buildings north of the bridge to Lake Worth Beach.
The Sutton Place condominium development is at 2778 S. Ocean Blvd. on the South End of town, a few buildings north of the bridge to Lake Worth Beach.

Although she’s looking forward to living in a house, she says she will miss aspects of her condo, including its proximity to the beachfront Four Seasons Palm Beach resort on the other side of South Ocean Boulevard.

“I love going over there — it’s so much fun to have it within walking distance,” she says. “And I’ll miss sitting on my terrace and enjoying the sunsets over the water.”

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To see more photos of No. 106 N in the Sutton Place development at 2778 S. Ocean Blvd., Palm Beach, click on the photo gallery at the top of the page.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Florida real estate: Remodel updates a 1980s Palm Beach lakeside condo