A Wow Kind of Place

When she was 18, Kory Apton (right) met Patrice Flashner Fitzgerald at the Unversity of Arizona. They lived in the same dorm. Kory was trying to move a keg of beer one night, and she asked Patrice for a little help. Since then, these two have been up to no good and also a lot of good, splitting their time between colleges, careers, families, charities and the general celebration of life. While Kory was always assured of the qualities which made Patrice a BFF -- like creativity and kindheartedness, it was in the design process that she got to know Patrice's professional persona. In that realm, Kory says she is "tenacious and honest," two qualities that totally worked for her.

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Kory Apton showed signs of unconventionality at an early age. When she was five she took her first trip to Miami and remembers being moved by the tropical humidity. These days, Florida still conjures up emotions. "The minute I get off the plane, I thank my lucky stars for the light, air and wind." And the minute she opens the door of her Boca home, she feels instant joy. She is grateful for this place -- its big open party kitchen facing onto the Atlantic -- and bookended on one side by a sink-in-and-watch-TV family room and on the other by a more sophisticated lounge. "I am a really happy person, and the orange reflects that," says Kory.

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Kory's mother was born and raised in Bolivia, and had collected Bolivian silver throughout her life. When she passed away, Kory inherited it. While the silver flatware is kept in kitchen drawers, sleek shelves are reserved for displaying some of the larger decorative pieces. Whether old or new, many of the surfaces reflect the brilliant Eastern light.

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The Bolivian silver with its intricate detail of flora and fauna is a pleasant contrast to the majority of shiny, smooth and solid surfaces.

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Kory's decorating vision wasn't entirely influenced by the Miami Dolphins' colors, but her passion for the team certainly played a role. "I have more football parties here than anything," says Kory, the excitement of the new season in her voice. She and her son Jackson root for the Dolphins, while Phil and daughter Riley are Jets fans. "We get really into it."

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"Kory's input was clear and straightforward," says Patrice. "She wanted a clean and uncluttered modern home with strong color and lots of white." In fact, what makes this design so successful (and the wild orange so livable) is the peaceful mass of whiteness that surrounds the tangy brights. Kory really loves the combination of mixing old silver with new glass (glass accessories from Niba Home) but Kory says the key to maintaining a certain calm is by not over-furnishing or over-accessorizing.

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When it came to lighting the space, the designer and her friend initially planned on crystal chandeliers. That thought, however, quickly dissipated as the style seemed too predictable and busy. Then, one day it hit her. Kory was in SoHo, NY when she saw this Ingo Maurer Birds fixture and bought it. Made of metal coils and trimmed with goosefeathers, it was a whimsical addition to a fun and sophisticated space. Her daughter Riley thinks it's spooky.

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Without even a single mirror in this large open space, the amazing view is reflected everywhere you look. "Bringing the outside in" occurs when most everything inside is high gloss and glass. As for maintaining the white glass floor, Kory laughs, "I was never practical to begin with, so I'm not going to start now."

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Though Kory's tastes lean heavily toward modern Italian, she makes room to incorporate antiques that are part of her heritage. While the Bolivian silver gets the most play in the space, other heirlooms are used as needed. This cobalt blue demitasse is from Vienna, where her maternal grandmother was born. It is one of a dozen, and each delicate cup is unique. Kory also serves on her grandmother's set of gold-rimmed Rosenthal China. When her grandparents escaped from Germany in 1933, they took it with them. The collection fills an entire kitchen cabinet. From home to hand, family treasures also include her colorful rings.

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Kory never forgot the words: "You always dare!" said years ago by her own mother's decorator. Even though Laura was referring to upholstering a sofa with a colorful patterned fabric, the sentiment rang true during the creation of the orange kitchen. After Patrice ordered the "India Laccato" lacquer kitchen from Poliform, the company checked back several times to verify the order. No one had ever done an entire orange kitchen! And to date no one else has. Seems like Poliform wasn't so accustomed to people daring so much.

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