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When singer-songwriter Tony Messina and fashion designer, Bonnie Roseman, were searching for a Palm Beach place to call their own, they looked at a series of apartments and condominiums across the island.“Everything we saw was boxy and confining,” said Messina.

Then they got a call to see a townhouse in a 1948 Midtown building originally designed as a series of artists’ studios.“We just fell in love with the space,” said Roseman. “The high ceilings in the main room with their open beams reminded us of the house we rented in Gran de Cul de Sac in St. Barts, a place we really love,” she said. “We like quirky.”

The couple knew they could give the place, which was all white and gray when they bought it, a jazzy, Caribbean style.And so to work.Roseman and Messina worked with Atlantis-based contractor Tony Saba to revamp their home and make it work as their permanent Palm Beach digs.
The kitchen and bath were gutted and updated.

Storage was limited, so they added shelving under a curved stairway to display Roseman’s collection of colored glass, found room for a walk-in closet in the guest room/den and designed a platform bed with drawers to store linens.We needed to utilize every square inch as best as possible,” she said.Roseman selected a color scheme that’s bright and bold.

“ I love color and geometric shapes,” she said.”She found a Chinese-style lattice table and chairs and a buffet at a secondhand shop that she had Nancy B. Franks, an artist friend from Telluride, Colorado, paint in a vivid color scheme. Ultrasuede pillows and cushions in a range of colors and shapes are scattered throughout the living room and dining area.

Roseman also had amassed a collection of sconces, many of them one-of-a-kind creations, from Fontana Arte, an Italian firm, which she instructed Saba to place throughout the rooms. “I like to think of the decorative lighting as sculptures,” she said.There’s a certain energy to it,” Messina said.
“Most people think it looks like the interior of a boat.” Roseman said. “It all just makes us feel good”.


COLORFUL CHARACTER

	When singer-songwriter Tony Messina and fashion designer, Bonnie Roseman, were searching for a Palm Beach place to call their own, they looked at a series of apartments and condominiums across the island.“Everything we saw was boxy and confining,” said Messina. Then they got a call to see a townhouse in a 1948 Midtown building originally designed as a series of artists’ studios.“We just fell in love with the space,” said Roseman. “The high ceilings in the main room with their open beams reminded us of the house we rented in Gran de Cul de Sac in St. Barts, a place we really love,” she said. “We like quirky.” The couple knew they could give the place, which was all white and gray when they bought it, a jazzy, Caribbean style.And so to work.Roseman and Messina worked with Atlantis-based contractor Tony Saba to revamp their home and make it work as their permanent Palm Beach digs. The kitchen and bath were gutted and updated. Storage was limited, so they added shelving under a curved stairway to display Roseman’s collection of colored glass, found room for a walk-in closet in the guest room/den and designed a platform bed with drawers to store linens.We needed to utilize every square inch as best as possible,” she said.Roseman selected a color scheme that’s bright and bold. “ I love color and geometric shapes,” she said.”She found a Chinese-style lattice table and chairs and a buffet at a secondhand shop that she had Nancy B. Franks, an artist friend from Telluride, Colorado, paint in a vivid color scheme. Ultrasuede pillows and cushions in a range of colors and shapes are scattered throughout the living room and dining area. Roseman also had amassed a collection of sconces, many of them one-of-a-kind creations, from Fontana Arte, an Italian firm, which she instructed Saba to place throughout the rooms. “I like to think of the decorative lighting as sculptures,” she said.There’s a certain energy to it,” Messina said. “Most people think it looks like the interior of a boat.” Roseman said. “It all just makes us feel good”. --rjanjigian@pbdailynews.com


		Messina's baldwin piano, which he owned for more than 30 years, was restored, painted Chinese red and positioned in a prominent spot in the two story living room. Lattice armchairs were bought locally and painted by artist nancy b Frank of Telluride, COLO. All seating is upholstered in Ultrasuede from Toray Fabrics. Lighting fixtures are from Fontana Arte , Los Angeles.