After a few days of power-shopping in South Florida’s luxury malls, Vildan and Aynur Guleryuz like nothing more than to relax in the spacious living room of their new waterfront penthouse in Palm Beach. And until they wrap up for the evening, feet propped up and cocktails in hand, their bliss involves enjoying philharmonic DVDs on their custom 70-inch rear-projection TV, or listening to Verdi’s Aida and Gounod’s Faust on their state-of-the-art audio system. In the morning, they rise early to sip coffee and read the newspaper leisurely against a backdrop of the sparkling Atlantic Ocean, the Intracoastal Waterway and several marinas anchored with luxury megayachts.

The space is the dream home of this Turkish-born couple. They purchased the three-bedroom, four-bathroom corner unit on the 23rd floor of Old Port Cove’s Lake Point tower almost two years ago after living in a smaller penthouse on the same floor. Vildan, a civil and mechanical engineer who built bridges and commercial buildings in Turkey for 50 years, led the arduous, five-month renovation with the help of contractor Frank Polacek of Endeavor Development Inc. in Tequesta, Fla. “This 20-year-old penthouse looked like a cave—a ruin,” says Vildan, who winters in South Florida and summers in Turkey between Istanbul and Izmir. “It was very dark and old. I demolished the place in 20 days, unloading everything into 29 dumpsters and leaving nothing but the windows.”

His goal was to make the spectacular water views the main focus of nearly every room by combining the media/ living room with a transformable third bedroom. But several days after purchasing the penthouse, Vildan realized that achieving his dreams for the space would be a challenge.

“I knew I was in trouble when I learned that the previous owner wouldn’t vacate until August [2002], and I had to leave in April for Turkey,” Vildan says. “My biggest problem was how to get accurate dimensions without entering the penthouse and disturbing the 80-year-old gentleman.” Thus, he obtained the blueprints and calculated every necessary measurement using his architectural and engineering expertise.

The kitchen is a stunning juxtaposition of traditional furniture and contemporary finishes. The English dining table ensemble is crafted of French walnut and zebra veneers; its octagon-shaped top is inlaid with scrolling leaves and flowers in a walnut burl. Electronically controlled vertical blinds are light in color so as not to detract from the breathtaking scenery beyond. (Click image to enlarge)

During the weeks prior to his trip, Vildan, the maestro of the manor, did it all, enlisting Aynur to find traditional furnishings in light-colored fabrics, antiques, wallpaper and contemporary kitchen appliances. He located light-green granite for the flooring (plus the soundproof material to go underneath it), artwork and everything for the sophisticated bar complete with its own electronically controlled liquor cabinet (a motorized lazy Susan in a cabinet, if you will). He then secured all of the necessary plumbing and heating and air-conditioning materials, kitchen cabinetry, vertical blinds, various contractors and permits.
In Turkey, Vildan designed nearly 2,000 square feet of lacquered wall units with the assistance of a retired Turkish architect and friend. He arranged for the units—some silver, others champagne and pearly white—to arrive from Turkey in two 40-foot-long, climate-controlled containers. (It took six men 40 days to transport and properly install the cabinetry.) He also had the foyer and living room ceiling coves built, and ordered silk rugs, bathroom cabinetry and Indian silk drapery. “I even conceived the 11-by-12-foot pocket wall mechanism to separate the third bedroom from the media room,” he says, admitting he thought of little else night and day.

“The design and installation of this wall was one of the most challenging aspects of the renovation,” says Polacek, who worked side by side with Vildan for five months. The wall, which provides privacy for overnight guests, retracts to incorporate the third bedroom’s water views into the media/living room during the day. The 270-degree waterfront panorama can be enjoyed from the dining room and breakfast area as well. “The view is one of most spectacular I have ever seen,” Polacek marvels. Vildan, a workaholic and perfectionist, was obsessed with having three bedrooms but didn’t want to sacrifice the stellar water views that a permanent third-bedroom wall would have blocked. Through trial and error, Polacek constructed a ceiling-mounted mechanical device for the moveable wall. With the push of a button, the wall retreats, opening up the space to full sea views; touch another button and the unique partition reappears for the bedroom.

The master bedroom reflects the home’s same soothing color schemes of beige and ivory. The custom cabinetry, designed by the homeowner, contains the 42-inch Panasonic plasma TV and provides a peaceful backdrop to the red-upholstered chair and desk. The king-size bed and linens are from Turkey. The automated blinds allow the couple to enjoy the water views day or night. (Click image to enlarge)

Additional “wall magic” enhances the media center. A second wall was installed between the living room area and the master bedroom to accommodate Vildan’s sophisticated entertainment gear and yards of cable. “The [rear-projection] TV needed more room [for the projector] so we took out the wall to make room for a 4-foot corridor,” he says.

In terms of decor, fabrics and furnishings throughout are light and quiet to allow the magnificent blues of sky and sea to be the main attraction. Most of the furnishings, with the exception of the artwork, Persian rugs and a few candles and collectibles in blues and greens, are understated soft beiges or lightly patterned fabrics. Much of the home’s lighting is recessed; while some of the lighting strategically highlights artwork, other lighting is designed to dim different regions of the home with ease. Illumination, as well as audio, blinds and air-conditioning and heat, can be controlled by any of the three Lutron remote-control units.

Vildan and Aynur enjoy reading and watching television at various times of the day, so they incorporated TVs into every room. In the master suite, Mellon Custom Sound of Lantana, Fla., installed a Panasonic 42-inch plasma TV and a 5.1 surround-sound system complete with Tannoy S8-LRs for the left and right speakers, an S8-C for the center, and a recessed S8iw for the rear. “The sleek styling of the custom wall units Vildan made gives the space a clean, finished line,” says Jim Fortier of Mellon Custom Sound. “We accomplished our goal by recessing the left, right and center channels and flush-mounting the plasma. The end result is unobtrusive and elegant.”
A 40-inch Sony XBR TV from the homeowners’ previous penthouse provides entertainment in the second bedroom. In the kitchen, Mellon Custom Design installed a Sharp 20-inch LCD monitor. For the workout room, there’s a 15-inch wall-mounted version of the Sharp TV.

“One of the challenges in this installation was working with the custom wall units,” Fortier says. “Any mistake could have been disastrous, so we measured twice and cut once.”

Now that the renovation is behind them, Vildan and his wife are contented homebodies. Occasionally they invite friends for dinner, and Aynur serves Turkish-style chicken with walnuts on her Herend china from Hungary. But they prefer spending quiet days and nights together, enjoying the sights and sounds of their new home. “We spend at least five hours each day admiring the view and using our entertainment center,” Vildan says. “We designed our Florida home with our own taste in mind. We feel like we live in a small palace.” For a preferred list of architects and interior designers previously published in the magazine, visit www.hemagazine.com.