Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Aug 04, 2025

In a Neighborhood of Gigantic Villas, This Charming, Pint-Sized Bungalow Holds Its Own

In a Neighborhood of Gigantic Villas, This Charming, Pint-Sized Bungalow Holds Its Own

As architect Lee F. Mindel demonstrates, sometimes you have to pare down to level up.

A couple of winters ago, when Herb Sambol decamped from Manhattan to a tiny Palm Beach bungalow, he was trying it on for size—literally, and without even realizing it. Already the owner of two stunning homes in New York (a 1,700-square-foot aerie in a Richard Meier–designed glass-and-steel downtown tower, as well as a four-bedroom Sag Harbor residence), the real estate entrepreneur was not shopping for a third home, much less one the size of a studio apartment. But the “cozy cabin,” a short drive from the stable where Sambol keeps two horses, grew on him. At the end of his rental period, when he heard it was going on the market, he asked the owners to sell it to him.

Sambol enlisted architect Lee F. Mindel, with whom he’d worked on several apartments over 25 years, to help him reimagine the seaside getaway, which had knotty wood walls and a low ceiling. “I’ve done 80,000-​square-foot homes, and 8,000-​square-foot homes, but not 800,” says Mindel, whose soft-spoken manner and conversational detours about everything from 1950s doo-wop to Dutch still-life paintings belie his status as one of New York’s most in-demand architects. “It’s a very humble project,” he adds, “but humble can be majestic.”

In the living room of Herb Sambol’s 1920s Palm Beach bungalow, the chairs and cocktail tables are from Hemisphere, the sofa is by RH, Restoration Hardware, and the armoire is by Crate & Barrel. The daybed is by Hästens, and the floor lamps are by Flos (left) and Gandia Blasco (right). The artwork is by Thomas Trum.


Indeed, the modest bungalow tells a Palm Beach tale that’s slightly different from the backstories of its neighboring ultra-​amenitized palazzos. Like the surrounding structures on Root Trail, a charming block-long enclave by the sea known for its bohemian vibe (Mr. Margaritaville himself, Jimmy Buffett, has a house on the street), the place was originally constructed to shelter the workers who labored on the town’s jazz-age mansions. “It was very upstairs, downstairs—and sideways,” Mindel says of the project, which he landed in the early days of the pandemic.

Unable to travel to the property at the time, he and his team had no other choice but to rely on the magic of FaceTime. With his contractor Jason Shinn masked up and socially distanced, Sambol climbed ladders with a tape measure in hand, reporting dimensions via iPhone to Mindel and his architectural designer (and husband) Jose Marty.

From their New York home office, the duo strategized. With such a small space, no design feature could be impractical, no item superfluous. “It’s like when you’re on a ship or a train, everything has to be functional,” says Mindel. “But those are some of the nicest places—think Orient Express.”

The primary bedroom’s bed and linens are by Hästens, the Design Within Reach side tables are topped with vintage travertine lamps by T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings, and the 19th-century watercolors are by David Roberts.


The remit was as simple and challenging as a Zen koan: Pare it down, level up. The answer—a home as weightless and happy as a cartwheel—started with knocking out the attic, which gave the place a cathedral-like envelope. Rebuilding the walls was another game-changing transformation. While the three main rooms stayed intact, the shells around them were reconfigured to enable flow. The bedroom, for instance, is now accessible by a doorway in the back of the house rather than one in the middle of the living area, which had given it a slightly college-dormitory feel. And the multitasking living space—call it a great room, or do as Mindel does and refer to it as “a living room, a guest bedroom, a dining room, and a kitchen”—feels far more intentional, not to mention intelligent.

The end-to-end sofas do double duty as guest beds, beneath which sliding boxes function as extra storage space for visitors. Much of the furniture is meant to be moved around, or folded up and hung on walls when Sambol doesn’t need outdoor seating (in keeping with the home’s modest intentions, the maximum patio capacity is four).

In the living room, a side table by Serena & Lily separates a pair of daybeds by Hästens, the vintage molded plywood chair is by Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown for Knoll, and the vintage stools are by Barry Simpson. A collection of coral lines a high shelf above artwork by Thomas Trum.


“We were focused on getting it to the bare essence and not overdoing it,” says Grace Sierra, director of interiors for Mindel’s firm, who took charge of sourcing the restrained and happy decor. Notable players are the pair of Popsicle-bright paintings by contemporary Dutch artist Thomas Trum that hang over the daybeds and their counterpart near the sofa. Instead of a wall mirror, Mindel chose a silver orb lamp that throws light around the already sunlight-flooded residence.

Root Trail homes are shoulder-to-shoulder, which means a sense of community is baked in. Privacy? Not so much. Working with the outdoor space—some patches of which were a mere two feet wide—Mindel created a bracket of hedges, encircling the house in an external layer and creating something of a secret garden out back.

Sambol takes his coffee every morning out there, along with his dog, Jack. “I know it’s a modest home, but I have the opposite experience when I’m there,” he says. “It feels spacious and open, which are qualities that are hard to find in even a much larger house.”


Tour This Happy Palm Beach Bungalow


 Front of bungalow : Bougainvillea frames the front facade of Herb Sambol’s 1920s Palm Beach bungalow, which was renovated by the architect Lee F. Mindel.


Living space : In the dining room, the console from Design Within Reach is topped with vintage lamps from Bacchus Antik in Stockholm. The pendant is by Flos, and the artwork is by Nightshop.


Owner Herb Sambol : Homeowner Herb Sambol with his border terrier, Jack.


Living room : Inside the living room of the 800-square-foot bungalow.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
Tesla Seeks Shareholder Approval for $29 Billion Compensation Package for Elon Musk
Nvidia is cutting prices on its RTX 50-series graphics cards after sales slowed and inventories piled up
Ghislaine Maxwell Transferred to Minimum-Security Prison Amid Ongoing DOJ Discussions
U.S. Tariffs Surge to Highest Levels in Nearly a Century Under Second Trump Term
Matt Taibbi Slams Media for Role in Russiagate Narrative
Pilots Call for Mental Health Support Without Stigma
All Five Trapped Miners Found Dead After El Teniente Mine Collapse
Ong Beng Seng Pleads Guilty in Corruption Case Linked to Former Singapore Transport Minister
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
Italy Fines Shein One Million Euros for Misleading Sustainability Claims
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
Declassified Annex Links Soros‑Affiliated Officials and Clinton Campaign to ‘Russiagate’ Narrative
UK's Online Safety Law: A Front for Censorship
Nationwide Protests Erupt in Brazil Demanding Presidential Resignation
Parents Abandon Child at Barcelona Airport Over Passport Issue
Mystery Surrounds Death of Brazilian Woman with iPhones Glued to Her Body
Bus Driver Discovers Toddler Hidden in Suitcase in New Zealand
Switzerland Celebrates 734 Years of Independence Amid Global Changes
U.S. Opens Official Investigation into Former Trump Prosecutor Jack Smith
Leaked audio of Canada's new PM Mark Carney admitting the truth about the Net Zero agenda: "We're gonna make a lot of money off of this."
China Enforces Comprehensive Ban on Cryptocurrency Activities
Absolutely 100% Realistic EVO Series Doll by EXDOLL (Chinese Company) used mainly for carnal purposes
World Economic Forum founder Klaus Schwab: "In this new world, we must accept... total transparency. You have to get used to it. You have to behave accordingly. But if you have nothing to hide, you shouldn't be afraid."
Meet Mufti Hamid Patel, head of Office for Standards in Education in Pakistan
George Soros tells the World Economic Forum: "President Trump is a con man and the ultimate narcissist, who wants the world to revolve around him."
Hamas are STARVING the hostages.
Decline in Tourism in Majorca Amidst Ongoing Anti-Tourism Protests
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
Poland Begins Excavation at Dziemiany After New Clue to World War II‑Era Nazi Treasure
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Threatens Canada with Tariffs Over Palestinian State Recognition
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Trump Sues Murdoch in “Heavyweight Bout”: Lawsuit Over Alleged Epstein Letter Sets Stage for Courtroom Showdown
Germany Enters Fiscal Crisis as Cabinet Approves €174 Billion in New Debt
Trump Administration Finalizes Broad Tariff Increases on Global Trade Partners
J.K. Rowling Limits Public Engagements Citing Safety Fears
JD.com Launches €2.2 Billion Bid for German Electronics Retailer Ceconomy
Azerbaijan Proceeds with Plan to Legalise Casinos on Artificial Islands
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
×