Menard discovered that the original entrance to Cielito Lindo had become the rear of the house after the Kings Road subdivision. To create intimacy and space for outdoor entertaining, the architect added a loggia to overlook the rear garden, using cast-stone columns and terra-cotta roof tiles to blend with existing materials. A new façade consisting of iron and glass was designed to face Kings Road, where the island’s namesake coconut palms now soften the stucco exterior.
In the reception hall, a laundry mezzanine was removed, exposing original coral rock column capitals, stenciled plaster archways, and pecky cypress beams. Local craftsmen restored and replicated the original design of the space based on photos found at the Historical Society of Palm Beach County. Eight pairs of precast columns now divide the entrance hall from the formal living room, where low ceilings were raised to 21 feet after the removal of out-of-date air-conditioning ductwork.
