By: Jeremy Murphy
Palm Beach designer Gil Walsh has long understood that interiors are not created in a vacuum. They respond to emotion, memory, and the cultural moment, and right now, that moment seems to be calling for comfort, familiarity, and a return to the classics. As founder of Gil Walsh Interiors, the Palm Beach–based firm known for handling expansive residential projects, Walsh is observing a shift in what clients are seeking as they head into the holiday season and beyond.
Her aesthetic, which has always leaned toward transitional and traditional design with an eclectic edge, introduces the modern and unusual in a way that feels especially resonant now. “We seem to attract clients that are very interested in large projects because we have a large staff with many skills that include furniture layouts, furnishing schemes of modern to traditional, interior build-outs, lighting plans, selection of architectural finishes and millwork drawings as well as 3D renderings,” Walsh says, noting that while her firm does contemporary design, demand seems to be moving elsewhere. “The people who are calling us now seem to be leaning more toward transitional to traditional and eclectic. Perhaps people are increasingly interested in bringing in more traditional fabrics, floral wallpaper, florals, so it becomes more of an eclectic feel and not necessarily the stark feel of modern. We might be moving toward the era of Maximalist Design.”
Walsh adores modern interiors, particularly when paired with antiques and contemporary art, but she’s candid about the volume of requests coming in. “I can’t tell you how many calls we’re getting for traditional. People are saying, ‘I want traditional, I want traditional.’ It’s very interesting; maybe the trend is shifting back toward traditional. They want color, they want layers, they want to build collections of art and sculpture.”
That impulse toward layering and richness mirrors what many associate with a Ralph Lauren holiday mood: deep greens, burnished golds, symmetry, and rooms that feel enveloping rather than austere. Walsh believes the pull toward that aesthetic may stem from something deeper than style. “There’s something about the classics of tradition that may help ground people. The world feels so mixed up right now, and people might be looking for something more stable. They might want to feel centered,” she says. “It can be challenging to walk into an asymmetrical room when the world feels upside down.”
Color plays a central role in that sense of grounding. While annual color forecasts come and go, Walsh focuses on tones that have endured for generations. “You see a lot of deep, beautiful blues, golds, and rich greens along with neutrals, and then for the tropics, softer blues,” she says. “Those colors have always been classic. When I look at some of the classic wallpaper companies, they don’t seem to change much.”
At Gil Walsh Interiors, understanding a client’s emotional relationship to color and space is central to the design process. “Humans can’t always clearly tell you what they want, but they can show you in a picture,” Walsh explains. “We spend a lot of time in our firm with inspirational pictures. That’s how we get to know them.” Through that process, clients often surprise themselves. “Sometimes, midway into a project, the color they really thought they hated suddenly becomes one they love, because it’s introduced in a different way,” she says. “At the end of the day, people tend to like all the colors. They just don’t want one predominant color; they want variety.”
Palm Beach itself continues to shape Walsh’s work, particularly as the island evolves. Once considered a quiet, old-guard enclave, it has welcomed an influx of new wealth, tech money, and younger families who bring modern tastes with them. Walsh finds the mix refreshing. “Most of the taste coming in is a blend of modern, transitional, and traditional, and I find it quite invigorating,” she says. “When people buy older homes, they often bring in modern and transitional furniture and accent it with traditional pieces. It looks beautiful against the old-guard architecture.”
Her work frequently spans Palm Beach, Coral Gables, Vero, the Keys, and Boca Raton, communities that each have distinct personalities. “There are beautiful homes in all these areas with incredible art collections; however, Palm Beach and Coral Gables are much older and more preserved.” That preservation matters. “Palm Beach and Coral Gables are very strict about what they allow. They’re careful about blending, and that’s part of what’s helped preserve these communities.”
Despite the changing landscape, Walsh sees potential in every corner. “Things are constantly evolving,” she says, pointing to the island’s expanding restaurant scene, wine culture, and growing creative energy. What excites her most about the coming year, however, is simple. “New projects,” she says. “Each new project brings fresh challenges. We’re researching right now for some projects on our drawing boards, and I love that part. I go to my books, my inspiration pictures, we sketch on blueprints, we rethink the room. I love the process of discovery.”
In a season defined by cozy interiors, layered textures, and a renewed appreciation for tradition, Gil Walsh Interiors continues to design homes that feel not just beautiful, but also deeply reassuring, spaces that reflect both the legacy of Palm Beach and the evolving lives of the people who call it home.
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