Just before Christmas, Kelsey and I traveled to sunny Palm Beach to be a part of Filipa de Abreu’s 2nd annual holiday pop-up event at Danielle Rollins’ Pop West Palm.

We checked into the darling pink paradise that is The Colony, and it did not disappoint! The lobby, decorated by Kemble Interiors, features a custom de Gournay wallpaper, inspired by a vintage postcard discovered by owner Sarah Wetenhall.  The pink floor-to-ceiling jungle mural depicts flora and fauna in whimsical Palm Beach style and delights with playfully perched tropical birds, lurking alligators, and diamond-adorned panthers.  

Once up to our rooms, we quickly dressed for dinner and met downstairs at the hotel’s iconic restaurant, Swifty’s.  It was trivia night and it was packed!  I don’t remember what we ordered, but the people-watching was unforgettable.  We could have sat there all night, but we had a big couple of days ahead of us, so off to bed!  I woke up in my blue and white tented room, opened the shades to let the morning light in, and could see palm trees swaying in the sunlight and people starting to mill around the pool.

Setup for the event was at 2, so we had some time to enjoy...

I put on my bathing suit and headed down to the Pink Paradise Cafe for coffee and fruit and took it out to the pool to soak up a little sun.  Kelsey had gotten up early and was walking Worth Avenue when I called her to meet me.  We claimed a couple of chaise lounges and sat blissfully by the pool chatting and sipping coffee. 

I spied DJ Pamela Tick across the pool doing the same thing and on the lawn behind us photographer Nick Mele was arriving for an event.  There were many events at the hotel that week including a Balmain event, where we saw Cameron Silver of the famed L.A. vintage store, Decades,  and a dinner celebrating the legacy of Joseph and Estee Lauder in Palm Beach, where we saw Aerin Lauder for the first time that week.  Sadly, our blissful pool time had come to an end and it was time to get to work. 

We got dressed and headed over to meet Filipa and Danielle and started setting up!  As soon as we walked in we were greeted by Filipa and her lovely assistant, Natacha, who had both just arrived from Portugal the night before.  They were even lovelier and more charming than we expected and we were thrilled to finally meet them in person!  Danielle was also wonderfully gracious and welcoming, and we were so grateful to be included in their event.

The other vendors began to trickle in, and we quickly became acquainted with a  talented and creative group of international designers.  They included Ivana Ma, Partou Soleil, Pomegranate Inc., de Castro, Omika, Mon & Pau, Hunter Bell, Ivana Berendika, Sonia Petroff and, of course, Filipa. 

We had a great event, a wonderful response to VOYAGE, and made many new friends and wonderful connections! 

I took a moment to wander through Danielle’s beautiful interiors shop adjacent to the pop-up space, and also next door to the amazing shop of designer Meg Braff.  Beautiful and inspiring! 

At the end of the 2 days, we packed up our wares and ran straight over to another group of pop-up events at Amanda Lindroth and next door at Julia Amory, where we met the charming Sarah Bray West of Sarah Bray Bermuda sunhats.  It was lovely to meet her in person!  What a whirlwind!  Time for a drink at Swifty’s… 🥂