Few places embody the lively spirit of tropical living quite like Palm Beach. The mere mention of the coastal locale conjures images of rooms—both indoors and out—layered in botanical prints, multicolored fabrics, natural textures, live greenery, whimsical accessories, and happy hues of green, blue, and pink.
While Carmel Brantley describes herself as a “Midwest gal,” she has been capturing the essence and beauty of coastal design in her photography for the past 36 years. Born and educated in Des Moines, Iowa, Brantley pursued studies in advertising and business because, she admits, “I couldn’t paint or draw.” After graduating from Drake University, she moved to Minneapolis to work for a marketing agency whose clients included Target and Kohl’s, both fledgling retail chains at the time. She met and worked alongside fashion photographer Robert Brantley. They married, and when Robert could no longer tolerate the cold, they relocated to his home state of Florida, settling in Ocean Ridge.
They intended to carve a niche in Miami’s burgeoning fashion scene (it was the early 1990s), but the couple began photographing area homes instead. One of Brantley’s first assignments was capturing the historic Vanderbilt Estate on South Ocean Boulevard in Manalapan. “I loved it,” she recalls of the work. “I found what I wanted to do.”
Brantley first focused on vignettes and detail shots. Over time, she tackled whole rooms and homes, working with many prominent Palm Beach interior designers and contributing to publications and books such as Tim Johnson’s The Young Man and the Tree: Fernando Wong Landscape Design. Now Brantley has published her own tome, Tropical Living, slated for release October 13 through Vendome Press.
If there is a word to describe a recurring motif of the genre Brantley unintentionally specialized in, she suggests it is “versatile.” As her images convey, there are endless iterations of tropical design. “It does not grow old,” says the lady behind the lens.
“I just knew I needed to include this photograph of this absolutely gorgeous space designed by Chicago-based designer Jessica Lagrange,” Brantley says of this Palm Beach folly that appears in her new book, Tropical Living. Brantley says it is as chic and sophisticated as it is playful, pointing out such delights as the fabric ceiling that resembles a circus tent.
This living room was designed by Amanda Lindroth for the 2023 Kips Bay Decorator Show House Palm Beach, an annual design showcase benefiting the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County. Brantley was mesmerized by Lindroth’s use of blues to emulate the nearby ocean, as well as her incorporation of live plants, rattan, and raffia. “Lindroth is well-known for using natural accessories in her designs,” Brantley adds.
Brantley was immediately smitten with this charming little space in a Palm Beach cottage by Cece Bowman and Shannon Warriner, who worked with Kemble Interiors at the time. The island’s quintessential color palette—green and pink—is expressed through the bold seat cushions juxtaposed with the painted green and white floor, shutter doors, and hand-painted walls.
Amanda Reynal of West Palm Beach designed this room in collaboration with Lilly Pulitzer for the 2025 Kips Bay Decorator Show House Palm Beach. “I could not imagine not including something Lilly Pulitzer in my book,” says Brantley. The artwork in the right-hand corner of the room was created by Chris Leidy, a fine-art photographer and grandson of the Palm Beach icon.
This second-floor patio, featured in the 2025 Kips Bay Decorator Show House Palm Beach and designed by Amal Kapen with Kravet, was “a fun and happy place,” Brantley says. She loved the smooth robin’s egg blue ceiling against the pink-bordered trellis, white railing, and verdant backyard.
This room stopped Brantley in her tracks. From a house in Vero Beach, it was assembled through a collaboration between designer Amanda Lindroth and Meg Braff Designs wallpaper for Veranda magazine. Although she shot from an asymmetrical angle, Brantley found a way to incorporate all the key elements. “I especially liked the giant coconut palm presiding over the simple desk,” she says.
The pristine white loggia in this Palm Beach home derives its color and character from a floral tablecloth, blue and white pottery, eye-level palms, and the purple blooms of the blue sky vine. Brantley has known the designer, Jack Fhillips, for a long time and wanted to include an example of his work in her book. The cement dogs guarding the serene setting put a smile on her face.
