An Airy New House in Florida

PHOTOS BY George Kamper

BY Stephanie Peters

Famed designers Mark Badgley and James Mischka have created a stunning home with a balance of peace, whimsy, and a touch of glamour.

They are, by their own admission, hopeless romantics for glamour. Not the flashy kind, but the cultivated, cinematic sort. As it turns out, shimmer and restraint make surprisingly good company.

For more than three decades, Mark Badgley and James Mischka embodied American glamour through their brand’s signature blend of Old Hollywood elegance and modern sophistication. Badgley Mischka, founded by Mark and James in 1988, became a red-carpet favorite known for embellished gowns, refined tailoring, and timeless femininity. The pair’s polished aesthetic also extends to interiors and lifestyle ventures, reflecting their spirit of effortless style and gracious living.

We first met and interviewed Mark Badgley and James Mischka in Locust Valley, New York, more than a decade ago (see EQLiving Winter 2013), but news of a newly acquired Florida house, a new horse, and a rescue dog promised the sort of irresistible tableau that practically scripts itself: enticing décor, engaging conversation, and copious gushing about all things equestrian.

The airy West Palm Beach house feels instantly welcoming. Light floods the open living space through floor-to-ceiling windows, and an alluring layering of orchids, art, and objets d’art, ranging from whimsical to ornate, directs the eye from shimmering tabletops to intimate niche vignettes. For the most part, their prior homes were largely older and historic, whether a carriage house in the Northeast or an old villa on Palm Beach Island. What they found appealing about their new home was its ease. “It’s turnkey, it’s open, and contemporary, with a simple canvas that can work in so many different ways,” Mark says. “It just suited our lifestyle today. We are Floridians now, and this is our year-round home.”

The move closer to Wellington, an equestrian epicenter, was partly motivated by Mark’s return to horses after believing he was stepping away from the sport for good. “For selfish reasons, I was really excited about looking out here,” Mark admits. “But I was a little concerned about what James thought, but he loves it, and we’ve been very happy out here.”

Any changes to the house were minor and primarily ambiance-driven. They built in bookcases, added some kitchen cabinets, and replaced the original solid front door with glass.

Given their careers in the fashion industry, it wasn’t a complete surprise that Mark and James converted the home’s third bedroom into a walk-in closet, or, what they amusingly refer to as a “drive-in” closet. “We’ve done it our entire lives. After you have it, you can never go back. It’s a must,” Mark laughs.

Planning the décor aesthetics was a true collaboration, with few decisions made individually. Antiquing and discovering unique pieces in Palm Beach and West Palm Beach are also part of the process. “You know, after all these years, I can honestly say our aesthetic is pretty similar,” Mark notes. “I mean, if anything were to happen, I might go a nickel more decorative, and James might go a nickel more streamlined.”

“For me, what’s non-negotiable is the kitchen,” James laughs. He is the chef in the house; it’s his domain and passion. “I have no say in the kitchen. I’m virtually not allowed in there, and that’s fine with me,” Mark laughs.

They describe the décor as a blend of styles. There are a few contemporary pieces that nod to the spare discipline of Swedish design, but they’re beautifully combined with elements of Italian 1950s streamline and considerable Venetian accents. It’s collective, and it’s stunning.

This house has shifted them away from the toned-down, masculine black, white, and brown interiors favored in some of their earlier homes in Kentucky and Long Island. “We used to work with so much color during the day that we liked our homes to be more monochromatic,” James explains.

They’ve lightened things up considerably here, crediting the quality of Florida light. The blacks have given way to beiges, and soft, pastel, watercolor-type colors have entered the palette.

James and I are like magpies, especially when we entertain at night. We like anything that slightly flickers.

The house brilliantly balances glamour with ease, mirroring the pair’s approach to couture design. “We love calm, but James and I are suckers for glamour,” says Mark. “We always were with our clothing and with everything we love. It’s an understated sort of luxurious calmness. There’s got to be a dose of glamour in there. Always.”

With so much elegance, one might wonder how dogs, who have always been part of their lives, fit into their lifestyle. “That’s something we’ve always had a strong opinion about,” Mark emphasizes. “We make sure the furniture is sort of bomb-proof.” The dogs are welcome on the couches and beds, but are gently discouraged from getting on the few pieces with fragile fabrics. “They have plenty of options,” Mark notes.

Until recently, Mark and James had small dogs, so tabletops were never a target. “Our tabletops were always loaded to the gills with silver and crystal,” Mark says. Velma, their newly adopted hound from Danny and Ron’s Rescue, has a much greater vertical reach. “The dachshunds have four-inch legs; this one is all legs,” Mark laughs.

“There’s nothing to us that’s more uncomfortable or more unglamorous than going into a home where you’ve got to be so fussy and careful,” says Mark. Precious doesn’t work for their lifestyle. All their friends love animals, especially in the horse world, and every friend comes with a dog or two in tow.

Mark smiles. Their roles for entertaining are distinctly divided. James has full rein in the kitchen. Organized, precise, and creative, he strategizes his culinary successes with the aid of spreadsheets, timers, and flawless synchronization. Essentially, James is all about the dinner, and Mark oversees ambiance, setting the tone with flowers, candles, and, naturally, loads of flicker.

Their move to Florida full-time evolved naturally. Though Mark and James had owned a home in Wellington’s Polo Club for nearly 25 years and always loved the area, their fashion business kept them anchored to New York. Endless three-hour commutes from Manhattan to their homes in Locust Valley and Centre Island eventually prompted a temporary move to Los Angeles to oversee the opening of their Rodeo Drive store and to reclaim some balance. But as remote work and Zoom reshaped the industry, the logistics of operating between coasts became increasingly impractical.

“We had to start working at six in the morning on the West Coast, and [the team in New York] had to work until nine o’clock at night. It wasn’t fair to anybody,” James explains. “So, after the year of getting the store built, we said we’d move back to the East Coast.”

Rather than return to New York, they chose Florida as their permanent base, commuting to the city for one week a month. As it turned out, the timing was fortuitous, as COVID soon accelerated the shift to virtual work.

Mark and James sold the company in 2025 but stayed on as consultants. “We still have a say in the design aesthetic and marketing, but we are no longer owners or running the business day-to-day,” Mark explains. On occasion, they will still design a glamorous, couture evening gown for a friend or celebrity for a special occasion. Just don’t ask them to design camping clothes.

The two seem happily immersed in the plethora of South Florida activities, cultural events, and dining options from Wellington to Palm Beach, as well as engaging with the area’s robust charitable community. “We concentrate more on animal rights, animal rescue in particular, and support three different organizations here to spread the love,” says James. Both were honored as Style Icons at a Style for Hope Luncheon, highlighting their commitment to transforming women through clothing and benefiting Dress for Success, which aids and empowers underprivileged women.

One of the high points of settling into their new location is Mark’s return to horses. “James and I had horse farms in Lexington, and I’ve had dozens of horses over the span of my years, and I was sort of tiptoeing out of the sport,” Mark says. “But I missed it so much, especially with our lifestyle change, and I felt like I was missing that color in my life. So, I sat down and talked to James. I said I’d really like to, in some way and some capacity, get back into the game.”

Silent Partner, his new 5-year-old bay Oldenburg gelding, has been the perfect antidote for the missing color in his life, and Mark is gleefully easing back into the sport. Silas, Silent’s barn name, came from Belgium, was started in Europe, and made his way to Wellington just before the 2026 winter circuit, where he began to make a name for himself in the green hunter competitions. Mark says, “It was so nice to practically have him in my backyard here in Wellington, and I got to watch his starts. I got extra lucky. He is super talented. He was champion some weeks and would win the under saddle. He was a quick learner and wanted to be a good boy.” Mark’s longtime trainer of over 10 years, Mark Zukerman of Lynnewood Stables, found, trained, and showed Silas all season and rode him to a Wellington champion of the Young Hunter 6 and under division title.

Mark is still recovering from a grueling back surgery and is technically not supposed to ride. Whether he can will depend on his doctors’ recommendations and a heart-to-heart discussion with James to determine the best and safest way to celebrate the sport. “It’s just that the sport is addictive. It’s just too special and too fun not to participate in some way or another,” he notes.

For years, Mark showed in the hunters up and down the East Coast, from Saratoga, Lake Placid, and the Hampton Classic, to Wellington and Capital Challenge. When the Devon Horse Show came up, he chuckled. “I was only a spectator at Devon. That 3’6” was above my pay scale.”

The equestrian thread runs deeper than Mark alone. James, by circumstance and affection, has long been surrounded by horse people. “I’ve always had horses. James’s parents are deeply entrenched in the racehorse world, and even James’s father’s family raises Clydesdales on a draft horse farm in Wisconsin and trains them for Anheuser-Busch,” Mark says.

James, enjoying the banter, recalls his own early equestrian chapter. “When I was a little kid living in Malibu, we lived next door to the owners of Mr. Ed’s sister, and I used to ride her, but she didn’t talk.”

People come and go, and they bring their dogs, and it’s always super fun.

During the height of the Wellington season, you can find Mark and James enjoying events and competitions covering a broad mix of disciplines. Hunters are Mark’s go-to, but they also watch dressage, jumping, and the big, 5* grand prix. “It’s just the best of the best,” Mark says.

In addition to the colorful years with horses, Mark and James have an astounding trove of shared experiences, successes, and colorful narratives around fashion design, décor, and globe-spanning travel.

Travel has always been integral to their creative vision, its influence woven quietly into both their fashion and their interiors; a Venetian accent here, a Moroccan flourish there. Capri is one of their favorite destinations; they visited so often they briefly considered relocating. “Maybe we temporarily lost our minds. We were thinking about moving there for a while, and then we thought about the winters and the tough commutes,” James laughs. Spain, Italy, and South America follow close behind. Trips to France, especially Paris, were frequent, but typically tied into the frenzied pace of fashion shows.

They’ve had the singular privilege of dressing some of the world’s most glamorous women, yet humility and warmth prevail.

They admitted to two memorable “pinch-me” moments when they realized the Badgley Mischka brand had become an overwhelming success. The first was unexpectedly being the subject of a “Jeopardy!” question. The second occurred in a New York City taxi. “We were on our way home, and they were putting together the new windows for Bergdorf Goodman, and all the Fifth Avenue windows featured our evening gowns. That’s the kind of thing you never forget,” Mark admits.

After decades of red-carpet glamour, they’ve designed a life that pairs a softer kind of glamour and ease. It’s elegant and relatable, and rooted in friendships and quiet pleasures cultivated along the way. Wally and Velma commandeer the couches, and Silent Partner grazes a stone’s throw away. And come evenings, chandeliers and candles cast a soupçon of flicker and shine over everything they’ve built.