On the market: Seaside penthouse priced at nearly $10M offers 'a bit of Palm Beach flair'

It’s a familiar story in Palm Beach real estate: As the needs of the family expand, so, too, must the living space.

Such is the situation that Toronto resident and Palm Beach condominium owner Heather Regent faces. She bought her oceanview penthouse at Sun & Surf condominium in 2022, and already she needs a larger home to accommodate visits from her family.

“I’ve been coming to Palm Beach for at least 15 years, bringing my three daughters to The Breakers for Presidents’ Day weekend and coming back for Easter,” she says.

When she bought the apartment, she was already familiar with its neighborhood on the near North End.

“We know several Canadians who live here, and I like to walk and know the area well,” Regent says. “I didn’t even come down and (tour) the unit, because I knew the Sun & Surf and where it was situated. I bought it from a Facetime video. I had to grab it.

“But I’ve outgrown this. My kids are in their 20s, and my two older girls have boyfriends. I want to get a bigger place, so that everyone can have their own space. I don’t want to draw straws about who gets to bring someone with them.”

As a result, her penthouse, No. 5 at 130 Sunrise Ave., is on the market.

With three bedrooms, 3½ bathrooms and 3,184 square feet of living space inside and out, the penthouse is co-listed by Jennifer Stepan Beqaj and broker Linda Olsson, both of Linda R. Olsson, Inc. The condo is priced at $9.95 million, with the furniture available separately. That price also does not include Regent’s renovated pool cabana, which the condo's buyer could purchase separately.

The apartment will be sold with garage parking for two cars.

Facing east, the penthouse is wrapped by a broad terrace and sited to offer views of the ocean from all the main rooms. Foot traffic from the foyer flows out to the living room, dining room and kitchen, which are central to the layout. To one side are the main bedroom suite and a guest bedroom suite; on the other side are the third bedroom suite and the powder room.

Regent knew when she bought the condo that a renovation would be in the offing.

“It needed work, but how wrong could I go?” she says. “I’m a big-picture person who knows what I like.”

She ended up leaving much of the layout as she found it.

“I left the travertine floor, and didn’t make many structural changes, but I did add a powder room, a little bar and more closet space. It has all new plumbing, electrical and air-conditioning,” she says, adding that impact-resistant glass was already in place in windows and doors.

The update included interior finishes chosen by Regent. The design team at HIVE Collective in West Palm Beach, meanwhile, provided new furnishings and decorative accessories and helped with the designs for the new kitchen and bathrooms.

The bathrooms are finished in travertine and marble, and the kitchen is fitted with white-lacquered cabinetry and Fulgor Milano stainless-steel appliances. The counters and backsplash are made of marble.

Regent consulted with the HIVE team whenever she had design questions.

“I wanted simple and bright (and) blue and white, with a bit of Palm Beach flair,” she explains.

Among the revisions are a new built-in banquette designed by HIVE in the dining area, the white-lacquered bar embellished with lapis and marble, and new carpeting in the bedrooms. The molding and wallpaper throughout are also new.

The Sun & Surf complex, just north of Royal Poinciana Way, comprises two curvilinear freeform seven-floor buildings with a combined 204 apartments. Regent’s building at 130 Sunrise Ave. — immediately west of the building at 100 Sunrise — overlooks the complex’s courtyard and, to the east, the 100 building and the ocean.

Built in 1970 by Jack Resnick and originally designed for luxury rentals by architect Gene Lawrence, the two buildings replaced the private Sun and Surf Beach Club. The development was converted to condos in 1977 and underwent a rehabilitation several years ago.

Amenities of the pet-friendly building at 130 Sunrise Ave. include a saltwater pool, beach access, an updated lobby and a fitness center. The building also has valet parking, door staff, a full-time manager and attendants for the pool and beach.

The location was key for Regent, and she plans on staying in the general area.

She’ll especially miss her terrace, she says: “Out there, I like having my coffee and breakfast with my daughters, Madeline, Grace and Isabelle. It will be a hard place to leave because living at the Sun & Surf is so easy.”

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To see more photos of penthouse No. 5 at 130 Sunrise Ave. in Palm Beach, click on the photo gallery at the top of this page.

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For more than 20 years, Christine Davis has written about Palm Beach real estate in the "On the Market" feature in the Palm Beach Daily News.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: On the market in Palm Beach: Sun & Surf penthouse is priced at $9.95M