By the 18th century, palms were a well known symbol of far-away lands, a glimpse into an exotic life of beauty. The Palm House at Royal Botanic Kew Gardens, built as the largest steel and glass greenhouse in the world, was inspiration for grand homes across Europe and America to build their own mini versions— Wall Street tycoon Jay Gould included 300 varieties of palms in his Hudson River estate in the late 1800s. Around the same time, Emperor Franz Joseph installed the (still) largest palm house in Europe at his Schönbrunn Palace. In a premium example of high level taste-setting, the White Star cruise ship line (RMS Olympic, RMS Britannic, RMS Titanic) made the most of palm motifs in their opulent decor.

In modern mid century design, palm-infused shapes really came into their own in the 1960s and 70s, when French Riviera and Coastal British Colonial style went wild in natural rattan accent pieces from lighting, to mirrors, to decorative screens and furniture. And who could forget the design influence of Palm Beach legend Lilly Pulitzer, who was usually photographed with palms one way or another—whether real, printed on fabric, or incorporated into furniture and wallcoverings.