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 THAT
MIAMI
STYLE
AS THE DESIGN PALETTE IN SOUTH FLORIDA EVOLVES, SO TOO DO THE DESIGNERS,
ARCHITECTS, AND TRENDSETTERS OF MIAMI’S SOPHISTICATED NEW LOOK.
by
MARCELLE SUSSMAN FISCHLER
Once a pioneer in the Art Deco movement, Miami for decades was considered little
more than a sunny spot for vacationers that was mired in pink flamingos and pastels.
Lackluster buildings had small windows and narrow balconies. Design was decidedly tacky.
Then Art Basel thrust the city into the global art and design limelight, bringing with it a
discerning crowd of design aficionados. “Since the arrival of Art Basel, Miami has gone
through 10 years of sophistication,” says Carlos Rosso, president of The Related Group’s
condominium division. “Miami today is much more known around the world and a more
desired destination, in part because of the association with art and design.”
Now, the second annual Maison&Objet Americas further adds to that vibe, when the
preeminent French decorative arts trade fair returns to Miami Beach this month.
“Maison&Objet put us on the map as a destination for design,” says Paris-born, Coral
Gables-based interior designer Charlotte Dunagan.
Soaring, sophisticated new condo towers designed by world-famous starchitects blend
art, architecture, and design while integrating public green spaces and infusing the natural beauty of Miami. Accompanied by a blossoming arts and culture scene, and prolific
luxury-brand shopping, Miami’s sun-dappled, casual elegance is wooing a local and international mix of fashionistas and other connoisseurs of urban living. “Great designers have
brought an eclectic, chic look,” says Design District interior designer Adriana Hoyos.
“Miami is becoming a trendsetter to the world.” Translation? Adios, flamingos!
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Brazilian swing
chair by Artefacto.
“Miami has changed its profile to that of a city of the arts,
design, and architecture.”—EDGARDO DEFORTUNA
PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAN FORER (WOLK); ROBIN HILL (STRANG)
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HOME IS WHERE THE ART IS
“Modernism is back with a vengeance, and the Mediterranean Revival style is on life-support,” says Miamibased architect Max Strang. The casual yet urbane
approach to living that South Florida homeowners seek
calls for clean-lined, uncluttered modern homes that
“enhance the outdoor lifestyle,” give interior and exterior
spaces “equal respect,” and accommodate the changing
climate. Walls of sliding glass doors provide “interconnectivity with outdoor living areas”; zoned layouts create
privacy for multigenerational living, while locally sourced
Keystone and oolitic limestone “are often used as textural
accents to an otherwise clean aesthetic,” says Strang.
A room “should embrace the views outside and the personalities within, creating a feeling of being in a lush,
tropical, glimmering water oasis,” says Paulo Bacchi,
CEO of Artefacto USA, the high-end Brazilian furnishings brand. Bamboo and rattan with “eco-friendly
features and natural colors that connect us with our environment” are in high demand in the Miami market.
The bleached wood blocks in Artefacto’s Canyon line,
which Bacchi nicknamed “Miami Beach Blocks,” can function as a table or stool depending on the orientation. From
his first Artefacto collection for Miami, Jader Almeida’s
modern Clad chair and Jardim tables are also favorites.
And less is more in the world of furniture, says Steven
Gurowitz of Interiors by Steven G. Porcelain flooring,
LED lighting, and art are all hot, while moldings, reminiscent of Mediterranean or transitional styles, are out.
“People want clean; they don’t want busy,” he says.
“I enjoy mixing the old with the new Miami style,
meaning we keep it light, but it has a twist,” says interior
decorator Deborah Rosenberg, whose designs are frequently eclectic, oftentimes featuring Artefacto’s
“beautiful and calming” hanging Brazilian swing chairs.
“I love throwing an old, beaten-up chair into a sleek
Miami modern condo. A Miami look should have a
beachy yet European feel to it.”
TASTEMAKERS
The influencers who
put the final touch on
Miami.
PAULO BACCHI: The
CEO of Artefacto, Bacchi
creates some of the most
sought-after products in
the world and is a leading
source for contemporary
and enduring classic furnishings. 4440 Ponce de
Leon Blvd., #1600, Coral
Gables, 305-774-0004;
artefacto.com
RICARDO BRITTO: Britto
designed the common
areas at Bay Harbor
Island’s Casa Verde and
worked with Fendi Casa
for the Luxury Living
Group at the Mansions at
Acqualina in Sunny Isles.
Britto Design Studio Inc.,
90 NE 39th St., Miami;
brittodesign.com
CHARLOTTE DUNAGAN:
The Paris-raised, Coral
STEVEN GUROWITZ:
The owner of Interiors
by Steven G designed
model units for Turnberry
Ocean and St. Regis
Bal Harbour, as well as
public spaces at Prive
in Aventura and Marina
Palms in North Miami.
18288 Collins Ave., Sunny
Isles, 305-621-5550;
interiorsbysteveng.com
ADRIANA HOYOS: A
designer for Bijou Bay
Harbor, Downtown Doral,
and iconic hotel chains
worldwide, Hoyos has a
Design District showroom and 10 timeless,
warm, and sophisticated
furniture collections. 4100
NE Second Ave., #105,
Miami, 305-572-9052;
adrianahoyos.com
DEBORAH ROSENBERG:
The founder of Dimare
Design offers custom
interior-design services
that include design therapy, wellness, humane
design with cruelty-free
spaces, and sustainable
sourcing. 500 NW 165th
St., Ste. 100, Miami,
786-629-9581; dimare
design.com
MICHAEL WOLK: A
designer of corporate,
residential, and hospitality interiors, furniture, and
furnishings collections,
Wolk has a client roster
that includes Brickell
500 and Platinum
Condominium. 31 NE 28th
St., Miami, 305-576-2898;
wolkdesign.com
includes furniture, lighting, bed and bath linens, cigar
boxes, and a $14,000 leather-printed black crocodile backgammon set.
The iconic nest-like chocolate upholstered chair from
one of the 10 collections at Adriana Hoyos’s Furnishings in
the Design District is comfortable, timeless, and sophisticated. At Wynwood’s Iniva African Concept Boutique,
functional ethnic-chic art includes colorful fiberglass stools
and masks. Metal bookcases and drawers are crafted from
recycled oil barrels.
Tui Pranich, the architecture-trained international
designer and owner of Tui in the Design District, prefers
“clean, elegant, sophisticated design” using classical elements such as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona
chair or Corbusier’s chaise lounge. Says Pranich, “Good
design should be long lasting.”
RAINBOW CONNECTION
Colors that would be appropriate in Michael Wolk’s native
New York don’t fly here. Instead of the more somber forest
greens, burgundies, or plaids, Miami’s palette takes its
hues from the sky, ocean, clouds, and the sun. “Those are
happier colors,” says Wolk. Accent colors come from tropical fruits. Rather than layering to make a room warm and
comfortable, “here you want it to be free and open.”
“The cliché in Miami is that you should sell everything
white,” says Roche Bobois’s US director of communications, Julien Bigan. But in Miami, “we hardly sell anything
white. South Americans are very into colors and fabric to
match.” Roche Bobois’s best seller for the last three years is
the Mah Jong sofa, a brightly hued sectional with game tilelike mix-and-match patterned fabrics. Black leather sofas
are also popular.
Lalique’s lighting and Art Deco-inspired furniture with
modern lines and construction and exquisite materials and
craftsmanship seems tailor-made for the Magic City, says
Lalique CEO Maz Zouhairi. The Lalique Maison collection
Gables-based interior
designer specializes in
timeless, sophisticated
designs for high-end,
large-scale residential
and boutique commercial
projects. 2100 Ponce de
Leon Blvd., #920, Coral
Gables, 305-438-0130;
charlottedunagan.com
Two-tiered gold-lustergilded Orgue chandelier
by Lalique.
OPPOSITE PAGE: (CLOCKWISE
FROM TOP) A glass-and-
marble Armani/Casa
kitchen in the Cesar
Pelli-designed Armani
Casa tower in Sunny
Isles; 1276 Biscaya by
Max Strang Architecture
incorporates an outdoor
lap pool into its overall
design; the Benedict
residence with interiors
by Miami-based
Michael Wolk.
REACHING THE SKY
You couldn’t count the cranes east of I-95 if you tried, but
these aren’t your father’s buildings. Wealthy international buyers and savvy New Yorkers are collecting
trophy properties at places like the late Pritzker Prizewinning architect Zaha Hadid’s sinuous, 63-story One
Thousand Museum “as if it is a piece of art rather than a
building,” says Gregg Covin, one of the developers.
Drawn by the striking architecture, downtown environment, and cultural attractions like the neighboring
Herzog & De Meuron-designed Pérez Art Museum
Miami, “these wealthy global buyers expect a higher
level of product than we had in the past in Miami.”
“Miami has changed its profile to that of a city of the
arts, design, and architecture,” says Fortune International
President and CEO Edgardo Defortuna, and it is “the
perfect location to display the talents of world-renowned
architects and designers. The current movement in architecture displays an artistic flair while allowing for a
timeless, casual elegance.”
With large undertakings from Brickell City Centre to
Auberge Residences & Spa Miami on Biscayne and the
Regalia in Sunny Isles (not to mention hundreds of other
projects globally), Coconut Grove-based Arquitectonica’s
bold modernism is synonymous with the renaissance in
Miami’s urban landscape.
Meanwhile, David Martin, president of Terra Group—
the developer behind OMA Rem Koolhaas’s Park Grove
in Coconut Grove and Renzo Piano’s 87 Park in North
Beach—says new boutique-style projects are designed for
the “place and location.” According to Martin, they are
much more understated, with less environmental impact
and more of a connection to nature. Set in a five-acre park,
Park Grove has a palette that comes from the ocean, palm
trees inspired its faceted concrete columns, and walls of
glass maximize bay views. Says Martin, “It’s simple, elegant but with huge functionality and very strong details.”
Cesar Pelli, the architect of the Adrienne Arsht Center
for the Performing Arts and the upcoming wide-shouldered Armani Casa tower, says the “new buildings reflect
our changed aesthetic and take advantage of many technological developments. The new skyline enhances the
image of the city, making it vibrant and very much of the
21st century.”
Upholstered Caramelo chair
by Adriana Hoyos.
OPPOSITE PAGE:
(FROM TOP) Rendering
of
a living room in One
Thousand Museum by
Zaha Hadid; walls of sliding
glass doors provide
interconnectivity with
outdoor living areas in the
Wa Kee Na residence from
Max Strang.
DESIGNED TO SUIT
Like the shapes of these sculptural buildings, the fivestar-resort amenities prevalent in luxury hotels and
residences are designed to meld subtropical landscapes
with an urban setting. Luxe condominiums boast walls of
glass, high ceilings, open kitchens, expansive balconies
with private pools and outdoor summer kitchens, private
elevators, and commodious bathrooms with rain showers and separate soaking tubs.
“Building features that emphasize how an individual
lives, and relates to their surrounding environment, guide
the design process,” Defortuna says of Miami’s new edifices, which are oriented to maximize views from all units,
be it the ocean, the bay, or a cityscape. “Each project allows
us to provide more than a home; it is a lifestyle.”
Developers across Miami have “been trying to outdo
each other,” says Gil Dezer, the president of Dezer
Development, whose portfolio includes the cylindrical
Porsche Tower, which features a statement-making glassenclosed car elevator that brings your roadster to a sky
garage by your front door. Built in conjunction with The
Related Group, Dezer’s upcoming Armani Casa skyscraper has interiors by global tastemaker Giorgio
Armani, including an oceanfront fitness center, a spa with
a Turkish hammam, an oceanfront restaurant, a cigar
room, a movie theater, and a children’s playroom.
Cascading gardens and a resort-style lagoon pool are
just the start on the sleek amenity deck planned for
Paramount Miami Worldcenter’s 60-story residential
tower. It also includes soccer fields, a half-kilometer running course, two tennis courts, a boxing studio, yoga deck,
and a “jam room.” Even in Miami, a fireplace in a welldesigned living or family room is a selling point, although
a television above the mantel is a no-no, says Ricardo Britto
of Britto Design Studio. “A digital-free living room which
will allow more family time and interaction is a must.”
Driving the demand is the expanding trend of families
and new residents making South Florida their new home
every day. To accommodate them, in the coming years, 132
new buildings with more than 13,700 units are scheduled to
go up. And with each new interior and exterior design, they
will continue to shape an ever-evolving Miami style. OD
FEEL THE VIBE
Five bustling neighborhoods exploding with design sense:
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AVENTURA
BRICKELL
CORAL GABLES
DESIGN DISTRICT
WYNWOOD
Beyond the fashionable
shops such as Tiffany &
Co., Fendi, and Burberry at
its namesake top-tier mall,
Aventura is replete with
chic, high-end furniture
stores, from Artefacto’s
45,000-square-foot showroom to Anima Domus,
Natuzzi, Addison House,
Kartell, and Roche Bobois.
Italkraft and Bo Concept
are newcomers at Aventura
Town Center.
Nest Casa, Bojanini Art
Gallery, and Porsche
Design will be among the
luxury shops and premium
brands on five levels at the
Arquitectonica-designed
Brickell City Centre. Bo
Concept is across the
street. There are decorative
vases, designer candles,
and metal sculptures
among the orchids at
Blooming Flowers in Mary
Brickell Village.
Luminaire’s and Roche
Bobois’s flagship Florida
stores have called Coral
Gables home for two
decades. Charlotte Dunagan
Design Group relocated
there from the increasingly
fashion-oriented Design
District last year, joining
galleries, showrooms, and
home décor boutiques
such as Artefacto, Artemide
lighting, Aragon101, Oroa
Eichholtz Furniture,
Violetta’s, and Maru’s Corner.
From Ligne Roset to
Jaeger LeCoultre and
Hermès, select furniture,
home accents, and luxury
fashion boutiques define
the Miami Design District.
Among the interiors
showrooms are Jalan Jalan,
Adriana Hoyos Furnishings,
Jonathan Adler, Luminaire
Lab, Internum, Bisazza,
Holly Hunt, Versace Home
Miami, Janus et Cie, Niba
Collections, and
Niba Home.
Edgy galleries, cool
eateries, and graffitied
walls draw crowds. At Iniva
African Concept Boutique,
functional ethnic-chic art
includes colorful fiberglass
stools and metal bookcases
crafted from recycled oil
barrels. Illimit’s rocking
chairs are comfortable and
stylish. Britto Charette’s
marble-topped console has
softly curved 3-D ellipses
with chiseled edges.
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