brazilian swing - dimare design · luxury-brand shopping, miami’s sun-dappled, casual elegance is...
TRANSCRIPT
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 natu-ral 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 inter-national 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, f lamingos!
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Brazilian swing
chair by Artefacto.
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“Miami has changed its profile to that of a city of the arts,
design, and architecture.”—EDGARDO DEFORTUNA
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HOME IS WHERE THE ART IS“Modernism is back with a vengeance, and the Medi-terranean Revival style is on life-support,” says Miami-based 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 “interconnec-tivity 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 per-sonalities within, creating a feeling of being in a lush, tropical, glimmering water oasis,” says Paulo Bacchi, CEO of Artefacto USA, the high-end Brazilian furnish-ings brand. Bamboo and rattan with “eco-friendly features and natural colors that connect us with our envi-ronment” are in high demand in the Miami market.
The bleached wood blocks in Artefacto’s Canyon line, which Bacchi nicknamed “Miami Beach Blocks,” can func-tion 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, reminis-cent 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 fre-quently 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.”
RAINBOW CONNECTIONColors 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 tropi-cal 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 communica-tions, 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 tile-like 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
includes furniture, lighting, bed and bath linens, cigar boxes, and a $14,000 leather-printed black crocodile back-gammon 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 sophisti-cated. 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 ele-ments such as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona chair or Corbusier’s chaise lounge. Says Pranich, “Good design should be long lasting.”
REACHING THE SKYYou couldn’t count the cranes east of I-95 if you tried, but these aren’t your father’s buildings. Wealthy interna-tional buyers and savvy New Yorkers are collecting trophy properties at places like the late Pritzker Prize-winning 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 environ-ment, 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.”
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 fur-
nishings. 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
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
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 show-
room 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 ther-
apy, 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 hospital-
ity 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
Two-tiered gold-luster-gilded 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.
“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 archi-
tecture 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, ele-
gant 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-shoul-
dered Armani Casa tower, says the “new buildings reflect
our changed aesthetic and take advantage of many tech-
nological developments. The new skyline enhances the
image of the city, making it vibrant and very much of the
21st century.”
DESIGNED TO SUIT
Like the shapes of these sculptural buildings, the five-
star-resort amenities prevalent in luxury hotels and
residences are designed to meld subtropical landscapes
with an urban setting. Luxe condominiums boast walls of
AVENTURA
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 show-
room to Anima Domus,
Natuzzi, Addison House,
Kartell, and Roche Bobois.
Italkraft and Bo Concept
are newcomers at Aventura
Town Center.
BRICKELL
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.
CORAL GABLES
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.
DESIGN DISTRICT
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.
WYNWOOD
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.
FEEL THE VIBE
Five bustling neighborhoods exploding with design sense:
glass, high ceilings, open kitchens, expansive balconies
with private pools and outdoor summer kitchens, private
elevators, and commodious bathrooms with rain show-
ers 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 edi-
fices, 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 glass-
enclosed 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 sky-
scraper 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 run-
ning course, two tennis courts, a boxing studio, yoga deck,
and a “jam room.” Even in Miami, a fireplace in a well-
designed 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
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.
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