ENGINEERED TO PERFECTION With A Comprehensive Approach, One Designer GraspsThe Big Picture And Weaves Together A Complex MatrixOf Architectural, Design And Aesthetic Elements

The graceful sweep of an anigre wood wall shapes the main livingareas that in turn are encircled by 2,000 linear feet of terrace andthe glittering aspect of Miami Beach. In the dining room, artistFernando Botero’s Ballerina Vestita — atop her pedestal — invitesguests to gather around an oversized John Houshmand tablesurrounded by Wendell Castle’s stylishly modern high-back chairs.

INTERIOR DESIGN Alene Workman, Alene Workman Interior Design,Hollywood, FLGENERAL CONTRACTOR Frank DeCarlo, DeCarlo Construction Company, Inc., Miami, FLTEXT Marina BrownPHOTOGRAPHY Troy Campbell, Miami, FL

AT THE TOP OF HER GAME, INTERIOR DESIGNER ALENE WORKMANdoes not shy from a challenge. But even she admits she learned a lot from creating the9,000-square-foot penthouse extravaganza located atop a 26-floor Miami Beach skyscraper.Built in 2008, the massive residence had been finished out by the developer and purchased,though no one had ever lived there. Now, the new owners offered Workman the opportunityto recreate the space as an entertaining showplace.

Designed for gatherings of more than 50 guests,the social areas flow one to another. ChristianLiaigre sofas join Hugues Chevalier loungechairs to form a conversation grouping in theliving room, where a Robert Indiana sculptureof Hebrew letters, entitled Tikva, inspires hope.

132 FLORIDA DESIGN VOL. 23 NO. 1

That meant out with the old and in with the new. “We took out everything: ceilings,interior walls and flooring,” Workman says. “Only the pipes remained.” But it wasn’t time fornew dry wall. There were engineering details — at which this designer marvels — engineeredinclusions in an already well-built building. “My clients thought of everything,” she says.“They not only wanted sleek elegance and a warm, delicious interior, but they wantedsafety as well.”

000 FLORIDA DESIGN VOL. 22 NO. 1

AT TWILIGHT, THE SCULPTURED CEILING MIMICSTHE BREAKING WAVES BEYOND, WHILE ANAREA RUG FROM STARK CARPET SHAPES ASOCIAL CIRCLE OF CHRISTIAN LIAIGRE SLIPPER CHAIRS AND A JOSEPH JEUP COCKTAIL TABLE FROM HOLLY HUNT.

In response, Workman redesigned interior walls to meet hurricanespecifications, placing studs twice as close as the code required. A300-gallon emergency water tank was installed in the ceiling shouldweather cause an interruption of service. And two “safe rooms” weredevised should a hurricane make a beeline for Miami. It was only afterthese innovative solutions were engineered that Workman turned herattention to the condo’s sheer delight of space, view and etherealambiance high above Miami Beach.

With its central service core of utility elevators and stairwells servingas a kind of wheel-hub, and the condo’s private elevator rotunda justslightly to its side, Workman swept both the social and private areasin a vast 360-degree arc. And though there is a certain give to thehard exterior footprint of the building, she designed curves, spheresand waves in nearly every space.

ABOVE: No need to patter through the main living areas, the morning bar in the master wingcorridor is convenient for an early coffee or a night cap. Slashed with deep reveals, thesweep of rich anigre walls and cabinetry prepare the way for the drama of the master suite.

136 FLORIDA DESIGN VOL. 23 NO. 1

A massive S-curved wall, sheathed in exotic anigre wood,holds the living room, a social grouping, the dining roomand breakfast area in its embrace. Providing continuity,the backside of a double curve that encompasses the entryrotunda, the kitchen and a wide corridor to the mastersuite also divides the area into intimate zones.

In the dining room, Workman created half-cylinderbrushed stainless table pedestals topped with two-inch-thickbubingha wood made from one 22-foot tree log. Anotherengineering coup is the table’s ability to silently roll from10 feet to an additional 12 feet to accommodate the owners’frequent large dinner parties.

Wrapped by another arm of the “S,” the living room ispurity-defined. Plush, white chenille sofas are coupledwith a pair of dark-caramel lounge chairs that seem assecure as a warm hug. Workman placed the group on abespoke area rug that echoes the line of the wall.

ABOVE: With two sinks, two stoves and plenty of room for theowner or staff to stage a party, the kitchen arcs into independentstations. The luxe finishes of the main living areas flow throughin Downsview Kitchen’s cabinetry and Caesar Stone countertops.

The breakfast area and its cozy reading nookshowcase B&B Italia’s chenille-clad lounge chairfrom Luminaire and Moura Starr’s spectacularly

shimmering crystal-flower chandelier.

Drawing the eyes up and around thespace, 11-foot ceilings follow the ebband flow of the home’s interior scheme.Highlighting the sculptural forms, bothrecessed lighting from an inverted soffit,and cached floor and ceiling illuminationtucked into “wall bumps” call attentionto the contours. And hiding in plainview, a four-chair conversation groupingand cocktail table appear intimate in themiddle of the social area.

At the far end of the living room, awide, 44-foot-long corridor leads to themaster wing and Workman has put it tofull use. An elegant powder room andexpansive storage lie through twowooden doorframes. Here, beneath anelaborately stepped and illuminateddome, a morning bar is convenient.Rock crystal sconces and a chandelierof crystal pendants light the spider goldmarble of the floor medallions.

The kitchen bears not only thedesigner’s sense of dramatic élan, butalso the owners’ request to seclude itfrom the social areas when the staff ispreparing for a party. The solution — aseries of carved glass panels that slideinto the countertop wall. In homage tothe oceanfront setting, a whimsicallymonikered “squiggle” in the ceiling is aningenious method of interrupting thelength of the kitchen’s long wrap.Beyond, the breakfast area, like theother carefully considered and well-engineered spaces, inspired a customtable designed with circular leaves thatattach around its perimeter to seat ahappy breakfast party of 12.

“OUT OF THIS WORLD … A WONDERLAND,” ISHOW INTERIOR DESIGNER ALENE WORKMANDESCRIBES THE POWDER ROOM. HERE, A NANCY CORZINE VANITY CHAIR SETS A TONE OFDELICATE FEMININITY AMIDST THE GLASS-TILEWALLS AND SPARKLING MIRRORS.

Treasured collections, books, art and cleverlycached storage vie for attention in the hallway tothe guest wing. A white nickel Odegard chestand a Donald Baechler painting beckon beyond.

140 FLORIDA DESIGN VOL. 23 NO. 1

ABOVE: With a subtle juxtaposition of soft and hard surfaces, the master bedroom’s textures strike a balance.A coral array on a white-marble inverted pyramid table from E.G. Cody, a wrought iron cocktail table from JohnSaladino, and wood wall trim play against cascading layers of soft silk and velvety chenille.

In the master bath, Workman created echoing horizontalprosceniums in the contours of the illuminated floating ceiling,and the inset jasper and thassos marble floor pattern. A vanitychair by J. Robert Scott and a Bright bench add plush luxury.

Small spaces need not be boring. Repeating chandeliers illuminate a 49-foot-longhallway that leads the way past vertical columns and niched cabinetry to the guestrooms — all situated in their own wing. Another small but favored spot is the“wonderland” powder room. With a suspended mirror and walls covered in mirroredtiles of viney patterns, dazzling reflections are set in motion.

Yet it is in the master suite, reached via sets of double entry doors from its privaterotunda, that glamour and luxury unabashedly blend. Set on white plush carpeting,the appliquéd-silk-clad bed and its upholstered wall are framed like a painting bydouble steps of wood. Italian pendant bedside fixtures of crystal cast a glow on JohnSaladino’s nesting black iron table.

In a burst of drama, Workman reimagines the master bath as art. Set on backlitglass, thick bronze ribbons suggest sand and sea. His and her vanities flank the tubencased in soft pear wood and marble. And it is in this private space one finds a loftyplace to linger and dream.

Vase - E.G. Cody, DCOTA, Dania Beach, FLVanity chair - Nancy Corzine, Nessen Showroom,DCOTA, Dania Beach, FLFabric - Bergamo Fabrics, Donghia, Inc., DCOTA,Dania Beach, FLSconces - Jonathan Browning, Holly Hunt Miami,Miami, FLMaster BedroomUpholstered bed - Custom designed by AleneWorkman Interior Design, Hollywood, FL

Fabricated by Le Jeune Upholstery,Inc., Miami, FLHeadboard and wall fabric - ChristianFishbacher, Jeffrey Michaels,DCOTA, Dania, FLFabricated by Sutton Draperies,North Miami, FLBedside tables fabricated by VogueFurniture, Royal Oak, MIBed coverings - Bergamo Fabrics,Donghia, Inc., DCOTA, Dania Beach, FLFabricated by Excell in DesignGroup, Inc., Boca Raton, FLBench - Powell & Bonnell, CanadaLounge chair - Ralph Pucci, J.Batchelor, DCOTA, Dania Beach, FLBench and chair fabrics - ElizabethDow Ltd., David SutherlandShowroom, DCOTA, Dania Beach, FLCocktail table - John SaladinoFurniture, New York, NYWhite inverted pyramid table - E.G.Cody, DCOTA, Dania Beach, FLCoral - Stephen Turner, Hollywood, FLPendants - Baga, Jolo Enterprises,DCOTA, Dania Beach, FLDrapery fabric - Bart Halpern,Jeffrey Michaels, DCOTA, Dania Beach, FL Fabricated by Sutton Draperies,North Miami, FLMaster Bath Vanity, cabinetry and tub surround - Custom designed byAlene Workman Interior Design,Hollywood, FL Fabricated by Vogue Furniture,Royal Oak, MITub - BainUltra, Inc., Designer’sPlumbing & Hardware, Miami, FLVanity chair - J. Robert Scott, Jerry Pair & Assoc., DCOTA, Dania Beach, FLBench - The Bright Group, New York, NYFabric - Creation Bauman, JeffreyMichaels, DCOTA, Dania Beach, FLBronze and glass wall panel fabricated by John Houshmand,New York, NYWall sconces on mirror - StudioItalia Design, Miami, FLThroughout Artwork and sculpture - RosenbaumContemporary, Boca Raton, FLCeiling treatments - Customdesigned by Alene WorkmanInterior Design, Hollywood, FLRecessed lighting - Iris, CooperLighting, Miami, FL

144 FLORIDA DESIGN VOL. 23 NO. 1

SOURCESDining RoomDining table - Custom designed by AleneWorkman Interior Design, Hollywood, FL Fabricated by John Houshmand, New York, NYChairs - Wendell Castle, J. Batchelor,DCOTA, Dania Beach, FLChair fabric - Spinneybeck, Getzville, NYPedestals - Stephen Turner, Hollywood, FL,and E.G. Cody, DCOTA, Dania Beach, FLWhite bronze pear - Roberto Kuo, NibaHome, Miami, FLDrapery fabric - Zimmer + Rohde, AmmonHickson, Inc., DCOTA, Dania Beach, FLLiving RoomSofas and bench - Christian Liaigre,Miami, FLFabric - Osborne & Little, AmmonHickson, Inc., DCOTA, Dania Beach, FLLounge chairs - Hugues Chevalier,Studium, New York, NYFabric - Pierre Frey, Nessen Showroom,DCOTA, Dania Beach, FLCocktail table - John Houshmand, New York, NYSofa tables fabricated by Vogue Furniture,Royal Oak, MITable lamp - Niedermaier, Chicago, ILVases - E.G. Cody, DCOTA, Dania Beach, FLPedestals - Stephen Turner, Hollywood, FLDrapery fabric - Zimmer + Rohde, AmmonHickson, Inc., DCOTA, Dania Beach, FLArea rug - Stark Carpet, Costa Mesa, CASocial GroupSlipper chairs - Christian Liaigre, Miami, FLFabric - Bergamo Fabrics, Donghia, Inc.,DCOTA, Dania Beach, FLAccent pillow fabric - Rodolph, Jerry Pair& Assoc., DCOTA, Dania Beach, FLCocktail table - Joseph Jeup, Holly HuntMiami, Miami, FLArea rug - Stark Carpet, Costa Mesa, CAMaster CorridorWood paneling and cabinetry - Customdesigned by Alene Workman InteriorDesign, Hollywood, FL; fabricated byVogue Furniture, Royal Oak, MICountertop - Keys Granite, Miami, FLWall sconces - Fuse, J. Batchelor,DCOTA, Dania Beach, FLChandelier - Prelle & Mathieu, New York, NYKitchenCabinetry - Downsview Kitchens,DCOTA, Dania Beach, FLHood - The John P. Downs Company, Inc.,Dania Beach, FLOven - Wolf, Drimmers Appliances,Miami, FL Flooring - Marble of the World, Fort Lauderdale, FLBreakfast AreaTable - Custom designed by AleneWorkman Interior Design, Hollywood, FLChairs - Rolf Benz, Carriage House,DCOTA, Dania Beach, FLFabric - Spinneybeck, Getzville, NY

142 FLORIDA DESIGN VOL. 23 NO. 1

. . . continued on page 144

Lounge chair and ottoman - B&B Italia,Luminaire, Coral Gables, FLFabric - Orient Express, Jeffrey Michaels,DCOTA, Dania Beach, FLChandelier - Moura Starr, New York, NY Table lamp - Foscarini, Jolo Enterprises, DCOTA,Dania Beach, FLHallway White cabinetry - Vogue Furniture, Royal Oak, MI

Light fixtures - Ralph Pucci, J. Batchelor, DCOTA,Dania Beach, FLConsole - Custom designed by Alene WorkmanInterior Design, Hollywood, FLFabricated by Odegard, Miami, FLPowder RoomMirror - bon, balance order nature, inc., Miami, FLMirror tile wall treatment and inset - Customdesigned by Alene Workman Interior Design,Hollywood, FL

. . . continued from page 142

SUBSCRIBE NOW!SAVE 50%*

OFF THE COVER PRICE

1 Year $19.99 (4 issues)

2 Years $27.99 (8 issues)BEST BUY - SAVE 50%

1-800-523-3327or for faster service go towww.floridadesign.com

Save 50% off the cover price on a 2-year subscription. OUTSIDE U.S.A. (Canada, all foreign countries) add $29.99 per year.Payable only in U.S. funds drawn on a U.S. bank. Payment must accompany all foreign orders. Please allow 6-8 weeks fordelivery of your first issue. For U.S. subscriptions only. Photography by Kim Sargent, Palm Beach Gardens, FL

A Magnificent Palm Beach Estate

Homes Designedfor Entertaining

www.f loridadesign.com

THE MAGAZINE FOR FINE INTERIOR DESIGN & FURNISHINGS VOLUME 20#4

SUBSCRIBE NOW!

SAVE 50%*

OFF THE COVER PRICE

1 Year $19.99 (4 issues)

2 Years $27.99 (8 issues)BEST BUY - SAVE 50%

1-800-523-3327or for faster service go towww.floridadesign.com

Save 50% off the cover price on a 2-year subscription. OUTSIDE U.S.A. (Canada, all foreign countries) add $29.99 per year. Payable onlyin U.S. funds drawn on a U.S. bank. Payment must accompany all foreign orders. Please allow 6-8 weeks for delivery of your first issue. *For U.S. subscriptions only. Photography by Michael Stavaridis, Fort Lauderdale, FL

MagnificentWaterfront MansionsWorld-class Art Shows

MagnificentWaterfront MansionsWorld-class Art Shows