An Art Collector’s Home
The driving concept for the design of the space was for the view and the art collection to be the main focus, enveloped by a minimalistic interior backdrop. The interiors exude a serene ambiance with a minimalist yet warm style that allowed the artworks to be the main characters of the space.
What was the main challenge?
The initial main challenge of the project was to create a floor plan that would seamlessly join two adjacent apartments. We decided that the large apartment, with a square footage of 2200, would be the public or entertaining areas, such as the living, dining, kitchen, and family room, along with the guests' quarters. The adjacent smaller unit will house the Main Bedroom Suite and a home office library that can be easily converted into a guest bedroom. Also, it was essential for the view of the apartment to be directed towards the view of Biscayne Bay; opening up the floor space allowed the apartment to have a panoramic view of the city of Miami.
What was the brief?
The clients are extremely passionate about contemporary art. Besides amassing an essential collection of established contemporary artists, they always look for new rising artists to support as patrons and add to their collections. The plan's main focus was to highlight the fantastic panoramic view of Biscayne Bay, followed by the selected pieces of art that bring the space to life. The client's brief asked for the furniture and decorative items to be quiet and monochromatic to not distract from the art throughout the area. The main focal point of the space was going to be the view and the art. As a concept, we established that the design of the space would be composed of subtle architectural details in warm monochromatic tones of natural oak, warm whites, and grays, along with pale shades of cream and taupe with hints of champagne and black metal details. The overall concept was to create a timeless design composed of a quiet, casual elegance allowing for the view and the art in the space to be the showstoppers.
Key products used:
For the most part, the furniture of simple rectilinear lines was selected for the apartment, informed by the rectilinear language of the floor plan and design. The living room comprises two matching Reid Sofas from Design Within Reach in a warm white fabric paired with a Rua Ipanema Lounge Chair from Avenue Road in a mid-tone gray boucle and a natural walnut base. The entire space is anchored by a flat weave silk area rug in a grayish off-white shade from Woven. As the renovation was taking place and since the entire floorplan was reconfigured and an entirely new space plan was introduced, we knew that we would encounter a water stack right in the middle of a space since we had eliminated a bathroom previously located there.
The original as-built plans were not showing the site conditions accurately, so we went in with a blind eye about the water stack condition; after the demolition, we discovered we had to create some sort of partition 4 feet wide to hide the uncovered "H" shape water stack. After a few iterations, we used the new floating wall as an advantage. Instead of becoming a regular floating wall, turning into a sculptural element to enhance the space, we decided to clad in mirror-polished stainless steel. Inspired by Mies Van Der Rohe's use of chrome plating the columns of the Barcelona Pavilion, we intended to encase the building water stack in a material that would reflect everything around it and disappear within the space, but at the same time, becoming a statement by itself. To offset the ultra-slick material, a pair of vintage midcentury woven wooden Charlotte Perriand footstools are placed in front of the stainless steel wall.
The kitchen was designed in collaboration with Interius using the Ernestomeda line; the cabinetry is a matte Champagne Metal Lacquer finish, and the color was selected to compliment the off-white walls and ceiling without overpowering the space. Throughout the day, the Champagne hue changes tonality as the natural light's intensity changes. For the countertop and backsplash, we selected a crystal-like quartzite named Lumix, containing hints of golden tones complimenting the color of the cabinets.
Team:
Architect: Studio RODA
Photography: kris tamburello
