Architecture – The BIG BUBBLE Miami

Artefacto Has Begun Construction on a Gigantic New U.S. Flagship Store in Coral Gables

The luxury Brazilian furnishings brand Artefacto, which has long had a big presence in Miami (its owner lives here), had a mini groundbreaking ceremony early this month on its new US flagship store in Coral Gables.

Innovative Midcentury Mod Miami Shores House is on the Market for $900K

Check out this fabulous, early midcentury modern house designed as the personal residence of Jerome Schilling, an associate to one of Miami’s most interesting and innovative tropical modernist architects, Igor Polevitzky. (Yes, Miami had innovative architecture long before Zaha Hadid’s “Scorpion Tower!”)

by Sean McCaughan

Third Annual Kip’s Bay Decorator Show House Opens in Palm Beach

I recently toured the Kip’s Bay Decorator Show House Palm Beach for Architectural Digest. Here’s my take on this fantastical subtropical oasis.

by Sean McCaughan

Star Island’s $40 Million Yacht Club Mansion is Still on the Market After Three Years

There could be something funky about the house. Certainly the combination of original Med Revival architectural details, and modern-day alterations that don’t quite seamlessly duplicate the quality of the house, might make it look a little off. But this massive $40 million house has stuck on the market for three years more likely because, well, it’s a sluggish market.

by Sean McCaughan

Iconic Miami Architect Kenneth Treister’s Home is For Sale, Although it’s Changed a Bit

Kenneth Treister, one of Miami’s most iconic architects, helped define the subtropical modernist postwar look of many of Miami’s more jungly neighborhoods around Miami. The interior of the Golden Girls set, for example, is reminiscent of a design by Treister or his compatriot Alfred Browning Parker. The living room practically screamed “Kenneth Treister!”

by Sean McCaughan

Midcentury Morningside Ranch Restored by Architect Rene Gonzalez is $998K

This ranch-style house, built in 1949, was extensively restored and renovated by Rene Gonzalez, one of Miami’s most acclaimed architects, first as his personal home and then his architecture office. The house has spectacular details, like the ceiling lights above the entryway, and restored original walnut cabinets rescued from the legendary Palm Bay Club.

by Sean McCaughan

Rather Grand Alfred Browning Parker-Designed House in Miami’s Southern ‘Burbs is Listed for $4 Million

Designed by Alfred Browning Parker, a subtropical modern architect who created some of the most interesting and creative buildings designed around the South Floridian climate, this house in Ponce-Davis has been extensively restored. Having just hit the market a few weeks ago, it’s listed for $3.997 million.

by Sean McCaughan

Frank Lloyd Wright Thought Miami’s Architecture Was “Horrible.”

Frank Lloyd Wright, probably the most important American architect ever, did not like Miami. He visited in 1955 and thought the natural environment was beautiful, but he was not afraid to share is opinions about the buildings that occupied it.

by Sean McCaughan

What Do You Think of the Bright Orange Walls in this $28M Miami Beach Mansion?

Built in 2016, this big contemporary mansion mixes the Miami Beach aesthetic with some architectural variety, including bright neon orange accent walls sprinkled throughout. Although the house might look like a race car that’s about to take a dip in the bay, the interior designer should get a lot of credit for working with what they had and actually making the interiors pretty gorgeous.

by Sean McCaughan

116 Year Old Bungalow on the Upper East Side Lists for $850,000

Built circa 1903, this house in Miami’s Upper East Side is a whopping 116 years old. By Miami standards, that’s practically ancient. It’s located in the vicinity of Lemon City, one of South Florida’s settlements, which predates the founding of Miami itself. The brokerbabble also claims the house is on “Miami’s oldest intact turn-of-the-century street,” which is rather debatable.