Inside Jacob Brillhart’s Subtropical Modern Miami River Home

Inspired by a synthesis of the most iconic and minimal of ‘High Modernist’ houses (think of Farnsworth House by Mies van der Rohe and Philip Johnson’s Glass House) and the subtropical vernacular of a hot and humid climate, Miami architect Jacob Brillhart designed and built his dream home in Spring Garden, one of Miami’s oldest neighborhoods. The neighborhood and the house are both tucked in a tiny peninsula poking out into the Miami River.

Having completed the house a year or two ago (for much more on the Brillhart House and its design, check out his portfolio) and settled in with the family, the Brillharts opened it to the public over the weekend for Our House, “unique design and retail initiative,” as the invitation put it, with furniture, art, and design pieces all for sale, accompanied by a lecture and workshops.

Inside the warm-but-restrained, modernist vessel for living was a colorful smorgasbord of design, with just the perfect amount of well-selected clutter to make it feel cozy. Outside again, Jacob had another surprise: a half-built movable wooden vacation home, which he’s building in his back yard. It’s designed to be disassembled into a flat-pack and shipped to Eleuthera, in the Bahamas, where a gorgeous beach-front lot is waiting for it.

Aventura Mall’s New Wing Designed by Carlos Zapata is Going Vertical

Aventura Mall New Wing, designed by Carlos Zapata.

Since news first broke a few years ago of Turnberry Associates‘ plans to undertake yet another massive expansion of Aventura Mall, officially making it the second largest shopping mall in the country, the new wing has been redesigned, and construction has begun to emerge from the ground. The Next Miami has some site photographs, and points out the building has ‘gone vertical’ (meaning construction is now above ground level), typically a more significant milestone for much taller buildings which need deeper foundations to be laid underground first.

The design of the new wing has been completely transformed compared to earlier schematics, which were of a much simpler enclosed mall layout, with skylights and an exterior oriented toward a new garage and various driveways. The new plan, by architect Carlos Zapata, is sleek, steely, and futuristic, with flying cantilevered awnings shooting out at jaunty angles, tons of glass, high ceilings, and a completely outward orientation. Shoppers stroll on bridges spanning a lower shopping area with a driveway artfully cut through. An exterior court ringed with shops and restaurants is the futuristic counterweight to Aventura Mall’s more traditional piazza area. That outdoor space, near Cheesecake Factory and the movie theater, has sunny pink stucco, Spanish tiles everywhere, terra-cotta barrel tiles on the roof, and an aqua blue statue of seahorses holding up some kind of orb.

A press release goes into more detail:

Aventura Mall has launched construction on a major expansion that will include a new three-level, 315,000 square-foot retail wing and multi-level parking garage.

The new wing, which is expected to open in late 2017, will include several destination restaurants, more than three dozen retail stores, a new food court with indoor/outdoor seating and a rooftop garden, and VIP concierge area perfect for private dinners and events.

Designed by renowned architect Carlos Zapata and JPRA Architects, the new wing will be built on the east side of the property, near Macy’s. The structure will blend seamlessly with Aventura Mall’s existing architecture but also provide a completely unique experience for visitors. The contemporary space will blur the lines between inside and outside with an immense glass façade and a skylight that extends the entire length of the concourse. The design will provide an abundance of natural light and panoramic views of the surrounding landscape. Outdoor courtyards will be ideal for dining and people watching, and select pieces from local and international artists such as Wendell Castle and Mark Handforth will spark conversation.

An Early Look Inside Edgewater’s Missoni Baia Tower

Atrium

Russian oligarch Vladislav Doronin, owner of the Aman resort chain, is coming to Miami in a big way just as the real estate market begins to cool down. Having already partnered with Ugo Colombo’s CMC Group on Brickell Flatiron, Doronin’s OKO Group is going solo on his next big Miami project (the first of at least three he has in the pipeline). It’s a luxury Edgewater condo tower called Missoni Baia, branded by the eponymous Italian fashion house (a trend which as the New Times noted, has become kind of a thing in Miami lately). The 146 units will be large, ranging between 2 to 4 bedrooms.

Designed by Asymptote Architecture and Revuelta, Enzo Enea is doing the landscaping and Paris Forino design is doing up the insides, at least some of which, according to the first interior rendering released, is going to be all kinds of white-on-white. Renderings of a pair of pools meanwhile, show them to be located on the west side of the building, long and slender, and lined with trees that will give a rather lovely “hey I’m swimming in an orchard” kind of a feel. Shade is good.

Those won’t be the only pools though. According to Real Deal: “Amenities will include a flow-through deck with cabanas, an Olympic-sized lap pool, hot and cold plunge pools, a children’s pool and tennis courts. Residents will also have access to an infinity-edge pool on the development’s bayfront terrace, a gym, saunas and spa treatment rooms.”

Beach DRB Approves Public Art for New Convention Center

At its May 3rd meeting, the city’s Design Review Board unanimously approved the Miami Beach Art in Public Places committee’s recommendations of six site-specific art installations by six international artists selected out of over five hundred submissions, to grace the renovated Miami Beach Convention Center. Here they are.

The Spanish Navy’s Tall Ship, the Juan Sebastian de Elcano, is in Town

The Juan Sebastian de Elcano. Photos by Lucas Lechuga.

A very historic bit of the Spanish Armada sailed into the Port of Miami yesterday, making its birth at the FEC slip in Museum Park. The Juan Sebastian de Elcano, an elegant four-masted training tall ship of the Spanish Navy, is on a four month voyage across the Atlantic to the United States, the Caribbean, and South America. Having just arrived from Havana she (does one still use the female pronoun when referring to a ship named after a man?) will be in Miami until Sunday for free tours, and as a cultural exchange between Spain and the six ports-of-call on her American tour, at least a few of which coincidentally are former Spanish colonies. Built in 1927 the ship is named after the man who completed Ferdinand Magellan’s around-the-world expedition after explorer’s death with the last remaining of Magellan’s five ships, the Victoria. She also, incredibly, has the distinction of having sailed farther than any other sailboat in the world today, approximately 2.3 million nautical miles.

The Design District’s ‘Living Room’ is Listed With Acre of Land for $37.5 Million

‘The Living Room.’ Photo by Phillip Pessar.

This may look like a post-apocalyptic shell of something in the Design District, but it’s actually an iconic but very mucked up sculpture known as ‘The Living Room’ created by artist duo Roberto Behar and Rosario Marquardt. Doubling as the entrance to a furniture showroom, ‘The Living Room’ was oversized and adorable, with tangerine orange floral wallpaper, a drapey curtain, a bright lipstick red couch, and even a window that when looked at it in the right way played a clever trick of scale and perspective. The showroom has long gone, but the sculpture itself is still there, under layers of spray paint, signage, and dirt. Although The Living Room has been on the market for a while, it is now being offered by Metro One Properties as part of an assemblage of lots that make up over an acre of land for $37.5 million.

‘The Living Room’ by Roberto Behar and Rosario Marquardt. Photo v ia R & R Studios.

Rockne Kreb’s Miami Line Light Sculpture is Partially Re-lit

Miami Line Lighting Phase I. Photo by Lucas Lechuga.

The Miami Line, a rainbow neon strip running along the Metrorail’s Miami River bridge which was for years an iconic part of the Miami nighttime skyline, has been partially re-lit in LED lights, after going dark a few years ago. Light artist Rockne Krebs created it when the Metrorail first opened in 1984, and it proved so popular that over the years The Miami Line has appeared in everything from Miami Vice to postcards of Miami, says the Miami New Times, which recently explored the history of the piece. Due to the delicacy of the neon tube medium, and the frequency and difficulty of repairs the pieced needed over the years, in 2013 the county’s Art in Public Places program said they would convert it to much more durable LED. Although completion was slated by 2014, it didn’t happen until 2016, and about 1,390 feet of the sculpture remains in the dark. According to Troy Taylor, VP of the Riverfront Master Association, the rest is hopefully coming in two future phases that have yet to be budgeted. As of now, however, the line goes halfway across the Miami River, then basically stops.

Midtown Construction Update: Walmart’s a’ Comin’

Hyde Midtown. All photos by Lucas Lechuga.

Construction at Midtown Miami is heating up, with one tower already topped off, another looking close, and a third well off the ground. Midtown 36, a residential tower with a considerable amount of ground floor retail and gallery space has topped off, while Midtown 5, which is planned to be a rental apartment tower (and thus not much info has been released) looks like it’s nearing or at top off. Finally, fresh off of having sold the hotel portion of Hyde Midtown, construction is zipping along. We thought we saw a recent announcement about the sales center closing in 90 days, but a search came up empty, so that may or may not be happening. Oh well. And then of course there’s the Midtown Walmart, a source of so much drama. Having broken ground back in January, after five months it’s still not looking like much.

Maison & Objet Does Miami, Again: Inside the French Interior Design Fair

Martone Bicycles on display at Maison & Objet.

Maison & Objet, the preeminent French interior design, decor, decoration, and architectural fair is back in Miami for the second annual incarnation of Maison & Objet Americas, its American edition based in Miami. This time around, the fair has begun to settle in to its permanent American home and grow, taking up double the hall space in the Miami Beach Convention Center, sustaining more satellite exhibitions, events, and parties, and and letting embracing Miami and Miami Beach more than ever. (Last year I explored the fair for Curbed Miami) The fair began today and runs through Friday, with the center of activity being the convention center, but plenty to see in the Design District, Wynwood, and around South Beach. But before all that, here’s a first look at some of the design and decor inside the main show.