Hidden within the lush, historic canopy of Coconut Grove, this residence underwent a complete inside-out transformation. Having remained untouched for nearly thirty years, the property required an extensive structural update to match the dynamic lifestyle of its owners: a creative, highly intellectual couple with a profound passion for global travel, literature, the arts, and indigenous culture. The mandate for this comprehensive home remodeling project was beautifully complex: design an environment where every single space offers its own distinct, immersive personality and experience, while ensuring the home feels effortlessly streamlined, connected, and balanced from the inside out.
Our studio began orchestrating every detail from major updates to the final turnkey styling details. On the exterior, the property was completely revitalized—including roof tile updates, repointing and paint, exterior lighting, and lush native landscaping that embraces a refurbished pool and a large format tiled terrace. Indoors, we designed the new interior layout by removing partition walls raising ceiling soffits, and fully reconfigured the spatial layouts. The result completely delivered a deeply comforting, highly personalized and immersive experience built entirely around the art of living well.
Luxury Coconut Grove Complete Home Remodel
An intimate lounge grouping features contemporary Italian-modern inspired curved seating from Restoration Hardware, perfectly positioned to look out onto the private terrace framed by vibrant bird of paradise plants. On the sleek coffee table, a hand-blown Murano glass vase adds a delicate note of sculptural artistry to this moody, texturally rich environment.
An Atmospheric Parlor Library Enveloped in Deep Teal
What once sat as a traditional, closed-off living room was completely reimagined into an open, moody parlor library designed for rich conversation and quiet retreat. The entire vaulted canopy was painted in a matching deep teal to create a dramatic, unified color experience with the luxurious deep teal abaca wallcovering.
To enrich this interior design concept and create an immediate sense of discovery, a matching teal custom, floor-to-ceiling, wrap-around library with fluted molding envelops the room, setting a deeply atmospheric tone. We updated and condemned the original wood-burning fireplace to build a contemporary, clean-lined electric fireplace wall cladded entirely in rare Violet Marquina marble. The space is furnished with contemporary, Italian-modern inspired curved sofas and barrel swivel chairs from Restoration Hardware, all grounded by large-format sandstone textured tile flooring that elegantly lightens the visual field while anchoring this highly sophisticated lounge environment.
A magnificent 5x8 jewel-crusted peacock artwork from a New York City artist anchors the dining room, framed beautifully by newly opened sight-lines that stretch all the way from the kitchen to celebrate a striking Jonathan Adler lucite and brass dining set.
Seamlessly connected to the parlor library, the dining room was entirely conceived around a spectacular, jewel-crusted 5x8 peacock canvas. As the couple's most prized personal artwork—sourced from a celebrated artist in New York City—this vibrant masterpiece set the definitive creative tone for the entire main floor.
As a pivotal part of this extensive home remodeling project, we designed the floor plan with a wide entry from the foyer to the the dining room. This established a stunning new sightline to allow the magnificent peacock artwork to be appreciated from the kitchen. The dramatic, rich teal abaca backdrop frames a striking Jonathan Adler lucite and brass dining table paired with teal velvet dining chairs, introducing a deliberate note of structural whimsy that beautifully anchors this memorable entertainment space.
Art-Inspired Dining Room Design
A bold, botanical wallcovering from British design house Graham & Brown pairs with a boho carved-wood vanity in navy. The layout is anchored by a modern iron-rimmed mirror, a crystal faceted beaded vanity light, and a deep navy crochet rug that completes this bohemian, jewel-box conversational powder room.
A Botanical Sanctuary of Outsized Character
Tucked discreetly right off the foyer and sitting adjacent to the vibrant peacock dining room, the powder room was developed as a tropical retreat within the home. Designed to celebrate the clients' passion for global travel and indigenous cultures, the space leans into an immersive, high-luxury jungle aesthetic that remains effortlessly sophisticated. In this bathroom design concept, we wrapped the walls in an evocative botanical wallcovering from celebrated British design house Graham & Brown, introducing a bold pattern and rich contrast that completely transforms the compact footprint.
The powder room features a custom carved-wood vanity finished in a deep navy, beautifully accented by warm metallic fixtures and grounded by a dark navy crochet area rug. The space is anchored by a modern iron-rimmed mirror sitting beneath a crystal faceted beaded vanity light. Rather than disappearing into the background, this bohemian-inspired powder room uses outsized character and artistry to play perfectly off the neighboring dining room, offering guests an unexpected design experience.
A sleek, antimicrobial Porcelanosa Krion waterfall island anchors the space, illuminated by French Quarter-inspired pendants and a metallic gold faceted hexagon backsplash that perfectly complements the custom-integrated Thermador and Sub-Zero cabinetry wall.
Sleek Culinary Cadence and Custom Built-In Function
To support the clients' passion for conversation and entertaining, the kitchen was fully updated to anchor the open living areas with a cleaner, sleeker presence and unparalleled day-to-day utility. Through a highly technical kitchen design process, we completely modified the footprint to integrate a premium, seamless custom cabinetry wall housing a Sub-Zero refrigerator, a multi-level swing-out pantry, a steam oven, and a convection oven.
The structural centerpiece is an oversized 4x8 waterfall island fabricated from Porcelanosa’s Krion—a cutting-edge, solid-surface molded acrylic that is completely antimicrobial, ultra-durable, and sleek. Hanging above the island, French Quarter-inspired steel and dark brass pendants cast a warm glow that interacts beautifully with a metallic-encrusted gold faceted hexagonal tile backsplash, playfully echoing the jeweled peacock art visible in the next room. Along the ceiling, custom-lit gallery upper glass front display boxes were built specifically to showcase the couple’s beloved travel collections, balancing elite culinary performance with deeply personal sentimentality.
Postmodern Lounging Meets Artful Expression
Moving fluidly from the culinary hub, the family great room balances relaxed lounging with a gallery-like presentation of the clients' global treasures. The ultimate focal point of the space is an eleven-foot-wide custom millwork media cabinet meticulously crafted from black onyx-stained ashwood. We deliberately played with the directional orientation of the wood grain across the custom sliding doors; when opened, they reveal a large television, and when closed, they slide back to expose metallic gold-lined gallery boxes outfitted with mirrored backings and integrated glass shelving.
Backed by extensive custom cabinetry base units, this structural masterpiece provides immense storage while serving as an editorial backdrop. The room's conversational grouping introduces a striking, postmodern navy velvet lounger and a reclining leather sectional from Natuzzi, centered by a clear lucite coffee table and grounded by a bold zebra-print area rug. Large-format, highly artistic canvases casually lean against the walls, creating an effortlessly sophisticated environment that feels polished, deeply comfortable, and distinctly reflective of the owners' creative spirit.
An eleven-foot custom media wall in onyx-stained ashwood features directional-grain sliding doors that elegantly conceal the screen, opening up to a sophisticated surrounding gallery boxes that creates dialog with a navy velvet postmodern lounger and sectional from Natuzzi with a clean lucite coffee table at the center.
An Immersive Garden Retreat
Conceived as an intimate, ethereal counterpoint to the vibrant entertaining zones of the home, the primary bedroom was designed to fulfill the client’s desire for a deeply romantic fantasy retreat. The room’s perimeter is enwrapped in a breathtaking, custom hand-painted mural of a historic garden terrace, where a soft stone Renaissance wall motif winds seamlessly around the space to completely dissolve the boundaries of the room. Double French doors open out onto a private balcony, inviting natural light to dance across a thick, plush blue-gray rug that cushions every step.
To enhance the dreamlike, soft ambiance, we curated furnishings with graceful, fluid lines. A curved, Art Deco-inspired sleigh bed and matching oval nightstands from Caracole add an elegant structural silhouette, perfectly flanked by the warm, ethereal glow of dome alabaster lamps from Currey & Company. The sleeping oasis is layered in pale robin’s egg blue linen bedding from Frette, finished with a tailored pin-pleated border. Crowned by a magnificent stepped tray ceiling that enhances the vertical volume of the space, this romantic sanctuary strikes a flawless harmony between classic storytelling and luxurious, serene relaxation.
Artisan Ironwork and Soaring Spatial Heights
Serving as the definitive first impression of the residence, the foyer was completely reconfigured to establish a commanding sense of arrival and fluid, open sightlines. Originally, an old-fashioned half-wall and standard wood handrail completely enclosed the foyer, shrinking the entryway. We blew out that barrier entirely, a structural shift that immediately reveals the true, soaring vertical scale of the home.
We collaborated with master blacksmith artisans to restructure the entire footprint, introducing a hand-forged iron balustrade paired with a handrail beautifully hand-carved in an elegant scroll pattern. By intentionally omitting a structural stringer underneath the ironwork, we left the staircase's dynamic zigzag profile fully exposed—a deliberate design choice that echoes the primitive, aboriginal design motifs found throughout the home.
The entry's custom curation acts as a direct prologue to the clients' beloved collection of global art. From the base of the steps, a turn down the hallway to the left guides you seamlessly into the moody teal parlor library and peacock dining room, while the path to the right leads directly into the sleek kitchen hub. We anchored the space with a stunning hexagonal wood-paneled door sideboard, a primitive geometric-patterned rug, and the client's prized aboriginal yarn artwork sourced from Peru. Illuminated by a magnificent, hand-forged iron candlestick chandelier from Circa Lighting, this open foyer sets a deeply artistic, sophisticated tone for the entire residence.
A Restored Outdoor Oasis
To match the high-design interior transformation, the home's exterior underwent a complete structural and cosmetic restoration. We meticulously repaired the structural envelope, filling cracks, repointing the walls, and updating the roof tiles. The entire outdoor living footprint was reimagined, replacing the original patio with large-profile porcelain tile flooring from Porcelanosa and restructuring the transition steps.
The pool interior was meticulously Diamond Brite resurfaced and framed by a fully updated pool deck. To ensure ultimate seclusion, a new privacy fence anchors a comprehensive landscape design featuring curated native plantings and fruit trees. This comprehensive outdoor overhaul effortlessly bridges the home's historic Coconut Grove shell with a sleek, private paradise.
A Thirty-Year Rebirth
Before & After
Prior to its comprehensive inside-out transformation, this historic Coconut Grove residence had endured over three decades without a single cosmetic or structural update. The original interior was defined by heavily enclosed partitions, dated drop ceilings, and a dark, fragmented floor plan overcrowded with heavy antique furnishings.
By completely rethinking the home's spatial flow, we stripped away decades of stagnation to introduce a bright, high-concept interior design characterized by sleek lines paired with rich decorative materials, unique details, and deeply romantic, conversational environments. This side-by-side journey captures the profound evolution from a closed-off, weathered property into a vibrant, sophisticated sanctuary tailored for modern daily living.
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