Contemporary Miami Home is an Architectural Marvel

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Global pandemics have a funny way of altering plans. When a Brazilian businessman purchased a 7,500-square-foot house on a sweeping corner of San Marco Island in Miami Beach, he was thinking of the property solely as a solid investment—a minimalistic, two-story, six-bedroom residence that would surely sell fast in Miami’s hot real estate market. But as Covid-19 began to change life as we know it, he suddenly reconsidered and began to think of the house as home. Not that he was compromising by any means. The jet-setting client had tapped Luciana Fragali from Design Solutions to spearhead the interior design, and when he saw her 3D renderings and heard her vivid descriptions of what she had planned, he decided Miami Beach would be a fine place to set roots in.  

Who can blame him? Fragali had pulled out all the stops—just as the property demanded. “With open views of Biscayne Bay and Key Biscayne, this location took my breath away,” says the designer. “I’ve done a lot of homes and I’ve never seen a vista like this.” 

Emboldened by those views, Fragali set out to compose a masterpiece, and her client insisted it’d be priceless. He demanded pool tiles from Bali, a master bathtub with room for four, enough space to dock more than one yacht, a variety of open areas, abundant natural light, plenty of wall space to display his art collection and, first and foremost, a fuss-free layout made for entertaining. 

“This house was built for a gentleman who loves Miami, and wants to bring the outdoors in; a contemporary home that’s inviting, where friends and family can feel free and relaxed,” says Fragali, who bulletproofed every piece of furniture with CleanNew shielding to ensure no celebration mishap would ruin the furnishings. “He’s known for his soirees, and he warned me many times, ‘I’m going to have many parties here,’” says Fragali. “In the past there’s been 400 people in the house at one time, from models to royalty. He also docks his yachts here, works out every day, rides his bikes, and lives life to the fullest.”

For a home that obviously serves as a bachelor pad, this residence bears none of the cliché trappings that term implies. Fragali opened walls to maximize light, created new entrances, enlarged the living area, installed an outdoor pool bath, covered 11-foot-high walls in book-matched oak for warmth, and hid lighting, sound systems, and air vents to elevate aesthetic beauty. In terms of ornamentation, everything in the Balinese-inspired house was painstakingly sourced, curated or crafted for its rarity and richness. Upon entering the residence, one is greeted by two Moooi Meshmatics chandeliers made from layers of delicate galvanized steel mesh netting (the brand makes only two of these a year). Light glows on the surrounding wood panels, one of which hides a door that reveals a Sicilian volcanic rock powder room (the only one in the world, as Fragali happily notes). Hidden doors are also prevalent in the kitchen where custom walnut cabinets hide virtually every appliance. In the home theater, a 13-foot Armani Grigio undulating marble wall is more captivating than anything playing on screen. In the second-floor living room, the owner’s gregarious nature is further revealed by a permanent DJ table grouped next to Ricardo Fasanello Esfera lounge chairs and a violet Ligne Roset daybed, the ideal perch for weary dancers to alight. And down the hall, the home’s pièce de résistance may very well be the master bathroom’s 59-inch-square marble-framed bathtub that overlooks a light-filled sunroom and Biscayne Bay. Throughout the entire residence, enormous white travertine slabs clack underfoot. 

Outside, the idea of entertaining is solidified with a MiaCucina kitchen that cleverly hides its grill, refrigerator, ice marker, and storage beneath Pietra Grey porcelain. Finished in June 2021, the custom home took exactly two years to complete. During Covid’s migration frenzy, when thousands of New Yorkers and Westerners decamped to Miami to escape taxes and disease, people motored by on boats and shouted offers, although the house was never put up for sale. At the very best, they received a party invitation. 

Story Credits:

Interior Design by Luciana Fragali, Design Solutions, Miami, FL  

Architecture by Matias Alem, BRG studio, Miami Beach, FL 

Text by Michelle Payer

Photography by Mayra Roubach, Key Biscayne, FL and Gabriel Volpi, Miami, FL

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