Continuum Condo is a Bespoke Beauty

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Talk about a dream project. When a couple from New York approached Mirtha Arriaran and told her they had combined multiple, ocean-facing units in Miami Beach’s Continuum building into one residence and would spend whatever it took to make it truly spectacular, she knew she was in designer heaven.

Every item, including an array of phenomenal art, was purchased specifically for the now 6,000-square-foot condominium with three bedrooms and five bathrooms. “Every detail is very unique,” says Arriaran. The owners only imparted one simple request: “‘Keep the view clean so we can see the whole ocean.’”

Starting from the moment the elevator doors open, the lofty space, which is primarily clad in large-format Italian Mosa White marble tile, reveals itself seductively. The design team outfitted the welcoming landing primarily with metal, glass and wood, all in various shades of brown. A bronze mirrored wall bathes the space in warm light, and a stately iron console (which required the efforts of 10 men to install) serves as a primary focal point. Next, curved walls lead guests down a hallway, where sculptures by conceptual artist Tom Friedman and Spanish surrealist master Joan Miró bookend a majestic oceanic panorama. Though some designers might have found the building’s angled windows challenging, Arriaran embraced the architectural feature: “I like it. It gives shape.” To further enhance the silhouette, she anchored the room with a curvy white Vladimir Kagan sofa and a Minotti area rug featuring a swirling pattern. An emerald-green velvet sofa adds a punch of color.

A dining room for eight shares the same breathtaking view in the open-concept space. Footsteps away, and wrapped in the same red gum wood veneer found on the living room’s cylindrical support column, is a bar backed in Ocean Green onyx and more upholstered seating. Italkraft fabricated and installed the bar, along with the millwork throughout, and constructed a kitchen primarily clad in sycamore with a glamorous vibe all its own. Both casual and formal meals can be enjoyed here, around the circular table by Anima Domus paired with chairs from Artefacto, or at the bar atop Kelly bar stools by Boca do Lobo. Similar to nearly all the light fixtures throughout, the bisected Synapse in the kitchen came from Apparatus, while Arriaran incorporated LED lighting accents as a supplement throughout the home, hiding strips in the family room shelving, along the glass-front kitchen cabinets, and behind the edges of the mirror in the powder room.

In the primary bedroom, where Arriaran enlisted Ornare to create a fabulous closet for her clients, the mood is more subdued, and a switch to white oak flooring signals the change. The designer kept the room largely minimalistic, with the exception of one dazzling feature: “We did a cove with LED lighting and Armani gold leaf wallpaper on the ceiling,” she explains. In the primary bathroom, LED lights illuminate the inset ceiling and the steps leading to the bathtub. Projects of this magnitude are quintessential for Arriaran, who established her studio in Miami some 25 years ago.

As for the Long Island couple lucky enough to call this condo home? It appears they were so awed by what Arriaran accomplished that they were left wanting more. “He also moved his office from New York to Miami,” reveals the designer. “And I did that project, too.”

Story Credits: 

Interior Design Mirtha Arriaran, MAS Interior Design, Miami, FL

Text by Riki Altman-Yee

Photography by Craig Denis, Miami, FL

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