Hacienda Redux in Coconut Grove

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“The house was built in the 1970s but looks like it could be 100 years old,” says architect David Schwade of a hacienda-style home in Coconut Grove. His design directive? To transform it into a modern retreat for a young family who welcomed two children during its reinvention. The existing structure, which began at approximately 3,000 square feet, has now doubled in size with a second story, a new pool, and extensive areas of respite. Every inch has been updated while maintaining the character, reimagining the layout within the existing envelope, and providing room for both daily life and social gatherings.

“When you walk into the home now, you are entering a cohesive space,” says Schwade. “And it feels authentic, which was very important to us.”

The property, which rests on a 22,000-square-foot lot, is set amid “white-box homes” and other Mediterranean-inspired residences. For the architect and his team, the goal was to deliver a timeless dwelling that would stand out for the right reasons. The result is what Schwade calls a “classic modern edit,” both perfectly set in place and forward-thinking.

The gut renovation began by enclosing the home’s central courtyard, now a light-filled glass atrium that serves as the main living area with expansive beams and 14-foot ceilings. Arched openings, brick flooring, and warm walls maintain its Spanish-feeling roots, while a retractable louver system introduces a new layer of flexibility. The family can open the space for easy indoor-outdoor living or close it off during unpredictable weather. Natural light shifts throughout the day, filtering through the surrounding canopy to create a play of shadows and reflections that changes with the hours, are one of Schwade’s favorite aspects of the design. “It adds a really nice movement,” he says. The once-choppy floor plan was reenvisioned, too. “We wanted spaces that were taller and grander,” he says.

West Palm Beach interior designer Amy Herman, who has worked with the family for years, and Elias Elias, a design firm based in Aventura, also had roles in the project by helping to select all finishes, from lighting and millwork to stone, flooring, and hardware, as well as the furniture.

As far as palette and textures go, the colors chosen balance the home’s architectural weight with softness, while reclaimed brick, concrete, terrazzo, midtone wood, and patinated metals create an organic flow through all the rooms. All this nods to the original hacienda style of the house but with a more contemporary twist that creates the ideal backdrop for the homeowners’ art collection.

The five-bedroom, seven-bathroom home also features covered outdoor spaces, a gym, sauna, an outdoor deck for yoga, a wine cellar, and a playroom, with the entertaining-geared spaces all on one level.

Outside, there are meandering tropical plantings and pathways linking each space. The preserved tree canopy shades the home, while branches reach toward parts of the second-story addition.

“We wanted the house to look like it had always been on that site,” says Schwade. “Now, it feels like it truly belongs.”

Story Credits:

Architecture and Interior Design David Schwade, ANDStudio, Architecture + Design, Miami, FL

Text by Lauren Jones

Photography by Gabriel Volpi, Miami, FL

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