Miami Beach Penthouse is a Design Master Class

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A desire for a “commanding sense of arrival” drove the design aesthetic for Tarek and Lina Hammoud’s roomy penthouse at The Ritz-Carlton Residences development in Miami Beach. Sprawling 6,000 square feet indoors and boasting nearly 8,000 square feet of outdoor living space, the impeccably curated residence supersedes delivering a lasting impression. The bespoke design created by Jay Britto and David Charette, founders of the award-winning Britto Charette studio in Miami, pays homage to Piero Lissoni’s architectural vision for the building while masterfully expressing the personalities of the homeowners and harnessing the commanding views.

When the dwelling was nothing more than raw concrete without ceilings or walls, the design team met with the Hammouds and walked the site together to come up with a custom layout. “In creating their design, we studied the views and the sun’s path throughout,” recalls Charette. “For our team, generating a sense of arrival is essential.” 

Panoramic views of South Beach greet visitors upon exiting the private elevator. Beyond the foyer, two massive works by photographer Mario Testino dominate the great room with their expressive subject matter. Intentional public and private zones delineate an expansive floor plan. The seating area leading to the primary bedroom suite, along with closets, bathroom, and bedroom, all point east to capture sunrise views, creating a sense of privacy and separation from the main living spaces. The south-facing public zones enjoy views of a stepped terrace with precise landscaping and a pool patio. The kitchen sits adjacent to the family room, a semi-private west-facing area separated from the open entertainment spaces. Its strategic positioning prevents cooking aromas from intruding on the rest of the home.

“The columns and the exterior building envelope set the rhythm for the interior design,” notes Charette. “We used the framework of the existing columns and structure to create the proportions and then built a clay model to verify those proportions before going into the final photorealistic phase. When you apply these rules—light, views, axes, geometry—the space designs itself.”

The home’s soaring ceiling height enabled the Britto Charette team to capitalize on lighting and ceiling design options. A linear light system in the public areas prompted them to fashion a furniture arrangement that creates a crescendo within the language of the space. “Ceiling design is one of our team’s signature solutions,” says Britto, “and we are proud the unique styles we devise are now being copied by many of our industry colleagues. In this case, the extraordinarily high ceilings allowed us to create knife-edge details and hide mechanicals.”

The family room’s dome ceiling was inspired by a trip Charette took to Palm Springs. Fabricated with glass fiber reinforced concrete, the design deliberately shifts off-center and comprises multiple rings to produce visual tension. “Rules of symmetry create a static outcome,” adds Charette. “It was my goal to subtly break symmetry so it creates a tweak that you may not notice right away, yet adds architectural interest.”

Nodding to Britto Charette’s signature portfolio, the clients aspired to a similar clean and sophisticated aesthetic for their residence. “The palette was chosen based on their preference for a refined and serene living environment,” notes Britto. “We also wanted to ensure the color scheme would complement—and not compete with—the views, art, furniture, and accessories.”

The primary bedroom suite posed a unique challenge for the team when they found plumbing connections within their planned placement for the bed and headboard. “Removing those would have involved opening ceilings in other units and incurring additional costs for our clients,” says Yulian Monroy, project manager at Britto Charette. “So, after some brainstorming, we came up with the solution of adding a decorative platform below the bed that allowed us to hide the existing conditions but also enabled us to raise the bed and gain better panoramic water views.”

The winning touch? A sinuous plaster headboard designed by Britto Charette and handcrafted by Art Space NYC. When they first walked the space with their clients, Charette instinctively knew it could accommodate a monumental design element, so he envisioned a sculptural headboard inspired by Hellenistic marble sculptures emulating wet fabric in the wind on feminine forms. The headboard also creates an acoustic separation, buffering any plumbing and mechanical noise from the vertical stack.

“We’re often thrown curveballs, so we find ways to transform those challenges into custom design elements,” notes Charette. “The clients realized the value a well-executed interior design could bring to their enjoyment of the property. Hence, our favorite aspect was delivering the finished design and seeing them enjoy it.”

Story Credits:

Interior Design by David Charette & Jay Britto, Britto Charette, Miami, FL

Project Manager Yulian Monroy, Britto Charette, Miami, FL

Industrial Designer Susel Aleman, Britto Charette, Miami, FL

Text by Jeanne Delathouder

Photography by Mike Schwartz, Redondo Beach, CA

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