Monad Terrace Condo is a Stylish Next Chapter

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When the youngest of Natalie and Will Stute’s four sons left for college, the couple agreed to shake up their lives as well. They talked about retiring, but neither was ready, so they decided on a change of scenery instead. They sold their six-bedroom house in the Kalorama neighborhood of Washington, D.C.—along with all of its furnishings and art—and purchased a condo in Monad Terrace in Miami Beach, a two-tower development designed by Pritzker Architecture Prize winner Jean Nouvel.

“We’ve been vacationing in Miami for about 15 years and love the weather, the sun, and the beach,” says Natalie. “Our boys joke that someday they’ll buy our old house in D.C., but honestly, when they visit, they love it here. There’s so much to do.”

The couple acquired their three-bedroom, four-bathroom unit right as the building was completed in late 2021, and while they didn’t want to alter the sleek Nouvel-designed kitchen and bathrooms in any way, they did want to change and furnish the other rooms to suit their needs. Through friends, the Stutes found interior designer Luciana Bueno. Founder and head designer of her eponymous studio in Miami Shores, Bueno quickly understood what the couple wanted: a style that was completely different from their previous house, yet still warm and inviting.

“The building is amazing, with 180-degree views of the water,” says Bueno. “Our job was to elevate the space with sophistication and design statements.”

Said approach is evident in the vast, 1,000-square-foot terrace, where Will can be found working on most days. Here, Bueno wanted to give the couple a space to entertain friends and family with early evening cocktails and alfresco meals. “When you look out to the water, you see blues, greens, and teals, so we used those same colors for the terrace furnishings,” she says. “From this spot, I’ve witnessed some of the most beautiful sunsets I’ve ever seen in Miami.”

Inside, Bueno chose sleek, low-to-the-ground modern sofas and a three-piece coffee table that reflect the building’s architecture and also preserve the views of Biscayne Bay and downtown Miami. As a counterpoint to the linear furniture in the main living area, the designer layered in playful moments like a powdery blue Roche Bobois Bubble chair paired with a sculptural standing lamp by Atelier Oï that gently expands and contracts (as if breathing) when turned on. “I would have never thought of choosing something like that light,” says Natalie. “And that’s exactly why we hired Luciana; she knows things we don’t.”

To complement the unit’s innate style, the design team incorporated a few other flourishes like wallpapering a powder room’s ceiling to soften the marble walls and floor. The primary bedroom and entryway also got textural Moooi wallcoverings that add dimension to those spaces while keeping the wall palette neutral.

In the primary bedroom, Will requested an Eames lounge chair and ottoman for reading. “I told him that there are so many beautiful armchairs in the world, did he really want an Eames?” Bueno recounts. “I gave him other options, but he was really adamant.” They compromised: Will got his comfortable Eames, but Bueno eschewed the expected leather upholstery for a black-and-white check pattern. Beneath it, a flower-themed area rug by Nanimarquina serves as underfoot abstract art.

Bueno often tags her work on social media with #NoBoringDesign, and for Will and Natalie, the hashtag came to life in this condo where their view, lifestyle, and surroundings are anything but dull.

Story Credits:

Interior Design by Luciana Bueno, LBID, Miami Shores, FL

Text by Laura Hine

Photography by Denilson Machado, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

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