Published in Miami Home & Decor 2017 Spring/Summer Edition
Architect Kurt Dannwolf and Director of Interiors, Lachmee Chin, are all too familiar with the Four Seasons Hotel and Residences in Miami, Fla. Not only is it luxurious and amenity rich, but it is also one of the tallest buildings in the state of Florida. Dannwolf, the lead architect on the 70-story skyscraper, and Chin, had worked together with the developer, Millennium Partners, to create over a dozen residential and commercial spaces inside the tower. So, when the owner of this 10,000-square-foot empty penthouse on the 67th floor was referred to the design team, they were ready to go to work.
The client wanted a place where he and his wife, and two teenage sons could stay and transition when traveling from their home in Brazil to places overseas. It was important for the space to be modern in design and comfortable, while meeting the owners’ desire to entertain, or simply, when only the two of them were in the residence. After a thorough assessment of what would become the entertaining and private spaces, the design team set about adding color, texture and art to unify their creation.
With dramatic ocean views to the East and to the South, large picture windows were draped in silk - night lights can be glimpsed from the land; in the afternoon boats are passing by and in the morning, the rising sun is on view. “It couldn’t be more romantic and beautiful,” Chin says. The room is kept fresh and alive with textured materials such as a velvet and silk accent pillow that adorns a Fendi sofa, a patterned Hallgarten area rug from David Sutherland, and armchairs from Artefacto upholstered soft blend of silk and linen that appear different each time the light strikes them. Chin also selected gray veined marble flooring for the main living spaces. “This became a unifying factor between rooms and gave us a blank canvas on which to place other elements,” the designer says.
A thick, dark-stained wall clad in American walnut runs the length of the home. As you approach the dining room from the adjacent wine room, a glimpse through a round cutout in the wall reveals a Hellman-Chang dining table lined with elegant “Bogart” chairs from One of a Kind, in a shimmery gray Calvin Klein fabric.
Just off the dining room is the oversized kitchen which was designed to function for effortless seasonal living and elegant entertaining, with ample serving area. Having such a spacious room gave Dannwolf the opportunity to create a large sculptural island - the quartzite rectangular prism, adorned with custom-stained walnut cabinetry, is supported on a steel frame that allows it to cantilever at both ends. Near a window with stunning ocean views, a glass shelf that suspends at bar height creates the perfect place for casual meals. “The owners wished for the home to seamlessly fit their lifestyle” said Dannwolf.
Marble flooring gives way to custom, dark-stained walnut flooring in the game room. On poker night, while seated on silver-hued chairs from Artefacto clad in Edelman Dream Cow suede players gather around a lacquer gaming table complete with round-carved pockets to store chips.
Custom-designed white pedestals topped with glass-colored vases line a wall of textured silk panels in a nearby office. In the guest bath, another pedestal, one of deep blue soapstone set within white marble, supports a sculptural tub. “I wanted the tub to be more than just a utilitarian piece,” Chin says. “Here it becomes a focal point for the room,” she says.
Adjoining the master bedroom is the sleek master bath, where the architect created a 15-foot-by-19-foot opening to the sky above an oversized shower with square rain shower heads.
Since this was the last penthouse in the building, the design team knew they had to create something special. “We utilized a lot of the things we had learned from working on the other projects in the tower, plus we were able to explore new ideas to make this home unique,” Dannwolf says.
interior design: Lachmee Chin with Nicole Yousefi and Xiomara Munoz, ODP Architects, Hollywood, FL
architecture: Kurt Dannwolf, ODP Architects, Hollywood, FL
text: Deborah S. Hartz-Seeley
photography: Ken Hayden, Miami Beach, FL