MIAMI CHIC

A redesigned apartment in South Beach surprises with a serene aesthetic that showcases the stunning light of its coastal location

- JO LEEVERS

The apartment is part of a recently completed residential tower

With layers of dark timber, hand-trowelled plaster, and riven stone, this family home feels reassuringly grounded. This is all the more surprising when you discover it is located six stories above the buzzy, hedonistic setting of Miami’s South Beach – but that was precisely the aim of its designers at mwworks.

This apartment was designed for a family with strong Miami roots, returning to Florida from Seattle. ‘The idea was to create a quiet, atmospheric environment that is rich in tones and materials,’ explains Eric Walter, co-founder of works. ‘In this way, the space allows the family to focus on being together in a setting that suggests permanence, a quality not often associated with South Beach.’

The five-bedroom home was previously two separate apartments, which Eric and his team have seamlessly joined together. They began by stripping back the spaces to their raw elements and the original hefty cement pillars that they revealed at this point have not been concealed or treated in any way. Instead, they take their place alongside grainy wood, concrete, and sweeps of plaster in a scheme that celebrates strong textures. Key materials include black limba, a West African hardwood used not only on the floors but for bespoke cabinetry and the sliding doors that divide, or unite, the sociable spaces.