Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah." Those are the words Tom Joyner, the retired longtime syndicated radio show host, repeated over and over during his first walk-through with the designer of his revamped seaside apartment in Sunny Isles Beach, part of the Miami metropolitan area.
When Joyner bought the 5,000-square-foot, three-bedroom residence, located on a midlevel floor of the 60-story Porsche Design Tower, a few years ago, he was attracted by the panoramic views, the large balcony, and the car elevator that enables him to park his Rolls-Royce Cullinan in an attached garage. Not to mention the fact that the building has room service. "You can order an espresso martini in the morning or the evening," he says. "What's not to like?"
But the apartment's decor, conservatively styled in wallto-wall neutrals, was too bland for Joyner's tastes. Architect Wesley Kean, who had worked on Joyner's previous home, recommended Rodrigo Albir, whose Miami firm, Studio Roda, is a regular collaborator. So Joyner invited Albir for a meeting at the apartment, where Joyner greeted him wearing sunglasses and a Versace kimono, with a Swarovski crystal-encrusted cane-his preferred chilling-at-home look. "Tom gave me a tour and said, 'I need color. I want the apartment to be fun, to have a wow factor," recounts Albir. "He used the phrase 'beige came here and died.'"
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Denne historien er fra November 2024-utgaven av Elle Decor US.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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MORE, PLEASE
Eric Hughes joins forces with Standard Architecture to transform two neighboring homes into a sprawling family compound.
SIZED TO FIT
Designer Nannette Brown reimagines a new-build apartment with unexpected depth, character, and texture.
Play It Cool
In balmy Texas, Ashe Leandro brings urbane style and a chill vibe to a home in a historic district.
Mic Drop
For former talk radio star Tom Joyner, Studio Roda creates an oceanfront pleasure pad with out-of-sight views and disco-era glamour.
EYE IN THE SKY
How do you cozy up a Manhattan high-rise? Call designers Hendricks Churchill.
THE JOY OF KØKKEN
In Brooklyn, a writer transforms her kitchen into a space of warmth and connection, blending personal memories with Scandinavian design.
CURTAIN RAISER
ELLE DECOR partners with designers Christine and John Gachot to refresh an iconic lounge at a New York institution, the Metropolitan Opera House.
The Empire Strikes Back - A 19th-century gem in Cambridge, Massachusetts, gets a tour-de-force restoration thanks to Frances Merrill of Reath Design.
Is it possible to simultaneously go back in time and leap forward? This was the challenge a couple set for themselves upon purchasing a salmon-pink 1869 house in Cambridge, Massachusetts, not far from Longfellow House, the National Historic Site that served as George Washington's headquarters during the revolution. We loved all the beautiful old details of this house, the homeowner says.
Just Like That, But Cheaper. -One writer tried to replicate a classic ELLE DECOR interior in his apartment. Could he do it for $500?
It was all about the green curtains. In 2008, to my great surprise, I was offered a ninemonth fellowship based in New York City. I had lived there twice before, both times unsuccessfully, meaning I had failed to create any kind of significant social life, and so this was a chance not only to do research for my new novel, but also an opportunity to get things right. I swore I wouldn't let the city break me a third time.
And How! - Decorator Nick Olsen transforms a Sag Harbor home into a Hamptons retreat with an irreverent humor.
If you must go to the Hamptons, however-because it is devilishly good fun, after all-you may notice an apparently modest, low-slung cottage on Sag Harbor's Main Street and think, with a comfortable sort of feeling, Now that is how a house should look. Nestled amid the Botox bars, helipads, and club-staurants, it could almost set the sordid world aright both a rebuke and a solution to the chaos that surrounds it. A real home.
