This striking family home is intrinsically connected to and inspired by its location, right by the Miami waterfront in the affluent neighbourhood of Golden Beach. Set by the water on a narrow strip of land between the Atlantic Ocean on the east and the Intracoastal Waterway to the west, and named Terracina, the house is designed by South African architecture practice SAOTA and merges a response to its distinctive context and the client's love for art.
The architects orientated the house towards the long sea views, opening it up through expansive glazing and floor-to-ceiling sliding doors that bring inside and outside together seamlessly. The structure occupies the inner side of the pie-shaped plot, in order to allow for larger terrace areas towards the water element.
Formally, the design balances opposites. ‘The house mediates a progressive experience that unfolds between a muscular, monolithic protective screen of concrete panels presented to the street and a light, transparent treatment on the façade facing the waterway,' explain the architects. A carefully articulated water-side facade helps create a series of outdoor ‘rooms' so the owners can make the most of Miami's pleasant climate.
While the exterior is intricate and layered with screens, glazing and foliage, the interior, designed by Rosy Levy, is masterfully simple. Adopting a gallery-like approach, the space features clean white walls that allows the owners' extensive art collection to steal the spotlight. The main living space includes artworks by artists such as Nick Cave, Richard Long and Yinka Shonibare. Travertine, walnut and quartzite stone compose a textured and sophisticated yet minimalist enough material palette to support the displays within the domestic setting.
Bringing together a striking context, a love for art and the warm-climes vibe that Miami offers, Terracina combines the best of both worlds; privacy and urban refinement, and an open and flexible home that is tailor-made to its owners' needs.
INFORMATION
-
A nature-inspired Chinese art centre cuts a crisp figure in a Guiyang parkA new Chinese art centre by Atelier Xi in the country's Guizhou Province is designed to bring together nature, art and community
-
William Kentridge's fluid sculptures are a vivid addition to the Yorkshire landscapeWilliam Kentridge has opened the first major exhibition to focus on his sculptures outside of South Africa at Yorkshire Sculpture Park
-
David Cronenberg’s ‘The Shrouds’ is the film for our post-truth digital ageThe film director draws on his own experience of grief for this techno conspiracy thriller
-
Tour this fire-resilient minimalist weekend retreat in CaliforniaA minimalist weekend retreat was designed as a counterpoint to a San Francisco pied-à-terre; Edmonds + Lee Architects’ Amnesia House in Napa Valley is a place for making memories
-
A New Zealand house on a rugged beach exemplifies architect Tom Kundig's approach in rich, yet understated luxuryThis coastal home, featured in 'Tom Kundig: Complete Houses', a new book launch in the autumn by Monacelli Press, is a perfect example of its author's approach to understated luxury. We spoke to Tom Kundig, the architect behind it
-
Tour architect Paul Schweikher’s house, a Chicago midcentury masterpieceNow hidden in the Chicago suburbs, architect Paul Schweikher's former home and studio is an understated midcentury masterpiece; we explore it, revisiting a story from the Wallpaper* archives, first published in April 2009
-
The world of Bart Prince, where architecture is born from the inside outFor the Albuquerque architect Bart Prince, function trumps form, and all building starts from the inside out; we revisit a profile from the Wallpaper* archive, first published in April 2009
-
Is embracing nature the key to a more fire-resilient Los Angeles? These landscape architects think soFor some, an executive order issued by California governor Gavin Newsom does little to address the complexities of living within an urban-wildland interface
-
Hop on this Fire Island Pines tour, marking Pride Month and the start of the summerA Fire Island Pines tour through the work of architecture studio BOND is hosted by The American Institute of Architects New York in celebration of Pride Month; join the fun
-
A Laurel Canyon house shows off its midcentury architecture bonesWe step inside a refreshed modernist Laurel Canyon house, the family home of Annie Ritz and Daniel Rabin of And And And Studio
-
A refreshed Rockefeller Wing reopens with a bang at The Met in New YorkThe Met's Michael C Rockefeller Wing gets a refresh by Kulapat Yantrasast's WHY Architecture, bringing light, air and impact to the galleries devoted to arts from Africa, Oceania and the Ancient Americas
