miami vibe

Miami has been a constant in my life. It’s where our family spent winter vacations when I was a kid, and where my husband’s family owned a beautiful house surrounded by palm trees. As much as the city feels like a second home, it also seems different every time I visit. While it still has the most amazing white-sand beaches, it now rivals New York and L.A. as a destination for art, food, fashion and design. During Art Basel Miami Beach last November, the streets, hotels and restaurants were buzzing with designers, artists and art patrons everywhere.

From a designer’s perspective, Miami is full of incredible experiences and beautiful moments. Here are a few of my latest faves worth checking out.

Arca

Stone and tile manufacturer Arca has an awesome showroom in Wynwood Art District with a slab room you can spend hours in. During Miami Design Week, they launched a series of chairs, benches and tables, each inspired by the soft curves of knotted rope and carved entirely out of stone. It is inspiring to see a manufacturer work with designer Kelly Wearstler on such an ambitious project. The pieces took months to be fabricated at various quarries.

260 NW 27th Street

Céline

The French fashion label’s flagship in the heart of Miami Design District is one retail shop I always go out of my way to visit. I love trying on their clothes under a sky-blue marble ceiling with an earthy-toned silk carpet underfoot. The two-story shop is an inspiration, designed by Swiss architect Valerio Olgiati, who has done all three of Céline’s U.S. showroom interiors.

154 NE 41st Street

5oz.

5oz. is a beautiful gallery within the Avenue Road showroom, with a selection of works by contemporary artists who have, over the years, caught the eye of founder Stephan Weishaupt. On my visit, I picked up a piece by German artist Kristian Kragelund, who removes the circuit wiring of disposed silicone disks to create shimmering surface grids. I’m attracted to the accidental beauty he has revealed from something that was originally built purely for function.

10 Pine Drive, Miami Beach.
By appointment

Art Basel Miami Beach

While all the big names are part of this annual art exhibition, held in November, what I love most is wandering the aisles of Art Basel is exploring whatever catches my eye. One of my favourite discoveries is Brooklyn artist Martha Tuttle, who creates intricate compositions using fabric of varying weights and textures. Each piece expresses a quiet tenderness that I can really relate to.

Gallery Dept.

You may, or may, not find Gallery Dept. in Miami these days. The L.A. fashion brand, known for its elevated vintage denim and paint-splattered street fashion, is continually a “work in progress.” A temporary store opened in the Miami Design District but has since closed. I love denim, so I couldn’t resist buying a pair of reconstructed carpenter pants that show off the beauty of the material’s natural wear and aging.