Interiors

La Escondida Residence

Building Area: 15,402 SF
Building Status: Completed 2018

Among this lushness, the architects oriented the structure “so the views from each room focus on specific trees in the landscape,” according to Carlos Prio-Touzet. Aligning living spaces around the outdoors also helped them modulate how the family experiences natural light. For example, the cantilevered, second-floor master bedroom seemingly floats among the trees, so morning sunshine is diffused softly through the leaves. Spaces like the kitchen and smaller dining area were made to overlook “some of the more beautiful trees with great branch qualities, so they can enjoy nice shadow play,” Prio-Touzet says. And operable glass walls intertwine throughout the facade’s solid volumes, carving out long vistas of rich greenery. “The lights are seldom turned on all day,” he adds, “because these rooms open to the outside, picking up all the bounced light.”

“The streamlined, orthogonal structure never rises above the canopy. A tree survey was a critical starting point for positioning the house on the site and establishing view corridors, requiring only one specimen to be relocated and another rotated in its place. …The accumulation of such subtle details underscores the home’s sensitive statement, delicately floating among the trees, never overwhelming the landscape. It’s why the family has fondly dubbed their new house La Escondida, or “the hidden one”—a quiet piece of Miami’s rare wilderness to call their own.”- Luxe Nestled Among Oak Trees, A Miami Home Is A Modern Haven BY MONIQUE MCINTOSH NOVEMBER 6, 2019

Custom pieces of furniture we designed for the house include a jewel-box bar recessed into a wall of anthracite-stained white oak and slabs of basaltina. The feature is mirrored by a modular cabinet constructed of dark oak and thin bars of oxidized bronze that displays the clients’ extensive collection of antique chess pieces.

Brown Jordan Flagship – Interiors

Building Area: 8,900 SF
Building Status: Completed

Having once been populated by Dade County pine trees where the building sits, this 8,000 SF high-end luxury retail space incorporates the material, salvaged from a neighboring building, in a series of floating ceilings and details. By blurring the boundary between interior and exterior, interior spaces become garden-like in order to effectively exhibit Brown Jordan’s outdoor furniture. An expansive roof terrace above features the company’s line of outdoor kitchens and creates platform for unexpected views of the Design District.

5 Drinks Distillery

Building Area : 4,746 SF
Building Status : Unbuilt

The distillery includes an adaptive reuse design on an existing Wynwood building. The building will house the Five Drinks Brewery and Distillery. The reuse of the industrial building includes improving the elevations of the structure with new openings, shading structures and some outdoor seating area. The concept of the space it to have a transparent atmosphere where the goer can see the process of the distillery as well as a hydroponic farm where the distillery gets some of their ingredients from. This project also includes the improvements of an alley in Wynwood which connects many retail spaces together.

Hammock Lakes

Building Area: 8,000 SF
Building Status: Completed Winter 2018

The heavily landscaped 1.6-acre site sits at the corner of a roughly diamond-shaped lake that rewards the property with a long, diagonal view across the water. The house is positioned on the lake to take advantage of the seasonally changing sunsets.

The clients, a retired couple, desired a single-story residence that would be immersed in the landscape. The program brief they provided focused on public areas for entertainment and the cycles of occupancy and absence that their frequent travel would impose on the residence.

These factors would be major influences on the decision to divide the program into an assemblage of parts, starting with an entertainment pavilion to house the public rooms including his office, a wine storage feature, an internal garden court, and a long, deep portico facing the lake. The private pavilion would include a large master suite, a massage room/gym, and her office. A service pavilion with guest accommodations and family room includes staff quarters, garage, and mechanical areas. The kitchen and breakfast room serve as a connector between the entertainment and service pavilions.

The lake is intentionally hidden from view for the entire entry approach. Arrival at the front of the entertainment pavilion only alludes to the relationship of the house to the lake, in that the entertainment and master suite pavilions are surrounded entirely by serene water features. The first view of the lake occurs only after the visitor passes the midpoint of the entertainment pavilion, at which point, the pavilion-wide glass wall opens a view to the lake. (A glimpse of the lake is just possible at the juncture between the connector from the private pavilion to the entertainment pavilion.)

The one-story pavilions that make up the residence all are oriented toward the water, with full-height walls of sliding glass doors offering views of the lake and the shoreline beyond.

The public rooms in the entertainment pavilion open to an extensive porch that doubles its covered area. The deck areas lead to a long, infinity-edge pool that blends visually with the waters of the lake beyond.

Cat Cay Residence – Interiors

Elements of the design palette, relate to the amazing shades of blue in the ocean that is visible from the Great Room. Inspired by Bahamian architecture, but with a modern twist, this tropical house incorporates Bahamian shutters, porches, breezeways, native keystone, and volume ceilings with wood cladding –elements with deep roots in Bahamian vernacular. The modern take on island architecture is embodied in the openness of the Great Room, the immediacy of the connection to the dramatic reflecting pool outdoors, and the simple concrete decks perched above the rocks and beach below. Sliding doors in the main space retract to allow for 20 feet of gorgeous, uninterrupted ocean views.

Coral Gables Residence – Interiors

Touzet Studio drew inspiration from nature- the tropical hammock of Corlal Gables and Biscayne Bay beyond.

The House transitions from two engaged stone-clad volumes on the street to a primarily crystalline façade on the Bayside.

The interiors balance a warm and neutral palette with moments of intense color, utilizing terrazzo floors and natural wood to give the house a very Florida tropical feeling.

The blues and grey of the carpets and custom light fixtures pick up on the shades of the ocean. The bright bursts of color recall the vibrant colors found in the gardens of the Tropical landscapes.

The Furniture layout takes full advantage of the crystalline façade and beautiful bay views while also meeting the Clients programmatic needs.

Gables Estate Residence

Building Area: 1,735 SF
Building Status: Completed

This private residence for an inventor and engineer couple with a love of design began as an interior remodeling of the kitchen and great room. It grew over time to include the children’s bathrooms. The custom kitchen was designed by Touzet Studio and built by Frohbose & Beers. It features an 8-foot-long, custom designed island with an absolute granite velvet finish top.

The appliances are tucked out of sight in a custom “appliance garage” clad in a walnut volume that also conceals the refrigerators. The ovens were set in a coral rock wall with a custom-designed bronze hood.

The design was inspired by the kitchens of early French chateaus, with their oversized fireplaces for cooking. The powder room, inspired by vintage train compartments, was tucked into the walnut volume that defines the great room.

Design District Retail “Copper Stitch”

Winner of the Miami AIA 2017 Unbuilt Award

Building Area: 45,000 SF
Building Status: Unbuilt

The Copper Stitch is a retail infill project in Miami. The site’s lots are divided, with one small lot fronting NE 1st Street, and other lots grouped together on NE 39th Street. The client charged us with finding a way to connect the two sites with a memorable yet discreet design in keeping with the aesthetic of the Miami Design District’s mix of luxury shops and restaurants. We wanted to design, in addition, a focal point that would activate the street at night with a soft glow.

A major inspiration for the project was our exploration of the many ways to use copper material – as a perforated rain screen, as softly-burnished reflective panels, and as copper fascia. We wanted to differentiate the building with a distinctive, warm material that was rich enough in its materiality to hold its own with adjacent luxury retailers.