Miami has become a haven for luxury living and brand-new glass towers glistening beside the water’s edge. What sets each apart from the rest, aside from the starchitects that design them, is the unique lifestyle it offers, characterized by one thing: amenities. Buyers have come to expect residential buildings to come standard with state-of-the-art gyms, beachfront lounging, spas, valet service, media rooms, and private pools. But none have ever offered what The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Miami Beach can now boast—the first-ever residential art studio.
The new ultra-luxury residential project, developed by Lionheart Capital, is designed by Piero Lissoni (fitting the aforementioned well-known designer requirements perfectly), and is his first architecture project in the United States, completed with the firm ADD Inc. The development, boasting 111 condos and 15 villas, is set on a seven-acre property on Surprise Lake, a Miami Beach community in one of the last waterfront spots of its size that could be built upon. The developer sought after Lissoni’s modernist style to capture the unobstructed views and tranquility of the city’s only lake. “The fusion of Piero Lissoni’s modernist vision with the unrivaled service and legacy of The Ritz-Carlton is a rare offering, unmatched in South Florida,” said Ophir Sternberg, CEO of Lionheart Capital. “Lissoni’s modern and artistic design will create a development that will change the Miami Beach skyline and how we look at luxury living.”
Courtesy of The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Miami Beach
Lissoni is well known for his design of spaces like the Mamilla Hotel in Jerusalem, the Conservatorium in Amsterdam, the Bentley Design Hotel in Istanbul, and the Ferrari Club House in Emilia-Romagna. Hiss unique sensibility can be found in the personal design of each home at The Residences, which range from 1,700 to 11,000 square feet, each offering sleek and contemporary Boffi kitchens and master bathrooms, Gaggenau appliances, smart-home technology, and for several, generous balconies and plunge pools.
Amenities, given that this is a Ritz-Carlton residential site, we admit, are not so standard. Sure, there are the social room with bar, catering kitchen, rooftop pool deck, cozy cabanas, poolside Grille Restaurant, private movie theater, club room, fitness center, yoga studio, spa, concierge service, valet parking, pet salon, and garden. There’s also on-site private boat dockage and a day yacht captained by VanDutch.
Portrait by Giovanni Gastel
But the facility that really stands out for us is that one-of-a-kind art studio. “Condominium developments have media and gaming rooms but no rooms for artistic expression,” said Ricardo Dunin, founding partner, Lionheart Capital. “There is a need in society now for more hands-on creative work. You don’t have to be a professional artist to do art, the same way you don’t have to be a professional basketball player to play basketball,” said Dunin.
So Lissoni designed a studio that offers an outlet and reprieve for residents of The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Miami Beach. “I liked the idea of having a simple and calm space. A quiet room to create,” said Lissoni. He consulted with the Miami-based artist Tatiana Blanco on what was needed in such a space, one that needed to be not only quiet, but inspiring. “Many people say, ‘I used to do art, and I don’t have time anymore.’ Having an art studio in your building is like having a gym downstairs. No more excuses,” said Blanco. We love the idea of a New Year’s resolution evolving from going to the gym to going to the studio, getting the creative juices flowing, having the mind transcend the daily grind, right in the comfort of your own private home. And as Blanco points out, “People will do art if the set up is there, and it is easy.” The art studio will include a program of classes, discussions, outings, and exhibitions.
Lissoni’s Art Studio at The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Miami Beach taps into a certain quality of life buyers are certainly looking for, as Dunin said so astutely, “Art is like therapy. Everyone needs an outlet.”
This article is published in Whitewall‘s spring 2016 issue.
