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Ocean House on Miami Beach

Miami Beach’s newest beachfront residence captures intimate, resort-like living in the city’s South of Fifth neighborhood. Located on Ocean Drive, owner iStar Residential has created an intimate setting with 18 beachfront homes, including several penthouses that exceed 6,000 square feet. The property’s limited availability, plus its backyard oasis and its easy access to South Beach’s renowned nightlife, make Ocean House one of the world’s most desirable addresses. Features include a private beach club, state-of-the-art gym and spa facilities, a beachfront pool with sun beds and cabanas, an e-concierge, and 24-hour security, a butler, individual wine lockers for residents, and valet services. Ocean House residents enjoy personalized on-demand benefits including access to renowned restaurants, salons, and child and pet care, among others. Priced from $4 million to $9 million.

Pool World: Ocean House

Ocean House Offers Ultimate Luxury

Ocean House, Miami Beach’s newest ultra-private beachfront residence, is located at 125 Ocean Drive and embodies the ultimate luxury lifestyle

Owner iStar Residential (residential real estate arm of iStar Financial) has created an intimate setting with 18 beachfront homes, including several penthouses exceeding 6,000 square feet. Ocean House captures intimate, resort-like living in the city’s idyllic South of Fifth neighborhood.  The property’s limited availability, backyard oasis of sand and ocean, and easy access to South Beach’s renowned culture and nightlife make Ocean House one of the world’s most desirable addresses.

A multi-million dollar redesign by designer Alison Antrobus will preserve Ocean House’s historic integrity – original structure built in 1946 — with completion projected for early 2012. The property will feature world-class amenities as well as exclusive services and perks that offer residents a unique, customized experience in a gracious, residential setting. Features include a private beach club, state-of-the-art gym and spa facilities, beachfront pool with sunning beds and private cabanas, e-concierge and richly appointed entertainment areas, as well as 24-hour security, butler, wine room with resident vintner and individual wine lockers for residents, and valet services. Ocean House residents will also enjoy preferred personalized on-demand benefits including access to renowned restaurants, salons, child and pet care, among others.

To request additional information, please contact Ocean House’s exclusive on-site broker, Cervera Real Estate, at 305.763.8171

 

Fort Lauderdale

In the midst of a modern-day Renaissance, Fort Lauderdale is fast becoming one of South Florida’s most sought-after destinations for dining, nightlife, shopping, and sumptuous hotels and residences.

As far as major cities go, 100 years represents a mere moment in time; but for Fort Lauderdale, a 2011 centennial birthday marks the peak of a metropolitan Renaissance. A small trading post circa the early 20th century, Fort Lauderdale received little attention until the 1960 film Where the Boys Are branded the city as America’s ultimate spring break hotspot. As society’s morals loosened during the disco era and hairstyles grew bigger in the ‘80s, Fort Lauderdale became synonymous with cheap beachfront shenanigans and raunchy motels only those with raging hormones could love.

However, alongside the Hawaiian Tropic tan lines, a less-publicized paradigm was taking hold along Fort Lauderdale’s Intracoastal Waterways. Wealthy families were flocking to Fort Lauderdale to take advantage of affordable waterfront real estate and to establish a colony of no-frills barefoot luxury. Over time, city planners and politicians ousted America’s youth gone wild and embarked on a multi-billion-dollar growth strategy that would allow Fort Lauderdale’s boating culture to thrive and for insightful developers to capitalize on the growing elements for a metropolitan revolution.

Flash forward to 2011, and Fort Lauderdale now plays host to the world’s largest and most prestigious boat shows and flaunts some of Florida’s most pristine and exclusive shorelines. Rightfully relabeled the “Yachting Capital of the World” and the “Venice of America,” Fort Lauderdale has become a shining star on the global map of luxury beachfront real estate and vacation destinations while still keeping true to its laid-back Tommy Bahama vibe. From the beaches to downtown and even into the suburbs, the city is flourishing with new multi-million-dollar homes, show-stopping hotels, farm-to-table restaurants, eclectic boutiques, and edgy galleries that represent the city’s latest steps in its evolution into a world-class metropolis.

Extreme Beach Makeover Reinventing Fort Lauderdale Beach was a long and arduous process that required far more than simply canceling MTV’s annual Spring Break soirees. With an appearance on Good Morning America, Fort Lauderdale’s mayor officially uninvited college students in 1986, and once the effects sunk in about a decade later, the extreme bulldozing finally began. The cockroach-infested, cramped motels were cleared and new, modern buildings erected in their place.

Most notably, The Atlantic Resort & Spa appeared as Fort Lauderdale’s first major luxury property after the dawn of the millennium, towering over Fort Lauderdale’s recently certified Blue Wave Beaches as a tiered structure granting immaculate, unobstructed ocean views from nearly every room and outlet on property. The Atlantic’s success served as a green light for the likes of W, Ritz-Carlton, and dozens of modern skyscrapers to join the neighborhood. Soon, Fort Lauderdale Beach was unrecognizable compared to its not-so-distant past.

Ocean Terrace at the Atlantic Resort and Spa

Collectively, this irresistible hotel trio continues to anchor Fort Lauderdale’s beach reinvention. Doling out postcard-perfect panoramas of downy sands and the Atlantic Ocean’s crystalline waters, The Ritz-Carlton, Fort Lauderdale, the W Fort Lauderdale, and The Atlantic Resort & Spa are not only Fort Lauderdale’s most sought-after holiday havens, but they’re some of the beach’s most prestigious residences. For those never wanting to relinquish their piece of coastal paradise or Fort Lauderdale’s infectious beach vibe, the Ritz, the W, and the Atlantic offer varying ownership and property management options, from the purchase of a room as part of the hotel collection to bespoke suites and units simply housed within the hotel, where the facilities’ luxury amenities remain at your disposal 24/7.

At the northern end of Fort Lauderdale beach, The Ritz-Carlton, Fort Lauderdale dazzles with its maritime-inspired design, featuring carefully engineered floor-to-ceiling windows and balconies intended to showcase vast tracts of deep, blue ocean. Unlike the classic, old-school luxe feel of most Ritz-Carlton hotels, the Fort Lauderdale outpost channels modern seaside elegance with a coral, cream, and pale-blonde color palette that is complemented by both dark and light stained woods. The recently opened Club Lounge spans the width of the entire eighth floor, allowing patrons to enjoy sunrise Mimosas facing the ocean and sunset canapés while gazing at the city’s yacht-lined Intracoastal Waterway. The colossal Club Lounge serves light bites and drinks throughout the day, ideal for guests in transition between the beach, the pool, and their private accommodations. The hotel’s other tempting offerings make it difficult to even leave the immediate proximity. Below the heated infinity pool, part of the 29,000-square-foot pool deck, the hotel offers private cabanas with butler-style service. The elegantly appointed 8,500-square-foot spa is a favorite of in-the-know locals, as it’s blessed with South Florida’s most dexterous therapists. The seductive Wine Vault showcases more than 5,000 bottles from around the world, served in the adjacent Wine Room, which carries the charismatic elegance of a modern gentleman’s club. Downstairs, Via Luna serves sensational Italian fusion cuisine and presents a not-to-be-missed Sunday brunch with a decadent raw bar, including fresh stone crab claws and dozens of ever-changing dishes representing diverse international gastronomy.

Nearby, the W Fort Lauderdale has brought an unprecedented element of fashion, funk, and trendiness to Fort Lauderdale, with an edgy attitude and youthful sophistication that easily rivals that of South Beach. The hypermodern W twin towers have been the talk of the town since opening in summer 2010. From a third-floor lobby jumping with bass-pounding music to a “see-through” swimming pool bisected by a grand staircase rising through the center to the kitschy white alligators snuggled on the high-thread-counts rugs, this W pushes the envelope of the brand’s signature forward-thinking approach, and it succeeds.

Meanwhile, the hotel responsible for Fort Lauderdale’s upscale intervention, The Atlantic Hotel & Spa, shows no signs of slowing down. In fact, it’s fresh from a refurbishment and is keen to play a major role in the post-recession vacation comeback through a slew of enticing specials. The rooms showcase a vision of understated seaside home-style luxury, each with a private balcony, a fully equipped kitchenette, and a spacious marble bathroom, perfect for families looking for kid-friendly accommodations without missing out on Fort Lauderdale’s new glam factor.

*Images from Atlantic Resort and Spa, Ritz-Carlton, W Fort Lauderdale and Las Olas

 

Boating Behemoth The single greatest factor to propel Fort Lauderdale to its newfound big-city fame is arguably its evolution into the “Yachting Capital of the World,” a phrase that summarizes the coastal city’s nearly 50,000 luxe resident yachts, 100-plus marinas and boatyards, and hundreds of boat supply stores, as well as its annual hosting of two of the world’s biggest boats shows. Beyond the city’s main boutique- and restaurant-lined thoroughfare, Las Olas Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale’s labyrinthine Intracoastal Waterways teem with the be-all and end-all of water toys.

While these dream boats tend to keep a low profile most of the year, the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show in late October and the Winterfest Boat Parade in mid-December (December 10 this year) is a no-holds-barred bragging, flaunting, and selling of the world’s greatest subjects of marine envy. During the International Boat Show, more than $2 billion worth of boats, yachts, superyachts, electronics, engines, and thousands of accessories from every major marine manufacturer and builder worldwide come together, prompting all-out VIP parties and floating who’s who extravaganzas. Come December, more than a million onlookers gather to witness 1,500 fully decorated jaw-dropping yachts as they parade along 10 miles of Fort Lauderdale waterways. Leading up to the event, Fort Lauderdale gets a sweet dose of Hamptons-style pretention, where invitations to the numerous lavish boat parade parties around town tend to define one’s social status. Naturally, the city also buzzes with events before and after the boat parade, like the official socialite “Black Tie Ball.”

Outside of these major events, the superlative method for experiencing marine wanderlust and checking out Fort Lauderdale’s big boats is via the public Water Taxi, which transports patrons between a dozen or so points throughout the city’s aquatic back lot.  Passing through inlets harboring multi-million-dollar waterfront homes and cruising by the city’s most renowned sights, Fort Lauderdale truly looks and feels like the “Venice of America” from the vantage point of this surprising sightseeing tour on the cheap. If you choose to hop on and off the wildly popular Water Taxi around town, you could quickly find yourself immersed in the glimmering lights of Fort Lauderdale’s version of Broadway, the Broward Center for Performing Arts, or iconic outdoor eateries like 15th Street Fisheries, where the massive tarpon eagerly await your lunch-time leftovers and where you’ll experience a refreshing hint of no-frills Old Fort Lauderdale, still untouched by the city’s extreme makeover.

Lobster from Market 17

 Fork Lauderdale A number of personality-driven eateries have cropped up around town in 2011 to complement the city’s existing 4,000-plus restaurants. Two newbies not to miss:

Market 17 This farm-to-table juggernaut is really two restaurants in one. 17’s restaurant-within-a-restaurant offers the über-trendy experience of “Dining in the Dark,” in which patrons endeavor on a multi-course eating extravaganza in the pitch black, relying on every sense but sight to determine what they’re eating and drinking. The principal restaurant is less about gimmick and more about the basics—namely fresh, organic cuisine. You’ll know the names and addresses of all the artisanal farmers supplying the sensational ingredients you’re experiencing through Chef Daniel Ramos’s gastronomic masterpieces, like the exotic ceviches made to order (think snapper, avocado, corn, honeydew, and jalapeno pepper) and the pan-basted Florida hogfish (which tastes like a giant scallop) over bulgur wheat with citrus and herbs, Swiss chard, zucchini, squash, and grape tomato sauce.

M Bar The latest restaurant on Fort Lauderdale’s exclusive Las Olas Boulevard is the brainchild of South Florida restaurateur Jack Mancini, whose adjacent Tuscan-style Mancini’s Restaurant stands as a perennial favorite of both locals and visitors. M Bar brings a much-needed infusion of tavern-and-tapas fun to the city, with the full gamut of European, American, and Asian-inspired small plates bursting with sweet and savory farm-to-table ingredients. Add a vast selection of 42 craft beers, dozens of sustainable wines, and a creative cocktail menu and it’s clear where you’ll kick off your start to the vacation.

The Details Fort Lauderdale

The Ritz-Carlton, Fort Lauderdale, 954-465-2300; W Fort Lauderdale, 954-414-8200, The Atlantic Resort & Spa, 954-567-8020, Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show; Winterfest Boat Parade; Water Taxi; Las Olas Blvd.; Broward Center for Performing Arts; 15th Street Fisheries; Market 17; M Bar.

John Hannan’s “Bath House”

New York designer Jennifer Post sets a Manhattan businessman’s Miami Beach high-rise home awash in pristine white and bold, bright hues, setting the stage for stunning ocean views. By, Anna Kasabian – Photographs by Ken Hayden

 

Manhattan businessman John Hannan has a passion for the ocean. His homes on Martha’s Vineyard and his farmhouse in Ireland are directly at the ocean’s edge. His family’s high-rise winter getaway, dubbed Bath House, overlooks Miami Beach. What he particularly loves about this ocean home is that the beach and the city are in one location. Like Jennifer Post, his New York City-based designer, Hannan’s color of choice for the décor in most of those homes is white. The exception is the farmhouse in Ireland, which he says is a “traditional version of an Irish house.” When it came time to build out and design his Miami space, he called Post—and only Post. Present on Architectural Digest’s list of the top 100 designers for the past nine years, Post is known around the globe for her less-is-more design philosoph, and for her signature Arctic-white surfaces and fabrics.

“I saw [Post’s] work in magazines over the years,” Hannan says. “My concept for this space was white…I told her I wanted it to be ethereal, peaceful, and clean. I don’t like clutter at all. I also wanted the space to be easy to be in.”

 

So Post went to work, transforming the 5,000-square-foot penthouse into a sea of calm and captivating views. She used glass panels within the space to keep views open to the outside while defining rooms and their functions. Wide halls and high ceilings lift the space skyward. White lacquered walls, white marble flooring, and Post’s own custom-made white furnishings yield the ultimate in ethereal. Post introduced seductive elements of drama, color, and texture through art. A good example is the steel sculpture she commissioned from artist Bernar Venet; its shape recalls the three-quarter-moon shape of the architecture and suggests the curl of an ocean wave. Furnishings are sleek, crisp, understated, and, of course, as white as sea foam. However, nothing in this design equation competes with the home’s ocean views.

As do many lavish beach homes, Hannan’s is outfitted with guest quarters. At Hannan’s high-rise, though, instead of having to traverse a sandy beach path to a private guest house tucked away on a remote patch of property, guest accommodations are separated merely by a hallway and are able to enjoy the gorgeous water views, as well as the understated design theme.

“I liked the notion of the guest house,” Hannan says. “I go there from time to time and the kids have their friends stay there; I like the separation.” Touches of lemon yellow and mango hint that you are in new space, as does its smaller scale and more relaxed style. But still, you know you’re at the Hannans’.

When Hannan does come here, it’s often to practice yoga, making the space, at times, his own seven-room getaway within a getaway. As one who practices yoga daily herself, Post knew precisely how to integrate the yoga area. Thoughtful furnishings, white lacquered walls, and Thassos marble flooring anchor and continue the design theme. Clustered, soft seating keeps things cozy and more casual than in the main house, while pocket doors close off the rooms for even more peace and quiet.

Additional touches in this mini-sanctuary include art, fabric, and bedding, whose color palette is reminiscent of the sand, sea, and sky on a summer’s day. Ligne Roset sofa and chairs in the living room are low slung and clear the way for those astounding water views.

 

The Rooftop

The crowning jewel of Hannan’s home is its rooftop. “This is a larger space than both of the apartments below,” he says. “At different parts of the day, it can be cooler up there. If you want to see the city, you can find the view. It’s a place we come to read or just hide.”

This is also where Post seized the opportunity to employ a fusion of colors. The shades of blue and orange from the spaces below appear here as well, but they arrive in big, playful swathes as opposed to the more discreet accents used inside.

The rooftop space comprises four bays for entertaining and relaxing, with amenities including a full kitchen, a freestanding shower, and an open-air yoga studio. A 20-foot-high tangerine-colored wall, which Post designed, distinguishes the sections of the concrete rooms and serves as an anchor for additional orange details that appear in the form of fabrics, furnishings, decorative rock paths, towels, yoga mats, and paint.

Of the all three spaces Hannan says, “It’s a very happy place; nothing heavy…a little escape that I don’t get to as often as I’d like.”

 

On Seaside Design

Thanks to her eye for simple sophistication, Jennifer Post has become one of the design industry’s most called-upon creative talent among oceanfront homeowners. Here, the design doyenne gives a little insight to Ocean Home in terms of must-have options for designing a super-chic beachfront living space.

What are some of the special design considerations for oceanfront homes? The beauty is the ocean, the gloriousness of being there in that state of relaxation—the design has to be in balance with that. I design with furnishings that are lighter in look and feel, more [comfortable] as opposed to formal. I lay the spaces out so that all the public spaces are oceanfront rooms, because that is where you spend your time. I use lighter, less-fussy fabrics, lots of white, pastels, bright yellows, aquamarine, and green—colors that look [good] near the sea and the natural landscape.

So often you get involved in changing the interior layout of a home. What are some of the critical factors for altering oceanfront space? I always make it a point to take the eye through a room and to the outside view, and having the ocean view makes this even more important. When possible, I’ll make room-to-room openings wide and tall and ceilings high, all to give the space that voluminous feeling. I place all bedrooms with a side angle to the oceanfront or a bay so that they have a glimpse of the sea. Because the ocean view is never more than 180 degrees, I frequently put the master bedrooms on the main level and the children’s bedrooms upstairs so all bedrooms take in the view.

What are some of your preferred materials for these homes? I like to use white marble or ceramic in huge slabs so the pattern isn’t noticed. If I use wood flooring, it is light, which is more casual. For kitchen walls, I tend to go white, but for countertops, coral, Caribbean blue, or yellow—those island colors—would work so well. My choice for tile for beachside homes is always something that is easy to clean and in a beach glass color combination. When it comes to fabrics, I always introduce great soft cottons that are maintenance-free.

If the ocean is the main view, when you’re called upon to design the landscape, what are your design priorities? My less-is-more mantra continues here. Grasses, stone paths, plantings, fountains, and even fire pits can all come in to play, either framing a view or enhancing a view from the inside out, or outside looking back to the house. But it is always defined and purposeful, and it always extends what I’ve done inside. It all has to fit and work so your eye moves across a plane without stopping—but in the end, it is a scene that translates the whole experience of being far, far away from the life of jangling cell phones. jenniferpostdesign.com.

Shelborne South Beach Turns 70

The Shelborne South Beach has revamped its lobby, facilities, and rooms. The multi-million-dollar facelift, by architect Jonathan Cardello of ADD Inc. Miami, is part of the hotel’s 70th anniversary celebration.

The new lobby design focuses on tuxedo tones featuring prominent white walls while preserving the elegant effect with black accent pieces. The design incorporates a showpiece lobby featuring crystal chandeliers, amber white walls dressed with flowing drapery, and white terrazzo floors. Framed with stark white lacquered material, the reception desk (also referred to as the “bubble desk”) contains rows of orbs illuminated from behind and a concierge desk wrapped in black stingray skin.

Over 200 brand-new hotel rooms, poolside townhouse suites, mezzanine lanai suites, and an 1,800-square-foot, two-story penthouse suite mix the past with the present in a bold blend of blacks and whites, with rich black-and-gray wall-to-wall contemporary carpet, modern furniture, and Art Deco-style accents. The luxury experience expands to the spa-style bathrooms with custom wood and marble vanities and polished white marble flooring. Amenities include electronic laptop-size safes, iPod speaker systems, and hidden LCD televisions.

Poolside cabanas surrounded by beach gardens, a fitness center, and a rooftop spa with panoramic ocean views have also be added to the hotel. shelborne.com.

Former residence of the late fashion designer Gianni Versace, Miami, Florida, The Villa by Barton G. Stay

Miami, Florida

The Villa by Barton G. Stay in one of Miami Beach’s most renowned and lavishly decorated villas, the former residence of the late fashion designer Gianni Versace. Everything throughout the 19,000-square-foot mansion and its 10 custom-designed suites is over the top, from the nine-foot double-king-size bed in Versace’s former bedroom to the European continental cuisine served on Versace-Rosenthal china in the villa’s restaurant. The spa services are also personally designed for each guest and can be enjoyed poolside or atop the Rooftop Lounge. As Versace would have wanted it, a private British-trained butler is available for each suite.

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