Tour a Miami Condo Transformed by Top Designer Vicente Wolf

New York City designer Vicente Wolf is one of the world's most influential talents. Find out how he transformed this Miami Beach condo in a building by famed starchitect Renzo Piano and get his design takeaways to use in your own home.

February 02, 2021

By: Meredith Rosenberg

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Photo By: Vicente Wolf

Vicente Wolf Meets Renzo Piano

Cuban-born designer Vicente Wolf has spent more than 40 years in the field, and during that time he's designed everything from the Luxe Rodeo Drive Hotel in Beverly Hills to private Manhattan residences and homes in Sweden, Israel, Japan and France. His self-taught style favors a restrained yet refined look, punctuated by global accents that reflect his extensive world travels.

For this project, he had previously worked with the owners on their Manhattan home, so it was no surprise when they asked him to design their new three-bedroom Miami Beach condo, located in star architect Renzo Piano's latest Eighty Seven Park building on Collins Avenue. Due to their prior relationship, Vicente understood the couple's vision for a space that felt sophisticated and took advantage of the gorgeous view.

Here in the living room, a Brazilian Esfera club chair and 1960s cane and rattan Palla chairs exude sophistication. The custom sofa, meanwhile, is angled in a way to maximize the ocean view.

Custom Living

The first question Vicente asks when designing for clients is, "How do they want to live there?" This simple starting point is easily applicable for those tackling their own home projects. In this case, that involved highlighting the spaciousness and view, incorporating natural elements and pulling together a home that felt modern but not severe.

For starters, all of the furnishings are custom from Vicente's VW Home line, such as this webbed chair in the entry. The chair is positioned in a way to mimic the angle of the partition separating the living and dining areas, seen in the next image. Next to it are VW Home pieces hailing from Indonesia and Thailand.

Sneak Peek

This partition represented Vicente's biggest challenge. He relays how the owners wanted to separate the living room from the kitchen/dining area without losing the view, so he drew inspiration from the locale. "(I was] walking down this arbor that had a slatted ceiling, and light was coming through that caused a reflection on the floor; 'I thought, that’s perfect,'" he says. (Vicente likes to add a sense of discovery to his designs where possible.) "[The clients] first said you should walk in and see the view immediately, and I said, 'Then what?'" This way, the entry provides a sneak peek before the full view is revealed.

Beach Day

The condo's light, beachy tones complement the view. Vicente didn't want to do all white at first. "But when I was there the first time, I looked at the beach and all the tonalities you saw in the sand and walkways ... it reads white," he says. But he went a little softer for the home. "I didn’t want it to be a space that was off-putting," he explains. To achieve this sense of whiteness, he chose white for the walls, but opted for sandy tones in the upholstery and decor. At the same time, this African tapestry's strong burst of yellow channels a day at the beach. The space is rounded out with a wool and hemp rug and custom steel-based coffee table with a solid glass block mounted between spokes — keeping the focus on the view.

Unmarred Views

Steel reappears in the master bedroom with these polished stainless-steel panels above the bed, making the room seem even larger by reflecting the ocean. The television is cleverly mounted on a pole so as not to obscure the view. "To hide or put the television in a box or behind a curtain — I think it’s fakery," Vicente says. "Putting it on a pole gives a sense that the screen is floating in air, which makes it almost disappear in a way," he notes.

One-of-a-Kind

Vicente emphasizes all of the custom features, such as the aforementioned panels. He explains how he doesn't like walking into spaces where the furniture is easily identifiable. "I want you to enter a space and perceive the personality, not who made the furniture," he elaborates. Even though many people can't afford custom, more original pieces can be found by visiting flea markets and antique stores, or even online at sites such as Etsy.

Cohesive Design

For Vicente, this project has a sense of sophistication, yet still feels inviting, as in this bedroom. It may be smaller, but it maintains a light and spacious feel, while the international decor provides a sense of intrigue. This includes Indonesian door transoms on the wall and an abalone seashell necklace on the nightstand. Horizontal mirror panels enlarge the space, while the two twin beds can be pushed together thanks to wheels. The continuous headboard allows for either configuration while maintaining a cohesive unity to the room. In fact, it's this kind of overall unity that makes Vicente's design so successful.