Header: Fábio Jr Severo
This two-storey, 400 m² house is located by a canal in Miami Shores, an area just outside Miami, within a gated neighbourhood with its very own marina. After a past life, a couple with a love for boating decided to turn it into their main residence. They trusted the renovation to Mariana Maisonnave, a Brazilian architect who had already worked with them once before in the south of Brazil.
While both clients love sailing, they live pretty different lives, as she works in healthcare and he runs his own businesses and investments. Being so close to the water was, therefore, what they valued most about the house.
Stone and wood
To give the ground floor a plain, natural look, Maisonnave took out the old flooring and laid Oasi Paradiso, a porcelain tile by the Brazilian manufacturer Portobello that is made to look like stone. One large wall in the living spaces is covered in rock-face travertine (which is travertine left with a rough, uneven surface). The outdoor kitchen has counters made of Taj Mahal quartzite, a stone quarried in Brazil, which are complemented by light wooden cabinets.
Upstairs, the original wooden floor was still in excellent condition, but its reddish colour did not work with the new design. The design team decided to keep it, so the wood was sanded down and given a new tinted finish more similar to the tones found in the interior’s other materials.
The social areas
To let more daylight in and create a framed view of the canal, Maisonnave opened up the ground floor, rearranging the living room, dining room, kitchen and outdoor entertaining area so that they connect directly to one another and to the landscape outside. With these spaces joined together, daylight now reaches further into the house, and the canal is always present during the couple’s daily routine.
The lighting mixes three kinds of fixtures, which can be combined to change the mood of the rooms over the course of the day.
- Recessed lights set into the ceiling give the rooms their general light without drawing attention to themselves.
- LED strips hidden inside the cabinets and counters cast small, soft pools of light onto the surfaces.
- Adjustable spotlights can be turned towards chosen parts of the architecture and the decoration.
- As an extra, as these are found outside and, therefore, do not affect the mood inside, sconces light up the home and invite guests in.
Simple furniture
The furniture and rugs are made of cotton, chenille, wood and woven fibres, in rounded, flowing shapes, mixed with pieces bought at markets, from craft shops and from suppliers abroad. Among them are a woven bench brought over from Thailand and tables made by hand by artisans.
Piper and Milka, the owners’ two dachshunds, were also taken into account in several design decisions. In the main bedroom, for example, a lower bed was chosen so that the dogs can move around it more easily and without needing any help.
Project information
Architecture: Mariana Maisonnave
Interior Design: Mariana Maisonnave
Photography: Fábio Jr Severo
Location: Miami Shores, USA
Area: 400 m²
