Miami Art & Design Week is always a design lover's wonderland. This year, LUXE spotted an array of thoughtful and intriguing design concepts, from luminary wonders to sleek new appliances for self-care aficionados and more. See our can't-miss highlights from all over town at Miami Art & Design Week.
Woven Wonders
Highlighting textiles as a medium and artform, the serene and sensual installation by Merida Studio at Design Miami was inspired by a Japanese tokonoma, or space in which items for artistic appreciation are displayed. The solo exhibition of artist-in-residence Sylvie Johnson featured three pieces that pay homage to the artist’s deep appreciation for yarn all set within a monochromatic shadowbox of sorts. This meditative moment provided a calming respite even within a fair setting and Catherine Connolly, director of Merida Studio, explains that the exhibition “serves as a place of reflection, where visitors can slow down, unwind, and let their senses reawaken while experiencing Sylvie’s work."
Cool Down
A common theme in Miami proved to be the reawakening of senses—a concept that could be fully experienced at The Edition Hotel, where Kohler installed several ice baths, a brand-new introduction for the company. Answering the demand for self-care experiences at home, Kohler's ice bath is the brand's first appliance dedicated to the cold plunge. Designed in partnership with Dr. Jonathan Leary, founder and CEO of social wellness club Remedy Place, the tub boasts a thoughtful, ergonomic sitting experience and a sleek dark gray exterior. The bath can be used both indoors and out and comes with an integrated light to guide the bather’s breath work, which certainly comes in handy when trying to stay submerged in 45 degrees Fahrenheit for several minutes.
All Aglow
Standout lighting was the true star of the show at Design Miami. The innovation and artistry of these luminary wonders inspired a serious sense of awe for the designers and artisans behind the pieces. A veteran of the industry who continues to reinvent herself and come up with designs that push the envelope is Lindsey Adelman, who started her studio in 2006 and has been obsessed with lighting ever since. Hanging within The Future Perfect booth is a new piece by Adelman featuring handblown glass bound with heavy chains and winding porcelain "roots" that wrap around a stem with lighted gold dusted mini globes. The designer has an uncanny ability to “transform the ephemeral nature of light into something not merely tangible but enduring”, the New York art gallery notes of Adelman.
Display Objet
Set within the historic River Inn Hotel in Miami, the second edition of Alcova stateside (having popped up in Milan the last serval years) provides a dynamic platform for cutting-edge contemporary design. There, Turkish interior architect and designer Sema Topaloğlu presented the enchanting and transporting installation entitled "The Nonconformist Tropical Garden," a room full of lush, blooming forms and objects. “Grass-like flowers, intricate shapes, and vivid colors evoke everything from delicate candies to carnivorous plants” in the space and work together to create a whimsical wonderland of glass, bronze and brass. A particular highlight was the intricate hanging objet on the walls, almost jewelry-like in form, meant to be admired and appreciated.
Color Drench
Meanwhile over at Art Basel, designer Sasha Bikoff teamed up with Studio M Lighting and The New York Academy of Art for a mod 1960s inspired room located in the Chubb Collector’s Lounge. The bold and vibrant scheme was anchored by a 10-foot translucent pink pendant light that casts a warm, intoxicating glow over the entire space and was inspired by “the organic designs, shapes, and materiality of two of my favorite lighting designers: Isamu Noguchi and Achille Castiglioni," Bikoff notes. Bold white spiral sconces, also in collaboration with Studio M Lighting, dotted the walls in a nod to Bauhaus style. A custom STARK rug in gold and turquoise pays homage to Miami and its Art Deco history. The space's artwork showcased seven emerging artists from the New York Academy of Art.
