Having worked on hundreds of homes in South Florida over the past 20 years, general contractor Luis Rojas has become acquainted with dozens of local designers. So when asked for his recommendation to update a client’s apartment, Rojas played matchmaker and introduced an ideal fit: Jorge Fuentes and Adriana Lacruz.
The homeowner had lived in Barcelona, where Fuentes was born—a commonality that immediately helped forge their connection. “We started speaking Catalan, and that was it,” the designer remembers of their first meeting. “From there, we hit it off.”
Home Details:
Interior Design:
Jorge Fuentes and Adriana Lacruz, FL Interiors
Home Builder:
Luis Rojas, Stambul Construction
Similarly, they shared the same dialogue when it came to reimagining the residence, a Sunny Isles Beach apartment with cork-paper walls and wenge-wood accents that didn’t align with the client’s desired atmosphere. “He said, ‘I have 360-degree views of the Intracoastal Waterway and the ocean, but the interior is very dark. I want light—and to breathe,’ ” Fuentes recalls. It was an innate request for the designers, whose portfolio the owner admired for its abundant palette of warm whites, taupes and grays—a combination rooted in Fuentes’ heritage. “Toward the center of Spain, you’ll find color,” the designer explains, “but the Catalan area is all about these soothing earth tones.”
The duo also understood the client’s need for comfort, including a calming primary suite and a cozy media area to play video games with his grandsons. Layout changes weren’t required, so ceiling, floor and wall treatments were used to add depth. “Jorge and Adriana beautify spaces with millwork—it’s one of their trademarks, and it’s always fun to do that for them,” Rojas shares. Artwork would strike poses, and the kitchen would be dramatic, but the overall look would be cohesive, Fuentes emphasizes. “We wanted it to be a fluid conversation from room to room,” he says.
Helping to establish this unity is new flooring in Lacruz’s favorite stone: travertine. “It provides not only texture but also interesting color,” she notes, pointing to varieties such as smoke and serpentine. The other harmonizing features are the wood-panel accents—some backlit with LEDs, others recessed and lacquered—that enliven select walls. “Millwork is a language we carry throughout the apartment,” Lacruz says. These structural embellishments lay the groundwork for sculptural furnishings in soft yet masculine textiles. “Leather and linen are the ultimate subtle sophistication without going too rough or ‘cigar bar,’ ” Fuentes adds.
The Harmony Luxury Furniture sofas, coffee tables, side tables and rug foster intimate conversations in the living area. A book-matched marble fireplace wall contributes to the space’s beige and taupe tones.
Surrounded by Cattelan Italia chairs from Anima Domus, a Harmony Luxury Furniture table anchors the dining area. The chandelier, from Avenue Lighting’s Aria Collection, is a centerpiece above. Canoe Man by Ignacio Gana overlooks the ocean view.
Over a Harmony Luxury Furniture sideboard, Messi by Kevin Champeny injects vibrancy into the dining area’s neutral palette. Large-format travertine flooring from Porcelanosa flows throughout the residence.
The unified appearance is exemplified in the living area, a longitudinal site that flows into the dining space. “We wanted it to feel homey but refined,” Lacruz describes. To foster conversation, the designers placed twin sofas—low-profile, so as not to block the view—facing each other, rather than the television. As a discreet way to delineate the seating arrangement from the dining area at the opposite end of the room, they established a division in the wall paneling as well as ceiling inserts that outline both zones. The square perimeter of the dining space called for a table of the same configuration, so the team interrupted this geometric rhythm with a light fixture composed of a quartet of hanging circular forms. “We selected that chandelier to break up the shape,” Lacruz explains. “It’s an important focal point.”
The dining area’s other main character is the artwork, which injects a dose of whimsy. Against one wall hangs a tactile portrait of Lionel Messi crafted, fittingly, of 10,000 miniature soccer balls, while near the floor-to-ceiling window is a canoe-holding bronze figurine wearing a bathing suit in oceanic hues, referencing those seen just outside. “The collection speaks to the intention of the area,” Lacruz notes. “The client appreciates a modern art style, but he also wanted to incorporate a little fun.”
An ethereal wall piece adds gentle coloring to the primary bedroom, where the designers created a paneled flush door that blends into the wall. “We covered it with a slatted finish for a concealed look,” Lacruz says. “It makes the bedroom feel larger.” The light-filled space continues the same palette as the rest of the apartment, including a family area outfitted with a reclinable sofa for movie nights. The unit’s sole departure: the kitchen, which boasts the owner’s requested Ferrari-red cabinetry as a nod to his love of cars.
Compared to his initial site visit, “This is a completely different home,” Rojas observes. “It’s beyond magical.” As for Fuentes and Lacruz, the project communicates their defining style. “It follows the same story we want to tell,” Fuentes says. “This home identifies us as designers.”
Deep by Ignacio Gana occupies a corner of the living area, backed by a Casamance wallpaper from Twill & Texture. Shadelux crafted delicate linen draperies to frame the floor-to-ceiling windows.
The kitchen’s glossy Bontempo cabinetry from Armazem—studded with Blum hardware—pops amid White Zeus Silestone countertops from Cosentino. Miele appliances and Kohler faucets complete the look.
The Harmony Luxury Furniture sofas, coffee tables, side tables and rug foster intimate conversations in the living area. A book-matched marble fireplace wall contributes to the space’s beige and taupe tones.