By: Ann Binlot
CASACOR Miami
When people think of Miami locations, they think of the water and the views. For its first Design Miami foray, the team at design show CASACOR went for the latter. ‘We couldn’t find anything we liked on the water, and then we found these houses in a prime location,’ says CASACOR Miami CEO Lucio Grimaldi, who is referring to the three high-rise penthouses located at RISE at Brickell City Centre, which is the site of the inaugural CASACOR Miami. The experiential exhibition will be on view there through 18 December.
‘We decided to try and franchise in the States, and take advantage of Miami being midway between South America and the United States,’ says CASACOR director Alex Stevens. In South America, the showcase is celebrating its 30th year, with exhibitions in various countries throughout the continent. The 20,000 sq ft Miami edition is located on the 43rd floor of RISE in penthouses that range from $3.5 million to $6 million, and offers stunning views of the surrounding areas.
The rooms are just as varied as the designers CASACOR tapped to decorate them. Designers were given free reign over the project. ‘When you give freedom to designers, good things come out of it,’ explains Grimaldi.
The result is eclectic, spanning the whimsical to more traditional rooms. Suchi Reddy decorated the dining room in her area with an Anima Domus rug that emulates a collection of athletic jerseys that are stitched together, topping it with a simple white dining table by Ammann Gallery. She also tapped Cey Adams to create a graffiti covered mural over the already existing kitchen mural.
Studio Guilherme Torres conceptualised a clean, stark white bedroom with pieces by Espasso and Gessi, while Gustavo Neves went for a sexier, darker look, hanging a piece of art by Luis Pons Design Lab that consists of chainmail stuck on to a magnetic board.
Elsewhere, Peruvian designer Roque Saldias used an alligator skull covered in gold, and ponchos sewn together for a rug to adorn his space, adding a Syrian dowry from the 1800s. Cable Design created a living room and kitchen full of bold swathes of colour inspired by geometric art, and a glass table by Useche and Axia Design Niche.
In keeping with the theme of Miami Art Week, plenty of works decorated the walls, like Joan Hall’s pieces made of found nets and resin that called on conservation efforts, and Liz Tokatlilar and Erwin Georgi’s maze of colourful neon lights.
‘We have an international flavour, and it reflects the Miami culture. Because you have people from all over the world, and it’s less traditional,’ muses Grimaldi.