MIAMI VICE

DESIGN [STRANG] Design | STYLING Senses Unleashed |CONSTRUCTION Contemporary Builders, Inc. | LANDSCAPE DESIGN La Casona Garden | PHOTOGRAPHY Kris Tamburello | WORDS Karine Monié

On an oversized suburban lot in South Miami, Angel Oaks Residence designed by Miami-based multi-disciplined studio [STRANG] Design is built around years-old existing oak trees. Located just a few minutes from downtown, it gives an immediate sense that its current form somehow pre-existed.

“Designing among the branches was a challenge,” [STRANG] Design managing director and partner Alexandra Mangimelli says. “We floated foundations around roots, and the outer second-floor walls came within centimetres of branches.”

Owned by a Brazilian couple with two children, the 929-squaremetre, H-shaped house is designed around a centralised courtyard, while a bridge above the main living room connects two wings.

A beautifully-manifested exploration of materiality begins at the home’s entrance, where split-face keystone moves from exterior to interior, with board-formed concrete, Jerusalem stone, ipe wood and travertine imbuing the home with textural atmosphere. The prolific use of teak on the walls, ceilings and furniture adds an organic warmth to the interiors, where bold artworks add accent colours.

“We explored the possibilities of using natural materials, as well as playing with light and fluidity,” Alexandra says. “This created a contemporary aesthetic language mixing wood earth tones with the landscape, bringing the outside in.”

The ground floor — with the public spaces on the inner perimeter of the home — takes advantage of the deep overhangs, blurring the lines between inside and out. At the same time, the upper floor accentuates privacy through windows set back from the edge with a lush planter.

The homeowners’ gravity toward the modern architecture of their Brazilian heritage inspired the team of [STRANG] Design, who also strove to infuse their own principles, resulting in something completely unique.

“The family’s cultural [origins] and way of life was instrumental in the architecture and interior design,” Alexandra says. From the form of the house to the materials and design pieces by Jorge Zalszupin and Tobia and Afra Scarpa, among others, everything was contemplated to suit the homeowners’ desires, needs and taste.

“We understood the important role our client’s art collection and vintage furniture played in their lives and wanted to thoughtfully reflect that,” Alexandra says. “The fashionable yet understated couple is reflected in many aspects — from the vast entertaining space to the material integrity.”

While expansive, connectivity was an integral part of the brief for the home. “The home is large but not overly programmed to allow for very comfortable spaces to gather,” Alexandra says. Surrounded by lush foliage that can be easily admired through sliding glass, the pure lines and raw textures express a design resolution set to withstand the test of time.