Sinuous Shapes Play Off A Miami Home’s Crisp Architecture

Although Hilary Matt’s clients had acquired a double-lot property in the heart of Miami Beach, “Their goal was to build a family home, rather than a beach home,” the designer clarifies. Relocating from the Northeast, the family of five wanted a house that channels the city’s breezy glamour yet is calibrated for everyday life. Matt’s task was to translate that brief into a contemporary setting that emphasizes stylish comfort, luminous spaces and an indoor-outdoor dialogue.

Fortunately for the designer, this was a repeat engagement—she had crafted the couple’s previous abode years earlier—so Matt was well-versed in their aesthetic preferences. “The wife has a specific, clean style with pops of interest, but she wanted this house to feel different from their place in New Jersey,” the designer emphasizes, “so we brought in Miami elements.” Think: a modern-day Slim Aarons photograph come to life.

To realize that vision, architect Kobi Karp joined forces with landscape architects Christopher Cawley and Lucia Mora. The resulting residence immediately conveys a refined presence rooted in the locale. Karp’s design leans modernist, from the structure’s precise orthogonal lines to the crisp white stucco and blackened-metal accents. Orienting the house on a southern axis “allowed for large expanses of glass, flooding the rooms with natural light,” he describes. Outside, the tailored landscaping reads sculptural in its own right. “We wanted to keep it clean and restrained,” Cawley explains, “so we used native autograph trees, bromeliads, Argentine ivy and palms to create a cohesive tropical palette.” An L-shaped pool fills the backyard, partnering with a generous alfresco kitchen as well as tennis and padel courts.

As the outdoors emphasize straight lines and sharp geometry, the interiors offer a light, airy balance. To create warm layers, Matt opted for organic shapes and a range of pleasing neutrals grounded by honey-toned wood flooring. The entry, for example, unfolds around a dramatic opening feature: a minimalist spiral staircase rendered in creamy white plaster. With rounded treads and pendants cascading through its center, the stairwell serves less as circulation and more as installation art. “This was something the clients wanted from the beginning and is the first thing you see as you walk in,” she says. While commanding attention, the element doubles as an anchor, delineating the entry from the living area just beyond.

That living space—the first major room encountered—required showpiece sensibility. “Given the home’s open floor plan, everything we picked needed to be interesting from the front and back,” the designer points out. Maintaining white and cream hues, she leaned into elegant, sculptural furnishings in durable, high-performance materials: a channel-stitched sofa that echoes the curve of the staircase; a biomorphic stone coffee table; lounge chairs with exposed metal frames. The rug has metal inlays, offering another “wow” moment, and the fireplace wall is fluted— a detail that was a particular feat, admits general contractor Bart Reines. “It intersects with several different materials and required intense planning to get it right,” he adds.

To amp up visual interest and animate her serene compositions, Matt incorporated deep contrasts, particularly through bold textural selections. Swaths of Arabescato marble make striking appearances in the kitchen and primary bathroom, while Calacatta Viola dominates the bar. In the dining area, a sand-colored travertine table calls back to the material in a powder room. And a sofa in a rich, mushroom-hued velvet grounds the den.

Lighting also plays a notable role in shaping the mood. Above the dining table, a pair of metal-and-ceramic frond-like fixtures hovers with botanical grace. “They’re dramatic yet simple and pay homage to Florida,” the designer observes. Similarly, palmate-shaped sconces flank the living area fireplace, reinforcing the subtle tropical thread that runs through the house.

For Matt, this project serves as a creative reset: an opportunity to craft a dynamic home that honors family life in the Magic City. “We started from scratch and poured our hearts into a look that feels very Miami—but with a twist,” she muses. “I always want to create something beautiful that we haven’t seen before.”

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