Major Food Group continues to dominate the evolving food scene in South Florida, opening another design-forward restaurant, Contessa Miami, in the Miami Design District. Discover two floors of statement-making details at the Northern Italian restaurant—with an original location in Boston—conceived by creative director Ken Fulk.
Italy’s old-world sophistication and Miami glamour intermingle at every turn on the first floor, including walls and ceilings dripping in pink Venetian plaster, dangling Murano light fixtures, high-gloss teak woodwork that recalls a Riva boat and a jewel-toned marble floor in a striking Art Deco pattern. “Contessa Miami transports guests to Italy’s Lake Como while being firmly rooted in the high fashion of the Miami Design District,” Fulk says. “Grand gestures abound, from emerald drapery to one of the country’s most gorgeous staircases.”
These dramatic steps guide guests past oil paintings, historic photographs and gilded mirrors, making way to the second floor through a scrolled opening inspired by a historic lakeside villa. The dining room’s wall paneling is swathed in a deep teal that contrasts the smoked-oak herringbone-patterned flooring, while a symphony of silk pendant lights hovers above scalloped booths edged with Italian terra-cotta planters filled with lush greenery for an oh-so-Florida feel.
