Decades since its heyday, midcentury modern design still tantalizes and delights. The signature simplicity of line and form remains a touchstone of cool sophistication. Among her diverse portfolio, “It’s the aesthetic I love doing the most,” designer Sabrina Maclean of Hino Studio confesses. So, naturally, she was thrilled when two former clients approached her to compose another abode, this time a pied-à-terre inspired by her favorite style with a bit of Latin charm. The retro feel suited the couple’s penchant for colorful contemporary art and the spirit they wanted to conjure for their retreat overlooking the ocean—a debonair place for free-flowing cocktails and conversation.
Executing this sensibility would require painstaking precision, so Maclean recruited general contractor Antonio Torres Betancourt to assist in revamping the Bal Harbour residence. “We knew everything had to be perfectly plump, square and level,” he says. “The finishes help create this sense of minimalism.”
The transformation begins at the entrance with white-lacquered doors “that are a little bit Jean Prouvé in style,” Maclean points out, noting the portholes and reeded walnut accent that channel the late Italian modernist. She then turned from Europe to the period’s Latin American influence for rich natural materials and organic contours. The designer chose honed Greek marble—laid in thick, large- format slabs—for the floors, then replaced a solid wall punctuating the entrance with an undulating slatted walnut screen. “It feels like a big sculptural harp against your fingers,” she muses. “There’s this beautiful sense of movement leading you inside.”
The walnut structure snakes around the dining room and slips into the main living space, where leather-lined doors open to a shimmering mirrored bar. The dramatic unfolding sets the stage for entertaining; however, the room’s elongated dimensions were ill-suited for intimate gatherings. So Maclean carved out two distinct conversation areas divided by a shapely bouclé daybed with a slim, low profile, offering extra seating without blocking the exchange of refreshments and repartee. “We had to make sure there were areas for both smaller and larger groups, so it’s not overly formal,” she explains.
Throughout the home is an engaging transnational banter among the furnishings. The designer sourced midcentury modern pieces from diverse icons of the era, especially Latin American luminaries. In the living area, two Vladimir Kagan seats mingle with a pair of armchairs by Brazilian designer Jorge Zalszupin. More delightful discoveries are peppered across the home, such as the office’s matching armchair and ottoman by Brazilian modernist pioneer Sergio Rodrigues and floor lamp by French designer Georges Léon Rispal.
To corral everything together, Maclean customized area rugs that honor modernist forms, from geometric shapes for the living area to woven Cubist linework in the couple’s bedroom. “The mix of materials and textures brings dimension to the space,” she observes. This tactile richness carries through to the upholstery, which flaunts a variety of supple leather, velvet, bouclé, sheepskin, and tweeds woven with strands of silk. Earthy tones of terra cotta and beige harmonize with hints of blue, “bringing the ocean into the home,” the designer explains. The azure accents also deepen the blue-dominant palette of the clients’ beloved artworks, especially the Leon Berkowitz painting in the dining room and a pool plunge diptych by Vladimir Dubossarsky and Alexander Vinogradov in the living area.
Illuminated by integrated lighting, seamless white walls provide a pristine backdrop across the residence but shift in key spaces like the primary bedroom, where the team added floor-to-ceiling fluted walnut paneling. The husband’s office “has the look of timeless 1950s architecture,” Torres Betancourt describes, pointing to the built-ins with an adjoining desk and Murphy bed. And for the powder room, “We wanted to give it the essence of a chapel,” Maclean describes. They reframed the small space by sculpting arched ceilings using Marmorino plaster tinted a warm parchment hue, forming a tabernacle over a minimalist outdoor pedestal sink. Swirling trompe l’oeil marble wallpaper adds to the sense of sanctuary.
The room is just one of many in a residence “that is full of character and surprises,” Maclean reflects. “This is the one project where I really identified with every single piece and object we chose.” And as an ode to midcentury modernism, it’s a testament to the style’s chic endurance.
