Interior designer in Miami Beach
Looking for an interior designer in Miami Beach?
In Miami Beach, the first figure to know is not the budget but the value of the building. In a FEMA flood zone, once the work reaches half of that value within a year, the whole structure must be brought up to current flood rules, so we size the renovation against that threshold before drawing it.
Miami Beach: the buildings and what they demand
What you find here
Miami Beach puts two design languages side by side. Its historic districts carry the Art Deco the city is known for, and alongside it stand older houses in the Mediterranean Revival style, with the same stucco, tile and arched openings as Coral Gables.
A large part of the city lives in condominiums, many of them on the ocean or the bay, where what may change inside a unit is set by the building as much as by the owner.
- Art Deco buildings in the historic districts
- Older houses in the Mediterranean Revival style
- Single-family houses on the islands: Venetian, Sunset, Palm, Star and others
- Condominium towers on the ocean and the bay
What the city asks
In a historic district, exterior modifications, additions and significant renovations need a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Historic Preservation Board, and outside them some projects go before the Design Review Board. Neither is a formality, and both come before the permit.
The FEMA 50 percent rule is the constraint that surprises owners most. The city compares the cost of the work, counted over one year, with the value of the building as set by the Miami-Dade Property Appraiser or a certified appraisal; at 50 percent or more, every aspect of the structure must be made compliant.
- Certificate of Appropriateness in historic districts
- FEMA 50 percent rule in flood zones, with costs counted over one year
- Milestone inspections for condominium buildings of three stories or more
- Windows, doors and roofing with a Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance
Our interior design services in Miami Beach
The work we are asked for here
The work divides between houses, where the envelope and the flood rules shape the project, and condominiums, where the building's rules do.
- Renovating a historic house within the 50 percent threshold
- Kitchens and baths in an oceanfront condominium
- Full reconfiguration of a condominium unit
- Replacing openings with approved impact products
- Interiors for a second home run from abroad
What we do
We design the interior and set its scope against the rules that apply to the property, so the budget is decided by choice rather than discovered at the permit.
- Survey, including the flood zone and the elevation certificate
- A scope of work sized against the 50 percent threshold
- Space planning, kitchens, baths, lighting and joinery
- Drawings for the preservation or design review, with a licensed local engineer where needed
- Tendering and follow-up of the Florida-licensed contractor
The work in Miami Beach, and our references
How the work runs
In a condominium, the association's rules usually set working hours, the use of the service elevator and the approvals needed before work starts. We ask for them at the survey, because they shape the schedule as much as the drawings do.
Salt air is hard on metal, joinery and finishes. Materials are chosen for it from the first samples, rather than replaced after the first seasons.
Our work in the area
The studio has not yet completed a project in Miami Beach. For condominium work, the closest references are its apartment interiors in Paris and Shanghai, designed within existing buildings and held to the same standard from the plan to the finishes.
Our services, the six-stage process and how our fees are calculated are set out here: Interior design for Mediterranean-style homes in Miami: our process and fees. For the style that shapes many of these houses, see Renovating a Mediterranean Revival home in Coral Gables.
Sources
Questions about a project in Miami Beach
What is the FEMA 50 percent rule?
If a house is in a FEMA flood zone and the cost of the work reaches half of the value of the building, the whole structure must meet current flood rules, which can mean elevating it. Miami Beach counts the costs over one year, so splitting the work into phases does not avoid the threshold.
Is my house in a historic district?
The city's planning department can tell you, and it matters before anything is drawn: in a historic district, exterior changes, additions and significant renovations need a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Historic Preservation Board.
What is a milestone inspection?
Florida requires condominium buildings of three habitable stories or more to be inspected by the end of the year they turn 30, then every ten years; the local building official may require it at 25 where salt water is close. If your building is due, repairs to the structure can affect when your own work can happen.
Can we renovate a condominium unit without the association?
Rarely. The declaration and the association's rules decide what may change inside a unit, from the floors to the plumbing, and their approval usually comes before the permit. We read them at the start.
Which windows can be installed?
Only products with a Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance, the county approval for windows, doors and roofing in its hurricane zone. In a historic district, the design must also satisfy the preservation review.
Send us the address and, if you have it, the elevation certificate. We will tell you in writing what the 50 percent rule leaves room for, and what the building or the district will ask.
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