Cassandra Buckalew

Gianni Versace’s Home | Miami Beach

Last week, we were in Miami and visited the Mediterranean Revival home of the late Gianni Versace.  The home was originally built in 1931 by Alden Freeman architect and sole heir to the Standard Oil Fortune. After being converted to apartments and being sold multiple times, the house fell into disrepair. Because the house has such a long history, I’ll link the history in at the bottom of the post, if you’d like to read it in depth.

 

 

After seeing the property while on vacation, Versace spent three years and millions renovating it. He purchased the hotel next door and demolished the property to build the south wing, gardens and swimming pool. This didn’t go over so well with the Miami Design Preservation League, considering the entire neighborhood is on the National Register of Historic Places.

The main courtyard has been tented to accommodate all weather parties and events and provides a welcome shade from the hot South Florida sun. The entire property is a study in stone and tile mosaic work and a mixture of styles Versace loved.

Pool mosaics were done by the same artist who did his Lake Como home, and the stone patterns are timeless and gorgeous, many with Greek keys and 24K gold.

 

We had lunch outside by the pool surrounded by pebble and ironwork, stone and tile mosaics. If you look down from the railing to the center under the tables, you’ll see a face. That’s the Medusa. This is one of the symbols Versace used, and it can be seen throughout the house.

The dining room walls are also lined with pebble mosaics. It reminds me of Palazzo Borromeo on Isola Bella in Italy and I wonder if it was inspired by that. The pebble work on the exterior of that building can be seen here, and the interior can be seen here. Even the colors are so similar to those found in Italy.

Upstairs is The Venus Stuite, AKA Donatello Versace’s suite. This is where she stayed when she visited. A few of the furniture pieces were original to this time, as was all of the art on the walls. Donatello loved flowers so the ceiling was painted in a trompe l’oeil of yellow roses climbing on a trellis. Her bed, which still remains, is about the size of a king and twin pushed together. I love a design that references a place. We can see that in the interior moulding. The capitals above the fluted pilasters are palm leaves suggesting local flora. I love the marble in her shower and the marble geometric cube pattern on the floor.

The Azure Suite, named obviously for its blue details, features a daybed alcove, perfect as a cozy reading nook, and the Italian marble bath has the Medusa inset in the center of the floor medallion.

The Aviary Suite was Allegra Versace’s room. Allegra was Versace’s niece and partial heir to the Versace fortune. The room is painted with parrots and hummingbirds, and we see the presence of another Medusa in the Italian marble bathroom floor medallion.

Previously there was an elevator at the back of the courtyard. Versace didn’t like elevators, so he had it removed. In its place we see tiled stairs, painted walls, stone landings and stained glass.

At the very top of the villa is the copper dome observatory where he could open the window and focus his telescope on the stars.

And perfect views from the top of the observatory walking the roofline.

As we were leaving and walking by the gate, I saw the Medusa again. Here’s a quote taken from the Versace site:

MEDUSA – DESIGNED AS A LOGO BY GIANNI VERSACE IN 1978.

HISTORICALLY, THE MEDUSA HAS ALWAYS REPRESENTED THE TRIUMPH OF REASON OVER THE SENSES IN THE NAME OF VIRTUE. HER AMBIGUOUS AND FATAL ALLURE APPEARS IN THE CREATIONS OF VARIOUS ARTISTS THROUGHOUT TIME. SHE WAS AN ALLEGORY FOR THE POWER OF GAZE AND BECAME THE PARADIGM OF AN ARTISTS’ VISION.

 

Hope you enjoyed this look inside the fashion icon’s home!

Link to the house’s full history and how you can book a stay can be found here.

xo,

Cassandra

Renovation of an original 1938 Art Deco residence

A reference companion to the two part vlog series on Art Deco style. Be sure to click the thumbnails below, so you can see the entire image.

Before we begin, I’d like to make the reader aware, this is not a project designed by my design firm. It is a project I admire and wanted to share here in an effort to showcase what it’s like to carry a strong consistent design concept throughout a project. I hope you enjoy it!

Below are two pictures of what the original structure looked like, prior to the renovation. Although we can already see the presence of Art Deco design vocabulary, the renovation takes the concept to a higher level of expression and a deeper appreciation of the style. In this original interpretation, we can already see the curved walls, the horizontal window frames and the existence of the glass block mentioned in the vlog.

Ancient Temples and Ziggurats

An image of the ziggurat technique used in ancient temple design can be found by clicking here. From this image we can clearly see the terraced or tiered birthday cake shape.

Existing Ziggurats in Art Deco

As referenced in the video, ziggurats are seen in the Empire State Building and Radio City Music Hall in New York, as well as, the Earl and Rachel Smith Strand Theatre in Marietta, just outside of Atlanta. It’s also important to note that the zigguart was not only an architectural element but was also a design motif.

Ziggurats as Design Motifs

In the case of the Strand Theatre, if you look closely over the left side door, front of the box office, and far right over the glass poster box window, the ziggurat is present. Here it is rendered in a black material resembling glass, creating the profile of a birthday cake at the top of the door and signs. Since we are discussing this building, if we take an even closer look, the same shape is reflected inside at the top of the interior light cove moulding elements in the auditorium, where a setback is created in the moulding design.

It is also present in the marquee on the front of the building with a series of cake like tiers, reiterating the terraces found in the Art Deco design style. In Art Deco design, if ornamentation was used, it was very low relief (shallow in depth or thickness) unlike previous periods, which is why these ziggurats on the exterior, and any other decoration used during the period, are relatively flat looking. Remember, this period was about a more streamlined look and feel.

I’ve used blue arrows to call out the elements below. As mentioned in the video, geometric shapes and linear forms used both vertically and horizontally were widely used, as well as, sunburst or sun ray patterns. In the interior photo below, you can clearly see the long linear line pattern running vertically on the walls, crowned with the geometric shape in the form of the triangle and the sun ray design motif.  This sun ray motif is also what gives the Chrysler Building its iconic ziggurat and recognizable top. Other design motifs frequently found during this period are fans, chevrons, and line work in an array of geometric patterns.

 

Art Deco and the Machine

During this period, the industrial or machine-like aesthetic was popular, with very sleek materials in aluminum, steel and glass. Objects and materials that had an automotive or aviation-like feel were highly desired. This style was meant to look monolithic, sharp, angular and luxurious. Notice the machine-like feel, the chevrons in the floor pattern, and the metal around the information desk in the Empire State Building interior.

Art Moderne and the Curve

Towards the end of the period we start to see more stucco, rounded corners and the appearance of the wave. Below we can see the curving walls, the horizontal window frames, the presence of the ziggurat in the structure of the buildings, and how, like the residence above, this style feels more horizontal in nature rather than vertical. We can also see the oculus windows mentioned in the vlog.

 

Interiors, Furnishings and Decorative Arts

Many of the same materials were popular for the interior, as you’ve seen above and in the vlog. Below are references for some of the interior elements discussed. It should be noted, many of the furnishings in this house, due to it being a vacation rental, represent more budget-friendly furnishings and decorative arts that still check off many of the boxes of the design style.

Barcelona chair designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

The chair, along with the companion piece, the day bed (or technically called couch) I mentioned in the video (which I especially love in the tan color) is below. It should be noted, this is a more high-brow Art  Deco period representation than what we see in this house. And we should also understand, Mies van der Rohe, and his work, were very associated with the Bauhaus Movement. He was the last Director of the Bauhaus School of Design prior to its closing in the early 1930’s due to the Nazis. This chair below was designed for the German Pavilion at the Paris Exposition where Art Deco was introduced. Because Bauhaus was ending, and because this chair was introduced at this exposition, it would have been a popular chair during this time period, and therefore would have been an appropriate addition to a 1930’s home.

This chair is widely knocked off and less expensive versions can be found. If you are interested in an copyrighted reproduction of the chair, signed by Mies van der Rohe himself, it can be purchased through Knoll by clicking here. The couch is on the site, as well.

 

Original Art Deco paintings by Tamara de Lempicka

Kitchen: Autoportrait (Tamara in a Green Bugatti), 1929.

Bedroom: The Pink Tunic, 1927

Interior Details

Below are photos referencing some of the interior details discussed in the vlog. Notice the rounded corners around the doors, the linear vertical lines created by the table base and the lines and geometric shapes in the door glass, and if seen side-by-side, the baseboard detail looks like a mini Empire State Building from the picture above, without the spire.

 

In the next post, I’ll share pictures of my visit to The Don Cesar, another Art Deco interior project that features a bit more high-end Art Deco style, so you can see how this style is still very relevant as a gorgeous, modern, design concept today. Here is a teaser image for that post. Doesn’t it remind you of the shape of the corridor of the interior of the Empire State Building in the above picture? Are you starting to be able to recognize some of the features? I’d love to hear if this has helped in any way or given you a greater love or at least appreciation for the style!

 

Hope you enjoyed it! Thanks for reading!!

Cass

Xo