The Wall Street Journal
June 2017
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Chic Storage Inspired by Midcentury Miami
Read the original articleHow to emulate the sculptural look of a memorable cabinet spotted at the new Four Seasons Hotel at The Surf Club in Miami
Checking in to Miami's newly opened Four Seasons Hotel at The Surf Club, designed by American architect Richard Meier, my wife and I were upgraded to a top-flor oceanfront room. I've always had a thing for Mr. Meier's minimalist glass and white-steel residences. Now we were going to spend five vacation days in one.
I opened the door and gasped. It's one thing to see Mr. Meier's work in photos or YouTube clips. But walking into this room was like stepping into a painting. Sunlight sailed through the floor-to-ceiling...
Back in New York, I called the designer of the piece and all of the hotel's guest-room décor, Paris-based architect Joseph Dirand. He told me the doors were coated with a special lacquer that crackled faintly while drying to give the wood relief its ceramic appearance. "The credenza's door pay tribute to Miami's geometric architectural facades,"he said, referencing to concrete patterns that grace many of the city's midcentury buildings.
While Mr. Dirand's cabinet isn't yet available to the public, any of the alternatives shown in the original article could git into most contemporary spaces. Still, adding one to an eclectic interior requires some finesse. "Your don't want too many large horizontal pieces competing for the eye."warned Rachel Newton of Red, a Brooklyn, N.Y., interior design studio, adding that the silhouette of such a credenza is best appreciated in uncrowded rooms. "Give it room to breathe,"she said. To visually link one to a layered interior, she suggested topping it with a plant with large architectural leaves or a sculptural lamp.