Houzz Tours
Houzz Tour: Miami Bachelor Pad Inspired by Menswear Design
The fashionable textures and colors this design team chose suit the homeowner to a T
This homeowner was planning on splitting his time between Miami and North Carolina, and he wanted his Miami surroundings to be extra relaxing. After purchasing a one-bedroom condo in the city’s Brickell neighborhood, he hired DKOR Interiors to give it a lounge-like feel.
“He was used to traditional and transitional style, but he wanted to do something different here. He wanted it to be sexier, sleeker and more lounge-y than his other homes had been in the past,” principal designer Ivonne Ronderos says. “He was very involved in design and knew what kinds of colors and patterns he liked. He was really into the tailored look of menswear, so we looked to those colors, patterns and textures for inspiration.” The result: a once-blank slate transformed by layers of textures, lighting and architectural features.
“He was used to traditional and transitional style, but he wanted to do something different here. He wanted it to be sexier, sleeker and more lounge-y than his other homes had been in the past,” principal designer Ivonne Ronderos says. “He was very involved in design and knew what kinds of colors and patterns he liked. He was really into the tailored look of menswear, so we looked to those colors, patterns and textures for inspiration.” The result: a once-blank slate transformed by layers of textures, lighting and architectural features.
After: “We needed to add layers of ambient light,” Ronderos says. To avoid having to drop the ceiling to accommodate recessed lights, the designers found sleek track lights. Bringing in architectural elements was also important to creating an inviting space. The team added wood paneling along the wall on the right, then ran LED lights along the top.
“This room is monochromatic but there is a wide variety of textures,” Ronderos says. “We used the tailored menswear inspiration when choosing them.” The walls are covered in a textured wallpaper with a subtle plaid pattern. On the wall at the left, Grigio Montes marble extends along a long custom console’s countertop and up the wall behind the TV. The cabinets under the TV house the media components.
Find an interior designer on Houzz
“This room is monochromatic but there is a wide variety of textures,” Ronderos says. “We used the tailored menswear inspiration when choosing them.” The walls are covered in a textured wallpaper with a subtle plaid pattern. On the wall at the left, Grigio Montes marble extends along a long custom console’s countertop and up the wall behind the TV. The cabinets under the TV house the media components.
Find an interior designer on Houzz
The portion of the console under the mirror serves as a drop zone for keys and mail when the homeowner enters the apartment.
“This was a light construction project, not a full renovation,” Ronderos says. They kept the existing porcelain floors but added more substantial baseboards that have a reveal in them. This created sleek, straight lines in the room.
Find the right wall mirror for your home
“This was a light construction project, not a full renovation,” Ronderos says. They kept the existing porcelain floors but added more substantial baseboards that have a reveal in them. This created sleek, straight lines in the room.
Find the right wall mirror for your home
The existing galley kitchen was color-blocked with a limited number of materials in a neutral palette, so it was already a perfect fit for the design team’s plans and didn’t need a renovation. The team extended the plaid wallcovering into the kitchen, which connected it to the rest of the space within the open plan.
“The lounge feeling he wanted meant creating an unconventional floor plan,” Ronderos says. “Often in this type of setup, we’d place a dining table just off the kitchen and then start the living room past it. But he wasn’t interested in that.” Instead they placed two rich caramel leather swivel chairs within reach of a circular pedestal table with a bronze base and a Calacatta marble top. The homeowner can eat here or at the kitchen counter, and he also specified that he wanted to be able to eat on the sofa.
The client found the painting himself. The team installed an oil-rubbed bronze art light over it, adding another layer of light to the space.
Browse leather chairs in the Houzz Shop
The client found the painting himself. The team installed an oil-rubbed bronze art light over it, adding another layer of light to the space.
Browse leather chairs in the Houzz Shop
Past the TV, the console forms a bar area. The drawers underneath are refrigerator drawers. The cabinets above house bottles and glassware. These cabinets have smoked glass doors and each shelf is lit by LED lighting.
The design team also moved the bedroom door, opting for a secret pocket door just past the bar. (The door’s original spot can be seen in the first photo.) When closed, the pocket door blends into the wall.
Find a local cabinet pro
The design team also moved the bedroom door, opting for a secret pocket door just past the bar. (The door’s original spot can be seen in the first photo.) When closed, the pocket door blends into the wall.
Find a local cabinet pro
Ronderos recommended a multipurpose sofa from Minotti to meet the homeowner’s various needs. The sofa is composed of three different pieces divided by side tables. “He likes to sit on the sofa when he’s working — all he needs to work is an iPad,” Ronderos says. He can choose an upright position for reading, talking, eating and working. Then he can recline on one of the chaises when he wants to relax and watch a movie. “The side tables are for snacks and drinks, and they break up the sofa so that it doesn’t look too massive,” Ronderos says. “And we used different textures on the different pieces. The chaise closest to the swivel chairs is suede and the other two pieces are woven linen.”
Also breaking up the space is a custom color-blocked rug. The client consulted on the color palette and the design team presented several options for the composition.
Various lamps and tables provide shine from a mix of metals and glass. “Every piece in here is very special,” Ronderos says. For example, the Kelly Wearstler table lamp has a bronze base and an alabaster shade. The floor lamp is polished nickel with a Nero Marquina marble base. The small side table has a vintage brass base, and the coffee table has a Marquina marble base and a smoky gray glass top with beveled edges.
Also breaking up the space is a custom color-blocked rug. The client consulted on the color palette and the design team presented several options for the composition.
Various lamps and tables provide shine from a mix of metals and glass. “Every piece in here is very special,” Ronderos says. For example, the Kelly Wearstler table lamp has a bronze base and an alabaster shade. The floor lamp is polished nickel with a Nero Marquina marble base. The small side table has a vintage brass base, and the coffee table has a Marquina marble base and a smoky gray glass top with beveled edges.
A large balcony runs along the entire width of the condo, with access from the bedroom and living room. It provides incredible views of the dynamic Miami skyline. “This neighborhood has become very metropolitan,” Ronderos says. “It’s a great place to live.”
The homeowner wanted the designers to create a mix of seating for intimate conversations within a larger group. Each end of the balcony has a bench large enough for two people to sit and chat. They also added a woven outdoor rug, modern side tables for drinks and snacks and large rectilinear planters.
In the condo’s one bedroom, the color palette of the bedding echos that of the living room. “We were tight on space in the bedroom, so we had to maximize every inch,” Ronderos says. A dark green channel-tufted velvet headboard runs behind the bed and nightstands. The team tucked LED lights just below the top of the headboard to provide ambient light. They sized the bed, custom headboard and nightstands to run right up to the walls. The homeowner chose the artwork over the bed.
Check out our beginner’s guide to get started on your home project
Check out our beginner’s guide to get started on your home project
The en suite bathroom was also in great shape. The design team added a textured wallcovering, a soft rug with a striated pattern and accessories. The area at the back is the toilet room, where the homeowner had the team install an art ledge lit by LED lights.
Here’s the original floor plan of the condo. The only change the team made to it was moving the bedroom door, which is now on the other end of the wall next to the balcony. This made room for the long, uninterrupted countertop and cabinetry run along that wall. It also gave the client a fun secret door that makes the living room feel completely separate from the bedroom.
More on Houzz
Tour more homes
Hire a local design pro
Shop for your home
More on Houzz
Tour more homes
Hire a local design pro
Shop for your home
House at a Glance
Who lives here: A single man
Location: Brickell neighborhood of Miami
Size: 1,107 square feet (103 square meters); one bedroom, one full bathroom, one half bathroom
Designers: DKOR Interiors
Before: The space was devoid of any special architectural details. “With a lot of these condos, the electrical junction boxes in the ceilings are fixed, so we have to work around that so as not to have to drop the ceiling,” Ronderos says.
A theme of a tailored, well-suited lifestyle emerged from inspiration photos of nattily dressed men in houndstooth jackets, Egyptian cotton shirts and silk ties, carrying leather satchels. The photos inspired a color palette in a range of grays and browns, accented by hunter green, slate blue and caramel. Ideas such as repetition of patterns, contrast, layers and depth also arose.
“Texture was very big in this design. There wasn’t a lot of contrast in color,” Ronderos says. The repetition shows up in carpentry, furniture details and accents. The contrast is seen between materials and tones as well as smooth and textured finishes. Accessories, wallcoverings, window treatments and lighting provide the layers. And architectural wall applications add depth.