Miami-based designer Joe Fava employs a soft palette of grays, steel blues and creamy neutrals to temper a palatial penthouse, with hits of color that speak to the owners’ art collection.
The owners’ furnishings were given new life atop a Stark carpet in her office. The Zoffany floral is from Nessen Group, a Clarence House textile from Holly Hunt and Soleil Bleu draperies via Jeffrey Michaels. PHOTOGRAPHED BY VENJHAMIN REYES
For Miami-based interior designer Joe Fava of Fava Design Group (favadesigngroup.com), reimagining a 10,500-square-foot penthouse in Highland Beach was a full-circle moment: Nearly 20 years ago, this home was his first project to be published at the start of his career. Working with Shane Ames of Ames International Architecture (amesint.com), the pair took four units and transformed them into one for its then-owners.
Castel fabric and Phillip Jeffries wallcovering establish a gray scheme in the primary bedroom. PHOTOGRAPHED BY VENJHAMIN REYES
Two decades later, it turned out to be just the place for a new couple looking for the conveniences condominium living offered while also providing the formality of entertaining they were accustomed to. “My clients travel frequently and did not want to maintain a large home from afar. However, space for entertaining was important to them, so finding a 10,000-square-foot- plus condo was the perfect solution,” Fava says. “We worked with the original clients and stayed in touch with them throughout the years. When they decided to downsize, the new owners purchased this home furnished but wanted to make it unique to them. They hired us to reimagine the space. That is when the magic started.”
Great Plains fabric from Holly Hunt dresses up the owners’ Louis-style chair in the primary bedroom’s sitting area alongside ottomans from Judith Norman and draperies by Cowtan & Tout and Novel Fabrics. PHOTOGRAPHED BY VENJHAMIN REYES
With the help of Camilla Semas and AFG Construction (afgconstruction.com), Fava went to work to customize the residence for his new clients, who would move in and make new memories. Between the library, living room, formal bar, formal dining room, dining alcove, kitchen, breakfast room, family room, lower gallery, theater and theater lobby, a floor-to-ceiling aquarium, yoga room, guest bedrooms and baths galore, and terraces throughout affording ocean and Intracoastal views, there’s no shortage of ways to do so.
A chandelier by Allan Knight lights the dining room. PHOTOGRAPHED BY VENJHAMIN REYES
Reimagining the existing residence to suit the lifestyle and design aesthetic of the new owners mostly meant a more neutral and softer palette, so that their art collection could take center stage (think Peter Anton’s “Wonderment Assortment” and Mel Bochner’s “Amazing”). Bold prints made way for solid textures with a few patterns sparingly mixed in. A Zoffany floral here, a Grey Watkins fretwork motif there (her office and the upstairs bar). Muted grays, steel blue and sumptuous creams wash over the penthouse, and materials like silk wallpaper in the primary bedroom and soft-to-the-touch velvets all conspire together to create a home that is livable and welcoming. And thanks to features such as crystal chandeliers, mirrored finishes, injections of color and semiprecious slabs for the vanity in the formal powder room, it still has quite a bit of oomph.
Wall Design leafed the ceiling in platinum. Grey Watkins’ fretwork-patterned fabric from Scalamandré covers the bar stools in the upstairs bar area. PHOTOGRAPHED BY VENJHAMIN REYES
“The most challenging aspect of the project was removing some of the traditional elements that were original to the design and making the new interior more suitable for the current owners,” Fava notes. “The previous owners wanted a grand home, with traditional elements, frescolike ceilings and a lot of gold leaf. The new owners wanted something more understated with a neutral soft gray palette. We kept the best features of the home and updated the look, creating a sophisticated and understated transformation.” One such feature is the handwrought stair railing connecting each level, with a ceiling dome newly leafed in platinum signaling the top floor and upstairs bar.
Her primary bath offers a front-row seat to the ocean. PHOTOGRAPHED BY VENJHAMIN REYES
Despite how much time has passed, this project has been just as rewarding as the first. “It was amazing to work on the same space with new owners almost 20 years later,” Fava says. “Aside from that, these are some of the most amazing clients we have worked with. They were on board with our vision from the beginning and trusted us to make the best design decisions. I believe that clients bring a certain energy to a project and when they approach the process with a positive attitude, those projects turn out flawlessly. They allowed us to be creative—when we presented an idea, a fabric or piece of furniture, they usually let us run with it. It was a joy to work with them and they remain close friends as well.” Full circle indeed.
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