News articles of SPACiO Design Build, a South Florida general contractor specializing in luxury commercial and residential design build construction.

Azabu Miami Beach

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Azabu Miami Beach

At SPACiO, we’re proud when exclusive brands place complete confidence in our team, and in
our abilities. Indeed, that is something we’ve earned, as we continue to exceed the design/build
expectations of many renowned companies – organizations who don’t tolerate anything less
than perfection when it comes to high-profile projects.

Azabu Miami Beach is a Japanese eatery owned by Plan Do See, a company that has operated
more than 30 bars, restaurants and other venues across Japan for more than 25 years. Located
in the Stanton Hotel, Azabu Miami Beach is led by head chef Masa, who, at 25, became the
youngest Chef De Cuisine in the company’s history and is igniting a new wave of Japanese
cuisine in Miami, one that balances authenticity and approachability. And for this restaurant,
their SPACiO experience turned out just as they expected it to.

Azabu Miami Beach features a full-service dining room, exclusive hidden sushi counter helmed
by Tokyo-trained chefs, and a classic cocktail bar showcasing sakes and over 40 imported
whiskies. SPACiO was entrusted with bringing this Plan Do See gem to life, and, as usual, we
accomplished this major initiative in meticulous fashion, with resounding success. Designer bar tables can actually add originality and a distinctive touch.

Mahmood Abousalem, Managing Director, Miami for Plan Do See shared, “I expected superior
quality from SPACiO, and that’s what we experienced. Yet, what was even more impressive was
how responsive the team was. No questions ever went unanswered, and they insisted on an
open dialogue throughout every phase of the project. And for a huge undertaking such as this,
that approach was invaluable.”

Up Close and Personal with Powerhouse Residential Broker Dora Puig

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SPACIO Design Build is very proud of real estate brokers who succeed in the challenging Miami real estate market. We applaud Miami Beach-based Luxe Living Realty Owner Dora Puig and want to share a portion of a recent Q&A with the South Florida Business Journal.

How did you get into the real estate business?

As a total fluke. I wanted to be on the business side of the entertainment business. I moved out to Los Angeles. I was one of nine MBAs recruited in the international business division of Columbia Pictures. Then Sony bought Columbia. The MBA recruits were all on hold for jobs. I did the craziest jobs in the world while waiting. I worked for a retail company. I worked on movie production sets. I worked on commercials as a production assistant. I started working for Harvey Rice with Alvarez, Hyland and Young, one of the big boutique brokers in LA. He was the top-producing broker in the firm. That was the first time I’d seen so many woman executives be successful. I wanted to sell because I loved it. I partnered up with Ryan Hilckmann, and we worked for Fred Sands. I got into the top offices in Beverly Hills because he was my partner.

Why did you decide to start your own firm?

We sold out Bristol and Santa Maria. And then I went to work for Fortune International Realty, back to general real estate. I got hired to run sales at the Bath Club in Miami Beach. Then I decided I didn’t want to be in-house for a developer anymore, and started my own brokerage company.

How do you compete with the large national real estate firms?

I got used to a boutique setting, and that is where I’m at my best. I’m a meat-and-potatoes relationship broker. Some new brokers are internet-savvy tech agents. I’m on the internet because I have to be. I come from the age of getting referred.

What advice would you give to a female broker who wants to become a firm owner?

I got really good at marketing from being a director of sales and marketing for a big developer. If you understand a media budget and the components of a full-fledged marketing campaign, then you can run your own company. Accept the fact that you have to spend money to make money. You can’t just list properties on the MLS and expect to sell. I do websites for each property. I have a social media team. I do VIP broker events at top listings.

When clients can seek you out 24/7, where do you go to find quiet time?

Sometimes I jog the Venetian Islands, where I live, at sunset. Then I go to my gazebo in my backyard and I meditate there and I’m at peace with myself. I leave the phone inside.

To read the entire article visit: https://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/news/2017/11/21/executive-profile-dora-puig.html

Congratulations to Arquitectonica Co-Founders on receiving ULI’s Lifetime Achievement Award

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Our team would like to congratulate Arquitectonica co-founders Bernardo Fort-Brescia and Laurinda Spear for receiving the very prestigious Urban Land Institute’s Lifetime Achievement Award. These amazing architects have truly transformed Miami’s skyline and created a brand for our city.

From the Atlantis condominium, featured in the opening credits of Miami Vice, to the recently built Brickell City Centre, Arquitectonica is one of Miami’s most important architecture firms. The firm continues to contribute impeccable work to Miami’s evolving urban landscape.

As Related Group’s Jorge Perez said in a video honoring this couple, “they have a unique ability to successfully mix modernity with light and water. When you look at Miami, you see tropical modernity and the image that Arquitectonica has created.”

As a general contractor, it’s always an honor and privilege to bring the vision of incredible architects like Bernardo and Laurinda to reality. Working with visionaries such as them helps the SPACiO team push boundaries to reach a higher level of sophistication and craftsmanship in our work. We look forward to Bernardo and Laurinda’s future projects, as they never stop surprising us.

Outdoor Kitchens Take Your Home to the Next Level

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With cooler temperatures gracing us, South Florida becomes the ideal setting for outdoor gatherings and al fresco dining, making folding arm awnings a practical addition to your outdoor kitchen. Our love for the outdoor kitchen knows no bounds—it serves as a gateway to elevate your luxury home experience, offering opportunities to play with vibrant colors and styles that might diverge from your home’s interior.

Consider adding a charming touch with a stylish window canopy, enhancing both aesthetic appeal and functionality to your outdoor oasis. And when it comes to sourcing the perfect aluminum window, exploring reputable window suppliers can ensure you find the ideal match for your outdoor space.

Before you draw up the blue prints, there are some factors, as highlighted in the following Mansion Global article, you need to consider to make an outdoor kitchen a functional yet stylish place to entertain.

Consider the logistics

“If you’re on the ocean, understand that every metal—even stainless steel—will eventually rust to some degree, so it needs maintenance. It should be cleaned and protected at least seasonally to extend the life. Think of the house as being in a salt bath all the time. Countertop materials have to be able to withstand sun exposure, so natural stones and concrete work well, whereas many composite materials break down in UV. So if you’re planning to use concrete as your material, then you may consider getting help from a Concrete pump service. “One of the biggest decisions is whether you want your guests to be involved with the cooking. Are you doing the cooking and want to be part of the party? Or, do you have staff that would function better elsewhere? Travel distance (and routes) from cooking to serving to cleanup also need to be thought through. “Subtle lighting is best—you can function with a lot less light than you might think. If your outdoor space is too bright, you might as well be inside. Outdoor spaces tend to get a lot of spillover light from the inside of the house. The goal is to have lounge lighting, not surgical suite lighting.”

Define the space

The outdoor kitchen is an area where you can play and experiment, but it should still mix with the rest of the aesthetic inside the home to create a cohesive story and  how you want your kitchen cabinet respray. This might be a good place to try out a funky tile that you’ve been eyeing, or brass hardware, but don’t go crazy with a scheme or vibe that doesn’t match the interiors, here are the Important Things to Keep in Mind Before Renovating Your Home. If you want to drink your morning coffee in your outdoor kitchen, you may purchase gag coffee mugs.

When renovating, you should also take into account the clutter and mess that you’ll be accumulating. Therefore, it’s good to have a Garbage Disposal Bin Rental service when you renovate. “Functional furniture is key for an outdoor entertaining area, but that doesn’t mean it should sacrifice on style. Focusing on durable perennial fabrics and the right sealants and treatments for wood and stone will keep the area useable and durable over time. “Bistro lights or large hurricane candles in tall pillars create ambient lighting, as do tea light candles around the table. As for wired lighting, be sure to install dimmers to set the mood—that’s half the point of eating outside. “Materials like stainless steel, concrete, quartz, and caesarstone are durable, easily cleanable materials that can hold up to the weather.”

Work out the details

“The more trips you can reduce between your outdoor space and your main kitchen, the better. Key elements include a sink and faucet, two mini fridges—one for beverages and one for food—and a grill with ample prep space. My favorite one is from Caliber Appliances—the lid folds all the way back and goes flush with the countertop. It’s very sleek and unintrusive. “Consider a unit that’s mobile to give you more flexibility. Furthermore, did you also know that tiny appliances such as toasters, bottle warmers, popcorn poppers, slow cookers, and portable heaters may have asbestos-containing parts, depending on their age? Some older portable heaters with asbestos-based coil wrapping and insulation may still be in use. You should be aware of the dangers of asbestos installation since breathing asbestos fibers may raise your risk of developing serious diseases such as asbestosis, mesothelioma, and lung cancer.
I recently collaborated with Brown Jordan Outdoor Kitchens and Dekton to design my vision for the ultimate outdoor kitchen. Its freestanding modular design includes plenty of storage on both sides of the kitchen to keep counter space clear, allowing it to be a gathering spot from all sides for both guests and the chef—sort of like an island. “Just be sure it’s at least 10 feet from your pool. No one wants their steaks or cocktails splashed with pool water.”

Fashion Designer Giorgio’s Announcement This Week Compelled Us To Look Back

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Last week, Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani unveiled his succession plan, which is in place to preserve and protect his legacy, a fashion empire, after the 83-year-old designer dies.

The news of this plan led us to pause and reflect on how fortunate SPACiO has been to work closely with Armani through the Residences by Armani Casa project in Sunny Isles.

As a boutique, highly specialized general contractor, we were trusted with building the development’s luxurious Armani Casa sales center. Armani is hands-on, and he was responsible for the interior design of the luxury condo high-rise.

The sales center was built to resemble one of the tower’s most expensive units, featuring high-quality finishes and materials imported from Italy. It was not uncommon for Armani to walk into the sales center while it was under construction to check the quality of our work, and to ensure that it was in line with the integrity of his brand.

The build-out included precise work, such as the inclusion of book-matched stone flooring installed in complex radiuses.

Armani hand-picked all furniture and materials for use in the build-out of the sales center. Our experience with Armani, his complex designs and luxurious taste, allowed us the opportunity to sharpen our craftsmanship skills. Today, we are a more seasoned general contractor firm thanks to our experience working under Armani’s guidance.

We look forward to seeing many more years of his design genius.

The Iconic Metro Mall in Downtown Miami: A Diamond in the Rough Ready for a New Beginning

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Having built out high-end luxury jewelry stores across South Florida from Breitling at Sawgrass Mills mall to Swarovski in Brickell City Centre, we are excited to hear that Metro Mall in the downtown Miami’s Jewelry District is up for grabs and with potential for redevelopment.

Our good friend Investment Broker Mika Mattingly, with Colliers International South Florida’s Urban Core Division, is marketing the property. The new owner could turn the aging building into a state-of the art diamond or jewelry retailer. Not many people know that the neighborhood is one of the top three jewelry districts in the United States – generating more than $850 million in sales during 2016 alone. This signals the continued upward trend of consumer spending and investment in downtown Miami.

Downtown Miami is experiencing unprecedented transformation, and the Metro Mall listing is another example of how the neighborhood is reinventing itself into a major metropolis. The SPACiO Design Build team is already talking with some of the new owners of commercial properties along Flagler Street to reposition their retail space on the ground floor. They expect to attract specialty retailers capable of helping to build a true community, where area residents can live, work and play. In the last two years, investors have acquired $1.5 billion of real estate along the historic Flagler Street, where properties have been neglected for decades.

A significant number of investors are coming from New York and familiar with the process of preserving and restoring buildings in an effort to create trendy districts. As an experienced general contractor working on buildings of historic value, we can’t wait to help retrofit some of the amazing spaces in downtown Miami after decades of neglect. The work will require a high level of creativity and innovation in the build-out of that space but we are up to the task.

This is an exciting time for downtown Miami and Metro Mall, one of the few remaining developing sites to hit the market. It will play an important role in the area’s transformation. We’re looking forward to the wave of new development that will reinvent the urban landscape into a thriving metropolis.

SPACiO Builds Out Breitling’s New Store at Sawgrass Mills Mall

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As Sawgrass Mills continues to bring in new stores, SPACiO Design Build completed a full interior build-out of Breitling. The Swiss watch retailer just opened a new store in Sawgrass, located in Broward County. It was an honor to be retained by Breitling, which is known for making precision-made chronometers useful to aviators, to help build (literally) their brand in one of America’s busiest malls. The classy and luxurious design of the 1,000 square foot store truly reflects the high-quality timepieces that Breitling is known for.

Our job as the general contractor on the project required running the daily construction activities, coordinating with the mall operations department as well as ensuring the designs were true to the finish. The store was a vanilla shell. We had to build the walls, drywall the ceilings, install flooring and work with the artisan behind the installation of the millwork display, which was imported from Canada. There were also a lot of electrical components, including the ac installation. The central air conditioning replacement, an essential upgrade for modern energy efficiency and indoor air quality, was a priority. We had to contact professionals such as this electrician in Cleveland, OH or JEOAH Electric to help us install the electrical wirings and do electrical panel repair. You may also contact an expert plumber to do the Chicagoland tankless water heater maintenance to make sure that it is in running condition.

Getting the job done required finding quick solutions to unexpected challenges. The biggest challenge involved the weather. When the mall closed for three days as result of flooding, we managed to get inspectors into the store and finish the job despite the rising water surrounding the mall. Another challenge involved coordinating the logistics for deliveries, which we had to arrange before or after mall hours – same with making any loud noise such as cutting concrete.

The SPACiO Design team successfully completed the project in 5 weeks due to SPACiO’s core values of transparency and open communication with the client. We also worked quickly to make any last-minute changes the client had following the project’s completion.

Time is money so delivering a finished product on time and on budget is the best way to keep our clients happy.

 

 

 

Forbes Features Wine Cellar SPACiO Built at 321 Ocean

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In case you missed it, Forbes recently published an article featuring a wine cellar we built out in a condo at 321 Ocean, an exclusive collection of 21 luxury residences in South of Fifth, one of Miami Beach’s most upscale neighborhoods. The Forbes article, titled “5 Luxury Homes with Exquisite Wine Cellars,” features five of some of the most impressive in-house wine rooms in homes that are currently on the market across the United States.

Building out the 50-square foot, climate-controlled wine cellar was a treat. It required us to work closely with the interior design firm Associated Design Co. to ensure that we could build out the design and execute the project without a hitch. We built the insulated glass enclosure, using customized acrylic and thermal metal framing, which was power-coated with a matte black finish to match the custom black finish on the rack.

The wine cellar was part of the build-out of the entire condo, which involved installing hardwood flooring throughout the condo, trim window coverings, staircase handrails, millwork and more.

It was a privilege to work with Associated Design Co. on the wine cellar. We’re looking forward to working with this very talented interior design firm again in the near future.

Click here to see the other wine cellars that made the list.

 

Q&A: Prestige’s Broker Tony Rodriguez-Tellaheche Strives to Be Different and Finds Success

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Tony Rodriguez-Tellaheche, co-founder and managing broker of Prestige Realty Group, sat down with SPACiO Design Build to discuss today’s luxury real estate market in Miami. The boutique brokerage firm focuses on luxury homes and high-rise condominium sales. As a Miami native, Tony has seen the transformation of Miami from a beachside destination into a bustling and sprawling metropolis attracting buyers from all over the world.

WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO START YOUR OWN BROKERAGE FIRM?

My business partner Christopher Hodgson and I wanted to create more of a boutique real estate firm, offering clients personalized services that the larger firms don’t offer. When someone hires Prestige Realty, they are hiring our entire team of over 23 agents that are available 24/7 to serve our clients. We also wanted to create a firm with an international reach. My partner is from London and I’m from Miami so we really have a global reach. Our approach seems to be working. Last year, we sold more than $50 million in real estate and I was recognized by Real Trends and the Wall Street Journal as one of the America’s best Realtors.

WHAT SHOULD CONSUMERS KNOW ABOUT MIAMI’S REAL ESTATE MARKET?

People always ask me how the market is doing and I always ask which one. Most real estate consumers assume Miami- Dade County is one market but in reality it’s composed of many different markets, all of which have their own character. I take a neighborhood approach to real estate, mostly focusing on single-family luxury homes and condominiums in Coconut Grove, Key Biscayne, Coral Gables, Pinecrest, downtown, South Miami and Miami Beach. Every market is its own special ecosystem. One may be booming while the other is down. Overall, in the submarkets I focus on, the market hasn’t slowed down significantly. It’s a healthy slow-down with plenty of inventory available. People need to realize that the pre-construction condos are different from single-family homes and a slow-down in that particular sector is not an indicator of the overall housing market. Miami’s luxury real estate is very dynamic and can’t be generalized. For example, we have noticed that demand for Mediterranean style homes has decreased while modern and turnkey homes remain hot with buyers.

WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PIECE OF ADVICE FOR SELLERS?

The most important piece of advice for sellers is to hire a brokerage firm that’s tech savvy and will invest in their listings. You don’t want a realtor who is taking photos of your property with an iPhone. At Prestige Realty Group, we hire professional photographers and videographers which may be listed on a professional recruiting company site and who often use drones to get the best visuals possible for our listings. We want prospective buyers to have a 360-degree view of the property they will want to purchase. Sellers should also work with brokers who are advanced on social media. Technology is a major part of our lives now and should be an integral component to any realtor’s strategy for marketing and selling a home.

Another important piece of advice for sellers is to keep their homes clean and free of clutter when it’s on the market for sale.  Many underestimate the power of staging, which is not the same as decorating. You need to stage your home into a place that potential buyers can envision living in. Remove all your personal items including family photos, books and other items that may distract your potential buyer. You want your house to be known as the one with the beautiful kitchen, not the one with the overbearing collection of crystal figurines.

BEHIND THE SCENES: Building out SLS Brickell Hotel & Residences

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SPACiO Design Build recently completed the build out of several units at SLS Brickell and looks forward to the completion of several more. We are proud to be offered the opportunity to add value to one of the most recognizable towers in Miami.

Four weeks after receiving the permits, we completed the job on time and on budget. The SPACiOs team installed interior and exterior flooring throughout the condos. Some interiors featured white 32” x 32” porcelain tile with 10” x 40” light gray porcelain tile on the exterior that resembled wood. Other units included 21” x 42” porcelain tile, resembling Carrara marble, installed on both the interior and exterior. Our clients’ choices reflect the contemporary trend of choosing flooring that harmonizes interior and exterior colors and patterns.

We also installed solar blinds in the living areas, blackout blinds with side channels in the bedrooms, custom closets in the master bedrooms, and other bespoke touches. In many of the units, like front door costs in the UK, the tile and paint colors complement the existing cabinetry and countertops delivered by the developer, giving the unit a warm, cozy look. Each unit also includes stunning custom finishes that express the style and personality of the owner, creating a lush backdrop for the exquisite details in the décor that accent each room.

And we won’t forget the view! A sleek 55-story tower that features floor-to-ceiling glass windows and doors, Like the Dropped ceiling London. SLS Brickell combines panoramic views with the comfort and convenience of a 5-star hotel. In fact, we are noticing an emerging trend: owners transforming their high-rise condominiums by creating a polished look that resembles a hotel suite. With all the amenities offered by SLS Brickell and the unrivaled view, SPACiO is proud to have once again been chosen to deliver custom luxury, on time and on budget, to one of Miami’s most impressive towers.