As Miami becomes a full-time base for global wealth, designers are shifting homes toward larger compounds, seamless layouts, and round-the-clock use.
is no longer just a seasonal weekend diversion or a maybe secondary address to post up for a few weeks in the winter; it has become a primary residence, a strategic decision reflecting where global wealth chooses to live.
'The Bachelorette' Was Filmed at This $78 Million SoCal Ranch As recently as 2020, there were no recorded residential sales above $50 million, but by 2025, Miami had emerged as one of the country’s , where nine-figure transactions are no longer unusual. The broader market may be cooling, but at the very top, activity remains concentrated, and along a narrow stretch tracing Biscayne Bay, properties trade quietly, often before they are formally listed.functions as much as a financial strategy and lifestyle enhancer as it does as a shelter. Buyers are not simply acquiring places to live; they are increasingly is working across several of these kinds of uber-luxe projects, including the Indian Creek Island estate acquired by Zuckerberg and Chan. Known for , the Canadian tastemaker has increasingly focused his practice in South Florida, where projects tend to unfold at a much larger scale. On Indian Creek, he’s currently working on another waterfront home for another billionaire, part of a small cluster of new mansions reshaping the island, and further north, in a private golf community near Palm Beach, he’s designing homes for former hockey player Wayne Gretzky and Rafauli approaches these houses as fully integrated projects, with architecture, interiors, and landscape developed together from the outset. The goal is continuity, spaces that feel resolved rather than assembled. “For me, design is an insurance policy on the land it’s built on,” he said. “The right architecture elevates the investment. The wrong one diminishes it.” He is also working on a 10,000-square-foot penthouse at the forthcoming Aman Residences in Miami Beach, where the challenge is more compressed. “You’re delivering impact in a single moment,” he said. “Every line of sight, every proportion—it all has to work instantly, then reveal itself over time.”, the shift in Miami is less about aesthetics than about how a house performs over the course of a day. The Miami-based firm has built a reputation for high-end residential work across South Florida, particularly in Miami Beach and Coral Gables, where scale and livability are equally prioritized. As the city has become a year-round base, their clients—often finance and tech principals Indeed, multifunctionality has changed how they plan space. Offices are treated more like private work suites, usually with the same level of finish as the main living areas. Entertaining spaces are designed to expand and contract depending on use, accommodating larger groups without feeling oversized when empty. “The goal is for everything to feel seamless,” they said. “You shouldn’t have to think about how a space works—it should just keep up with you.”, led by Deborah Wecselman, that same shift is playing out across a portfolio that includes waterfront estates in Bal Harbour and Fisher Island, as well as high-end condominium work. Her projects often attract international clients, including energy and finance executives, and balance strong architectural frameworks with quieter, material-driven interiors. Projects are moving away from decorative finishes toward natural materials—wood, stone, and layered surfaces that hold up over time. Floor plans are also becoming more segmented, with larger homes organized into distinct zones. “People still want scale,” Wecselman said, “but they also want a sense of separation within it.” Her instincts are clearly pointed in the right direction. In Bal Harbour, a waterfront estate she designed for Invenergy founder Michael Polsky sold for $24 million, setting a local record, whileThe way these homes are used has changed as well: stays are longer; work and leisure overlap; staff operates continuously but with minimal visibility. Houses in South Florida’s most coveted areas are increasingly expected to accommodate all of it. That thinking is shaping Miami’s next wave of development. in Surfside, a new oceanfront project designed by Zaha Hadid Architects. HBA, part of the global hospitality design firm Hirsch Bedner Associates, is known for large-scale luxury hotel and branded residential projects, including work with Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton, and Mandarin Oriental. For Earl, the expansion and reorientation of priorities is not just about adding more amenities but about how cohesively they are integrated.“We’re seeing a real shift in how people want to live,” she said. “Wellness is at the heart of it—not as an add-on, but as a framework for the whole environment.” At projects like the Delmore, that means thinking beyond individual amenities and focusing on how the residence functions day to day, from daily routines to long-term stays. Though much of Miami’s top tier is moving toward polished restraint, not everyone is following that direction. In Little River, a former industrial pocket turned creative hub, is leaning into something more expressive. Founded by Monica Santayana and Ronald Alvarez, the Miami-based studio has built its reputation on dynamic interiors that mix saturated color with a more relaxed approach to materials.That perspective is carrying into their residential projects, where the brief is often less about uniformity and more about personality. For Chelsea Hirschhorn, founder and CEO of Frida, Moniomi designed a Miami bungalow that operates as a standalone extension of her primary residence. With a softer, beach-driven feel, the project reflects a broader shift in how these homes are conceived. “We’ve seen a move away from single-residence living toward more of a private campus,” they said, with separate guest and amenity houses designed specifically for entertaining. In this case, the bungalow functions more like a boutique hotel than a traditional guest wing, with color-saturated suites and dedicated recreation spaces.Projects incorporate layered textures, bolder palettes, and highly specific programming, from guesthouses to spaces built around individual interests. “An elite home now is about how well it reflects the client’s lifestyle,” they said. “Not just how it looks, but how it functions day to day.” Whether Miami’s top-tier homes double down on restraint and systemization or push in the opposite direction, toward identity and personalization, both approaches point to the same recalibration of what an ultra-luxury home is, no longer just a residence but a self-contained and multifunctional environment, part headquarters, part social space, and part retreat, often all at once.Abigail Montanez is a staff writer at Robb Report. She has worked in both print and digital publishing for over half a decade, covering everything from real estate, entertainment, dining, travel to…sign upThis Modern Masterpiece in the Blue Ridge Mountains Features a Vaulted Indoor Pool
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Meet the pro snowboarder turned chef behind innovative Oquirrh RestaurantFor Andrew Fuller, snowboarding led to the unlikely journey of ultimately becoming a chef and restaurant owner of Oquirrh. Now's he becoming the talk of the town.
Read more »
Kering Confirms 10 Chinese Designers for Residency ProgramKering revealed the 10 designers who will participate in its new initiative in China dubbed CRAFT, which stands for Creative Residency for Artisanship, Fashion and Technology.
Read more »
Meet the puzzlemaster behind LinkedIn's games like 'Zip' and 'Patches'Business Insider tells the global tech, finance, stock market, media, economy, lifestyle, real estate, AI and innovative stories you want to know.
Read more »
Kering Welcomes 10 Young Designers to Inaugural CRAFT ProgramKering, the French luxury conglomerate, launches its first Creative Residency for Artisanship, Fashion, and Technology (CRAFT) program, welcoming ten young designers to foster innovation and talent.
Read more »
What Makes Belgium Produce So Many Exceptional Fashion Designers?At “The Antwerp Six” exhibition opening, Sarah Mower gets to the roots of the country’s talent phenomenon.
Read more »
Saudi Designers Are Writing Their Own RulesFrom the Saudi Cup runway to global stockists, a new generation of Saudi designers is building a design language entirely on their own terms.
Read more »