It is always a challenge to design a new house that doesn?t scream NEW. This is especially demanding if the neighbourhood is well established, the house sizeable and the owners? taste leans toward midcentury modernism. In addition, a sprawling interior that screams newness can feel coldly sterile and pretentiously fake and give off ?display suite? vibes rather than feeling like a real home.

Designers and architects Max Strang and Alexandra Mangimelli of Sarasota and Miami-based Strang Design clearly knew what they were doing when they designed the 8,500 square-foot (800 sq.m.) home for their client in the Coconut Grove neighbourhood of Miami. The owners wanted a modern, sculptural house that takes full advantage of Florida?s lush greenery but also functions seamlessly as a contemporary home both inside and out. Most important, they wanted their Brazilian heritage to show. Their extensive collection of Brazilian furniture, furnishings and art functioned as the overall inspiration for the home.
Material choices ? board-formed concrete, travertine and Jerusalem limestone, teak and walnut wood ? and the couple?s Brazilian collection carefully placed throughout the residence, give the house a tranquil atmosphere of modernist timelessness. It is an eclectic but harmonious environment that includes new and vintage, modern and heritage but with an overall sense of clarity. Nothing looks out of place or demands attention in an ostentatious fit of show-off.

The owners? Brazilian ...