Detail Eden Roc, Morris Lapidus
We spent the better part of the morning trying to figure out where we were. Then, into the total water therapy moving from the hot tub to the fantasy pool to ending up where we were most happy, the ocean. White white sand. Very salty. Sinus clearing stuff. No real shells. But lots of code and rules around chairs and towels and the like. The swimming pool area have these cabanas that have microwaves(or TVs), little tables for drinks and chairs facing out towards the pool. Families jam into these striped huts with golden finials on the top...hogging all the pool real estate contingent with their rentals. We have no idea of how this thing works...
Then, we jumped in our car for a little drive. We drove down from Bal Harbor to Miami Beach and stopped at Lincoln Avenue for shopping and lunch. We had lunch and enjoyed after--at a terrific bookstore book/cafe with a collection of books that would never have made it through the challenges the big box book stores put them through. Huge collection of graphic novels including a new one from Ms.Satrape (of Peropolis fame) and in Charles Burns book in real life versus "images from". We were delighted to have a walk through of the local Design Within Reach store to see a table that was specced for a job. Next door was the highlight--a store called Base, which is in the small chicshop mode-- lots of well designed decorative arts pieces for the home. They carried fashion show music from Milan (double CD sets), raw wooden, carved animal heads (to size) for your walls, matte porcelain birthday cakes--all white with applied decorations, huge lanterns with light fixures inside (36" tall), cute little side chairs covered in Fornesetti prints complementing black and white striped upolstry or that covered in toile. Old design classic chairs--with their worn leather coverings. Wonderful. We saw the bike shelter/bus shelter designed by Zaha Hadid (winner of many awards including the Pritsker)--basically, a student project. I mean, she had to house a bicycle?
And Morris Lapidus?! Design god. Now that we saw a bit of his work...(the Eden Roc knocking my socks off)-much reading and looking must happen. His work is so of the time..the Disneyland aesthetic, Mary Blair--all the usual suspects--that given the context of entertaining environments to relax, he is the king.
"My whole success is I've always been designing for people, first because I wanted to sell them merchandise. Then when I got into hotels, I had to rethink, what am I selling now? You're selling a good time."
Morris Lapidus
See what I mean? What's not to love?
Lots of MiMo looking. Pink, aqua etc. of bas relief. Terrific. We drove through some of downtown--phenomenal growth--cranes everywhere. Then we toured the Port of Miami to get our bearnings. Interesting. Architecture expressing the boats--big white structures against these perfect skies.
More swimming and a later dinner at La Goulou (same as Manhatten)--and a quick walk through of the Bal Harbour Mall amidst a downpour. All the NYC big brands were there...shoulder to shoulder ready to sell you something elegant and glossy. We windowshopped and ran through the ran back to our snuggy beds.
More later>>