This South Miami home has a beautiful architectural blend of coastal and Mediterranean style. For the designers at KJ Design Collective, keeping this character alive was key in the property’s redesign. Their clients, young professionals with two small kiddos, wanted a family-friendly space that would still feel luxe. 

“The property was in great condition and had recently been renovated, but was filled with traditional details,” Principal Designer and Co-Founder Janine Rivero says. “Our client was looking to modernize the space so they did not want to keep these details. One of the most important updates that we did, that changed the overall feel of the home, is remove all the textured wallpaper. The house was literally covered wall-to-wall in wallpaper!”

Now, the interior embodies elements of transitional, coastal, and modern. “We wanted to infuse the home with the spaces that are light and airy, and had a variety of textures,” President of Procurement and Co-Founder Karina Gonzalez explains. “In the living room the family wanted a large sectional where they can all hang out together. We went with a performance suede fabric which provided the casual look and durability our client was wanting.” Storage was a big request, so there are two separate built-ins with beautiful caning in this space, tying in the modern coastal vibe. “We worked with the cabinetry fabricator to ensure that both built-ins had space to hide their children’s toys when needed to,” Karina continues. 

In the kitchen, the designers decided to repaint the cabinets and the island in a new color, as well as install a new stone with waterfall edge for the island. “To create a more open modern feel, some upper cabinets were removed and replaced with white oak floating shelves,” Janine explains. “This allowed our client to easily access their everyday dinnerware and display accessories and family photos.” Another great feature in the space was the redesign of the decorative hood. “We changed the profile to be more streamlined and contemporary and added a white oak band to tie in the floating shelves.”

The year-long project did take longer than anticipated due to pandemic-related delays, but was worth the wait. “Our clients loved the finished product and were thrilled to finally be living in the space,” they share.