Hong Kong lifestyle business hotel brand EAST Hotels recently debuted its first U.S. property, EAST, Miami, in the $1 billion Brickell City Centre. Despite a few brand standards, developer Swire Properties was adamant the hotel have its own identity—a mix of Asian, South American, and Miami’s own blended cultural influences. “We wanted to create a zen atmosphere that also encompasses Eastern influence, while the restaurants and bars were each to have an identity of their own,” explains Swire’s assistant vice president Clare Laverty. Housed in a 40-story deck- and patio-filled glass tower in the sleek complex by local architect Arquitectonica, EAST, Miami features 89 residences on the lower floors, while the upper floors contain 352 guestrooms and suites, a pool deck, two restaurants, and a rooftop lounge.
Custom elements “double as art,” says Clodagh, founder of New York-based Clodagh Design, like the lobby’s lenticular installation by the firm’s design director Nancie Min. Looking straight on at the front desk, stacked metal tubes give the effect of a traditional hotel key cubby, while from the side, the tubes show off rows of bright orange, EAST’s signature color. In the guestrooms, Clodagh’s own photos of Brickell Bay act as wallcoverings, and abstract murals from local artist Alex Mijares line the stairwells between the event spaces. As a nod to Miami’s social scene, Clodgah put the ultimate “selfie moment” in the elevators—a bronzed infinity mirror.
Santa Monica, California-based Studio Collective crafted the interiors for the day-to-night Quinto La Huella restaurant on the fifth floor, as well as rooftop bar Sugar. In the former, the team brought a beachside grill—Parador La Huella in Uruguay—into an urban setting.
“You can’t just pick up something completely weather worn that’s been there for 15 years and transplant that into a freshly built high-rise,” principal Christian Schulz points out. So they saturated the nearly 10,000-square-foot space with wood and neutral beachside colors and accented the main bar with a 6-foot, 10,000-pound copper sun from Uruguayan (and Miami-based) Sammer Gallery. Sugar takes inspiration from high-end Asian residences, with lush greenery and an elaborately handcarved teak bar. Keeping the location in mind, the firm designed moveable outdoor teak furniture that could withstand hurricane-force winds. Meanwhile, Sugar’s discreet indoor Tea Room, is dotted with lit-up terrariums and 3D-layered artwork made of printed glass.
