A Fresh Generation of Miami Makers Are Redefining Local Aesthetics

Though the “Tropicália overload” look reigns in the more touristy spaces, hometown designers are drawing inspiration from hallmarks of the city known by its residents.

Text by

Jesse Dorris

Illustrations by

Salini Perera

This story is part of our annual look at the state of American design. This year, we’re highlighting work that shines through an acrimonious moment—and makes the case for optimism.

"Miami is fairly young," says floral designer Elizabeth Jaime, who left New York City and returned to her hometown in 2019 to plant the seeds for Calma, and her studio has become the city’s go-to for adventurous arrangements. "There isn’t a long history of design to build off or even act in opposition to," she says. "So I think Miami is still trying to determine what its style is."

Of course, there’s the city’s unparalleled (at least in the United States) Art Deco legacy, though it is no longer as influential as it once was, Jaime says. As for 21st-century perspectives, she points to arriviste designers mining ersatz looks, like those she calls "Tropicália overload" and "’80s Miami cocaine den," particularly in hospitality spaces. "Tourism is a major part of the Miami economy," she notes, "and these spaces are a necessary evil." They’re also a reminder that Miami is young in terms of the hedonist crowds you’ll find downing SpicyJaja Margaritas at the Goodtime Hotel.

Jaime prefers a new generation of designers who, she says, find inspiration in the city as experienced by its full-time residents. "There are makers borrowing from the landscape and using local materials as well as found objects." She’s particularly fond of Emmett Moore’s breeze-block chairs. "Breeze blocks are a hallmark of Miami design," she says. "They protect interiors from the harsh Florida elements like sun and storms while still allowing for air to blow through." She points out that it’s fitting that a city so vulnerable to climate change should demonstrate how local conditions make local culture.