// POOLSIDE PARADISE
The founders of haute furniture company Morada create an energetic and easy-on-the-eyes poolscape for a midcentury bungalow on Miami Beach.
THE FOUNDERS OF HAUTE FURNITURE COMPANY MORADA CREATE AN ENERGETIC AND EASY-ON-THE-EYES POOLSCAPE FOR A MIDCENTURY BUNGALOW ON MIAMI BEACH.
Effortless beauty is not always effortless. In fact, it takes a keen eye and just the right touch to create this charm, particularly in the backyards of some of Miami’s most luxurious homes. For Fernan Hernandez, a perfectionist architect and furniture designer, it’s a matter of mixing a curiosity for life and design innovation with his unique artistic sense—a combination that landed him several Furniture Designer of the Year awards for his global collections as the creative head behind Morada-haute Furniture Boutique. Working with Morada cofounder Holger Odenstein, the duo produced their latest masterpiece, a backyard setup to complement some 8,000 square feet of outdoor space at a threebedroom bungalow-style Mid-beach home erected in 1951.
“It was completely redone with all walls opened so you can enjoy the garden from every room,” says Hernandez. The owners were keen on making use of the outside surrounding lush garden by integrating it with the living space. “Aesthetically, they wanted it to look like a boutique villa inspired by tropical and Southeast Asian elements by adding pieces like handcrafted coconut palm tree planters to feel fresh, elegant, inviting— but still cool and hip.”
In the pool area, Fernandez and Odenstein established a lounge-like feel, perfect for entertaining during the day and at night. “Outside, you have the Morada outdoor sofas with flexible boosters that allow you to convert the sofas to sun beds, lounge sofas, or chaise lounge/ daybeds,” says Odenstein. The Morada sun beds, made of wood with integrated umbrellas, all face toward the stunning Medusa-inspired sculpture at the end of the swimming pool. “[It’s made from the] roots of a Suar tree and part of the trunk, from which the artists carved the face. The hair is simulated by the dense root netting,” explains Hernandez. The resulting atmosphere, Hernandez says, is “contemporary, but with some ethnic elements that make it cozy and comfortable. [It’s] the perfect extension of the living room: inside-outside living.” 3701 Biscayne Blvd., Miami, 305-501-2768; moradafurniture.com