SAOTA: Dilido House, Miami

The setting for this Miami house is on a pie shaped lot on the southern tip of Dilido Island with superb views of the islands, downtown and South Beach.

The SAOTA-designed house spills out onto the longer, waterfront elevation and draws on the jet-set lifestyle of Biscayne Bay, to evoke the experience of being on the deck of a super yacht.

Multiple events unfold on this versatile terrace whose defining characteristic – the harmonious merging of internal and external living spaces – is a theme carried throughout the house.

Entrance from the street, via the Venetian Causeway, is more restrained; lush planting skirts a generous in-out driveway, and a series of wall planes and volumes, held together by a curved screen of etched glass, signal a grand, double-volume entrance hall. Once inside, the splayed nature of the site becomes apparent as masses of programme pull apart to form a dramatic canyon whose volume frames the view out into the bay.

This central void is animated with deliberately sculptural elements and artworks – including a bold spiral staircase, and a series of bronze screens which hang from the ceiling to create a double height dining room, and separate kitchen and family space from the more formal entertainment areas to the East.

All the principle living spaces- from the more intimate areas housing a kitchen, butler kitchen and a large family den, to the more open and expansive Great Room and Study- live out onto a semi covered collection of external living rooms verged by the curved arc of the bay-side.

Reflecting the lush setting of sea and islands, water, which meanders throughout the house from a pond at the entrance and via a calm refection pool around the study, unifies this lido-like outdoor space, whilst creating smaller islands of space and linking the inside to the pool and the sea.

The covered external living areas flow onto a spacious deck with a resort-like choice of covered lounging areas, deckchairs for sunbathing, shallow-water “martini” seating, a fully functional bar area and even a pop-up outdoor table on the water edge for the ultimate on-water dining experience. With two mooring docks the flow between land and sea is seamless and fluid, while meeting all flood line requirements.

Architect of Record: @kobikarp

Interior Designer: @lmidinc

Landscaping: Raymond Jungles @studiojungles

Owners Representative: Prime Group Management (PGM)

Lighting Consultant: @luxpopuli_lightingdesign

Contractor: @brodsoninc

AV Consultant: Xssentials

Photo: @adamletchfoto

For more visit SAOTA.