Tropic Magazine | January 2017

Wolk chose the palette of the beach for this sun-filled space on the sand in South Beach. Art from the owner's collection rests above a sideboard of Wolk's own design.

michael wolk

Michael Wolk Design Associates, located just south of Midtown Miami is known for the exciting and inspiring designs of its namesake and principal, Michael Wolk. The award-winning team at Michael Wolk is responsible for some of South Florida's most successful interiors, both commercial and residential.

One of Wolk's recent projects was for a very special residence, the siting of which spoke to him about how to tackle its interior design and finishes. We recently spoke to the designer about this project. The dining room was directly adjacent to the floor-to-ceiling glass that looked out onto the sand, the ocean and the sky, so the palette was set by these elements and we carried them all through to the interior.

TROPIC: Tell us a little about the client for this project.

Michael Wolk: The client for this project is a world-class entrepreneur who has one home on the beach and bought the townhouse at II Villaggio on South Beach, a residence that was formerly owned by Madonna. The entire home seems light and airy, and exhibits a real connection with its South Florida location. The dining room was directly adjacent to the floor-kxeiling glass that looked out onto the sand, the ocean and the sky, so the palette was set by these elements and we carried them all through to the interior. The bentwood chairs look like Thonet, and we love them paired with the gently curved dining table.

They are new reproductions of the Michael Thonet classics. One of the factors determining the furniture selections for this project was the notion of mixing up some of my own new designs with contemporary pieces and some of the modern classics to get a dynamic, eclectic look. The marble dining table you see here is by Maxalto. The sideboard you see here with the incised, floating top and no hardware is one of my own, custom-designed built-ins that was specifically tailored to accommodate this client's needs.