COASTAL BEACH VIBE IN COCONUT GROVE
Residential Design
Category:
Coastal Interior Design
Location:
Miami Beach, FL
“A gray-on-gray residence reworked into a warm, relaxed beach house, built around the home’s existing features instead of starting over.”
The owner of this South of Fifth townhome lives in Charlotte and uses the property as a second home. The brief was simple: it should feel like a true beach house, relaxed, organic, and easy to settle into on arrival, not a city residence that happens to be near the water.
This wasn’t a full gut renovation. The gray kitchen cabinetry and black accents throughout were staying, so the design had to work with them rather than compete with them. That decision shaped the whole project. For a second home, the useful question isn’t how much can be replaced. It’s which changes the owner will notice every time they walk in. Keeping what was already in good condition kept the scope contained and moved the budget toward what the home was missing: warmth and storage.
We built the scheme around a neutral, earthy, organic palette. Red oak veneer cabinetry warms up the cooler gray. Rattan and cane add texture and a handmade quality, and they connect the existing black accents to the new look instead of leaving them isolated. We’ve used warm neutrals and organic furnishings for the same easy, beachside feel in our waterfront residence on Hibiscus Island, and leaned further into natural texture in Boho-Beachy in Golden Beach.
The kitchen shows the approach most clearly. Above the stove, a slatted cabinet is partly open and partly closed, so it adds storage without making the wall feel heavy. For the countertops, we chose porcelain from Ibera Tile, partly because it allowed us to integrate a concealed cooktop. The surface stays clean and continuous, and it holds up to everyday use.
Storage was scarce in the primary bedroom, so we designed a full built-in above the headboard. It adds capacity without taking up floor space. In the primary bathroom, suspended mirrors and a sheer curtain soften the room while keeping the natural light. Dozo Carpentry crafted the cane staircase and illuminated handrails, turning a circulation space into one of the home’s defining details.
The result is a home that feels warm, beachy, and personal. It now has the storage it lacked, and the design respects what was already there instead of erasing it.
Elsewhere in South of Fifth, our Mediterranean Farmhouse at The Courts took the neighborhood in a different direction, pairing traditional farmhouse elements with transitional simplicity. For another take on townhouse living in Miami Beach, the Luxury Modern Townhouse at Aqua on Allison Island has a crisper coastal tone with clean lines and nautical textures. The Miami Beach Starter Home uses light woods and organic elements to bring the same warmth to a South Beach residence.
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