Case Study – The Moore

Sitting where a pineapple plantation once thrived, The Moore, designed in the 1920s by architect David P. Davis, began life as a furniture warehouse and showroom, a product of Florida’s land boom era. Davis could never have imagined the transformation that awaited the neighborhood: luxury boutiques, Michelin-starred restaurants, and a cultural district buzzing with creative energy. 

WoodHouse founder Brady Wood assembled a team that would look beyond the building’s storied past and see its vibrant potential. Frequent collaborator ICRAVE developed a master plan for the four-story interior featuring Elastika restaurant, named after the eponymous Zaha Hadid sculpture installed in the atrium in 2005; a private members club; a workspace; and a boutique hotel. Brady also brought in renowned hospitality designer Studio-Collective for the hotel rooms and parts of the club.

 Lead designer Greg Merkel wanted to salvage as much of The Moore’s character as possible. “There were some beautiful elements we wanted to keep, but the structure was heavy, with columns, beams, sheet rock, and concrete floors. “There were so many ways it could go,” said Brady. “Narrowing in on one clear vision took time.” Even so, he thought, it had the potential to become “the lobby of the design district,” an image WoodHouse very much liked. 

Studio-Collective believed Miami’s melting pot of Latin culture could bring the right energy and design influence to the spaces, and Greg agreed. “ We didn’t say, ‘Let’s make this a Cuban, or Argentinian, or Brazilian project. Let’s make this a Pan-American experience that isn’t rigorous to any one country. What unites them is a strong craftsmanship of art, design, and furniture that is a dying breed in other countries, like America,” said designer Christian Schultz.

Christian and Brady had discovered Sossego’s handcrafted modern furniture on a trip to Brazil. For their part, ICRAVE had attended a Sossego dinner in Chicago. Both design teams agreed that Sossego’s pieces of native woods and custom finishes offered minimalist profiles that would balance well against the building’s heavy structure. “The Sossego pieces helped influence the project,” said Greg. 

Studio-Collective’s Leslie Kale agreed. “The styles matched what we were looking for. They looked and felt like luxury, but were much more: uber-functional, elegant, timeless, with nice lines. Laid-back and deeply relaxing without being heavy- handed or over-the-top. Fantastic over-stuffed lounge chairs that were super cushy.” For ICRAVE’s Aline Aguero, “The Miami design district sees objects, even furniture, as art, not merely something to sit on. Sossego doesn’t just make chairs; they make works of art.” 

The result is more than a landmark – it’s a vibe. A centerpiece in a district defined by design, and a beacon for what’s yet to come.