Volume 01 · Published monthly
The Journal
Notes from the studio on architecture, interior design and material culture. Written by the team. New entries land regularly.
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59 essays
Development · Aug 8, 2026 · 6 min
How the Samana Residence Kitchen Went From Block to Marble
Inside the kitchen fit out at our Samana Residence in Coconut Grove: the concrete block, the conduit, the plaster and the joinery, and why the grey and gold marble waterfall edge went in dead last.
Development · Aug 8, 2026 · 6 min
Same Land, Split Smart: Why One Lot Split Changes the Math
Two developers can buy the identical lot in Coconut Grove and walk away with two different deals. The difference isn't the house, it's whether the land gets split into two buildable sites or built as one.
Materials · Aug 8, 2026 · 5 min
The Details You Only Notice In Person
Joinery, lighting and stone are easy to list and hard to fake. Here is how a Luxom home builds each one by hand, and why a walkthrough proves it in a way no photo can.
Residences · Aug 8, 2026 · 5 min
Four residences, four ways to live in Coconut Grove
Every Luxom home starts with a question: how do you want to live? Four residences in Coconut Grove, four distinct architectural answers. A closer look at what makes each one different.
Philosophy · Aug 7, 2026 · 4 min
What Mies van der Rohe Taught Luxom About Building
A line long attributed to Mies van der Rohe, that architecture starts when two bricks are carefully put together, reads as history. At Luxom it reads as a daily standard for materials, proportion and restraint.
Interiors · Aug 7, 2026 · 4 min
Wellness at home: the sauna, cold plunge, and gym room
The at-home wellness suite is now a serious part of the luxury brief. How to design the sauna, cold plunge and gym as one integrated space rather than three appliances in a spare room.
Residences · Aug 7, 2026 · 7 min
How a Family Compound Works on One Coconut Grove Lot
A main residence, a guest house, and a shared pool on a single lot: what a family compound actually requires in Coconut Grove, and how Luxom plans one from day one.
Development · Aug 7, 2026 · 6 min
Building the Rooftop Plunge Pool at Crystal Residence
From a bare roof slab and a rebar cage to a filled plunge pool: how Luxom engineered and built a pool at the very top of Crystal Residence, on the same schedule as the rest of the house.
Development · Aug 7, 2026 · 4 min
From Lot to Handover: The Crystal Residence Build
Land, design, build, handover: the four phases behind Crystal Residence in Coconut Grove, from a 5,625 square foot lot to the finished home Luxom delivered in 2022.
Materials · Aug 6, 2026 · 7 min
One Slab, Three Kitchens: The Same Marble at Samana, Crystal and Onaway
How one Calacatta marble language runs through three different Luxom kitchens: a single waterfall island at Samana, a full counter to backsplash run at Crystal, and the same stone at a much larger scale at Onaway.
Interiors · Aug 6, 2026 · 4 min
High-end kitchen design: the principles that hold up
The expensive kitchen and the enduring kitchen are not the same thing. The principles behind a high-end kitchen that still works in fifteen years: materials, ergonomics and restraint.
Architecture · Aug 6, 2026 · 5 min
Why the Courtyard Goes in the Center of the Plan
Why Luxom centers the courtyard in a floor plan instead of the back: a centered void gives every room its own light and view, keeps hallways bright, and creates privacy from the plan itself, not from taller walls.
Development · Aug 6, 2026 · 6 min
Building the Pool Terrace at Broadview, Start to Finish
From excavation to a brim full lap pool: how the terrace at our Broadview Residence in Coconut Grove came together, stage by stage, on the same schedule as the rest of the house.
Development · Aug 5, 2026 · 5 min
Why a typical build pays for four profits, not one
Design, construction and finish usually sit with three or four separate companies, each pricing its own margin. Building it all in-house removes that stack for a Coconut Grove home, not just the coordination.
Interiors · Aug 5, 2026 · 4 min
The private home theater, designed right
A home theater is an acoustic and architectural problem before it is a screen. What separates a real cinema room from a dark room with a projector, and how to build one into the house.
Development · Aug 5, 2026 · 7 min
Why the Best Coconut Grove Homes Sell Before They Are Finished
The best new construction in Coconut Grove rarely reaches an open listing. Here is what building design, construction and finish under one team actually buys a buyer who commits before the walls are finished.
Interiors · Aug 4, 2026 · 4 min
Modern luxury interior design: defining the language
Modern luxury is one of the most used and least defined phrases in interiors. What the language actually is, the principles behind it, and how it differs from the version sold in showrooms.
Development · Aug 4, 2026 · 5 min
Land assemblage: why we buy the whole row
Sometimes the right site isn't one lot, it's several. Buying adjacent houses on the same row and combining them into one buildable site is how estates that can't be copied get built.
Development · Aug 4, 2026 · 6 min
How the Crystal Residence Kitchen Went From Shell to One Run of Stone
Inside the kitchen fit-out at our Crystal Residence in Coconut Grove: the concrete shell, the rough-in, and why the counter, island, and backsplash only became one run of stone once everything under it was locked.
Guides · Aug 4, 2026 · 6 min
How to Build an Interior Moodboard That Holds Up
A mood board is easy to make and easy to trust too much. Here is how to build one that still matches the finished room once the site, the structure and the real materials are locked in.
Interiors · Aug 3, 2026 · 4 min
Designing the wine cellar as a home amenity
How to design a wine cellar that is both a working store and a room worth showing: climate control, racking, placement and the materials that make it feel like part of the house.
Development · Aug 3, 2026 · 5 min
What waterfront actually costs in Coconut Grove
Inland, you can always build again or add on later. On the water, the view and the direct access are fixed by the lot itself, which is the real reason waterfront never trades like ordinary land.
Development · Aug 3, 2026 · 5 min
Building bespoke vs. buying existing: what you actually inherit
What buying an existing house in Coconut Grove actually hands you, and what building bespoke removes: the layout, the finishes and the compromises you never chose.
Development · Aug 3, 2026 · 6 min
How a Luxom Bedroom Gets Built, Block to Paint
Block, conduit, plaster, then paint: how one of the bedrooms at our Samana Residence in Coconut Grove went from an open block shell to the room in the clip, on the same schedule as the rest of the house.
Materials · Aug 2, 2026 · 4 min
Travertine in the bathroom: warmth underfoot
Why travertine has become the bathroom stone of choice: the warmth it brings underfoot, how it handles water, and how to seal and care for it so it lasts a lifetime.
Development · Aug 2, 2026 · 7 min
Building the Backyard Pool at Pinta, Start to Finish
From dirt and rebar to a beach entry turquoise pool: how the backyard at our Pinta Residence in Miami's Bay Heights came together in four acts, on the same schedule as the rest of the build.
Development · Aug 1, 2026 · 6 min
Building the Samana Residence, Start to Finish
From an empty Coconut Grove lot to a finished 3,227 square foot home: how the Samana Residence went up, phase by phase, built and finished start to finish by the same family behind every Luxom home.
Development · Aug 1, 2026 · 6 min
Building the Backyard Pool at Samana, Start to Finish
From excavation to a brim full turquoise pool: how the backyard at our Samana Residence in Coconut Grove came together, phase by phase, on the same schedule as the rest of the build.
Interiors · Aug 1, 2026 · 4 min
2026 interior design trends through the Luxom lens
The interior movements shaping 2026, read through a studio that builds for permanence. Which trends have substance, which are noise, and how to adopt them without dating your home.
Development · Aug 1, 2026 · 6 min
Building the Ingraham Residence, Start to Finish
From an empty Coconut Grove lot to a finished 8,197 square foot home: how the Ingraham Residence went up, phase by phase, the same way every Luxom home does, start to finish.
Architecture · Aug 1, 2026 · 5 min
Designing the Crystal Residence Primary Suite Around Its View
Inside the primary suite fit-out at our Crystal Residence in Coconut Grove: how a room actually gets built around a view, and why that decision happens long before the glass goes in.
Guides · Aug 1, 2026 · 5 min
Acre vs Hectare: What a Coconut Grove Lot Actually Measures
An acre and a hectare are not close in size, and mixing them up changes how a Coconut Grove lot compares to a listing abroad. Here is what each unit actually measures.
Interiors · Jul 31, 2026 · 4 min
Outdoor kitchen design: layout and materials for the tropics
How to plan an outdoor kitchen that survives a Miami climate: the working layout, the finishes that hold up to salt and sun, and the details that decide whether it lasts.
Interiors · Jul 30, 2026 · 4 min
Wabi-sabi in high-end residences
The Japanese aesthetic of imperfection reads, at the top of the market, as the deepest form of luxury. What wabi-sabi is, and how it works in a high-end home.
Architecture · Jul 29, 2026 · 4 min
Architect vs. design-build: which your project needs
Two ways to build a home in Miami: hire an architect and manage the rest yourself, or hire one design-build team that owns the whole thing. How to tell which fits.
Interiors · Jul 28, 2026 · 4 min
Designing the spa bathroom at home
The spa bathroom is made from a short list of decisions: warm materials, layered light, and a layout that gives the room room. How to design one that actually calms.
Materials · Jul 27, 2026 · 3 min
Quartzite countertops: the hardwearing stone for real kitchens
Why quartzite earns its place in kitchens that get used: how the stone behaves, where it beats the alternatives, and what to know before you specify it.
Interiors · Jul 26, 2026 · 4 min
What a full-service interior design firm actually does
The phase-by-phase reality of hiring a full-service interior design firm in Miami: what the work covers, where the value sits, and what a signed brief buys you.
Materials · Jul 25, 2026 · 3 min
Fluted wood: texture as architectural detail
How fluted wood panels turn a flat surface into an architectural detail. Where to use them, which species and finishes work, and how to keep the effect quiet rather than busy.
Interiors · Jul 24, 2026 · 4 min
Organic modern interior design, explained
What organic modern actually means, how it differs from plain minimalism, and how it relates to warm minimalism and quiet luxury. The materials, the palette, and the discipline behind the calm.
Development · Jul 23, 2026 · 4 min
Building a custom luxury home in Miami, start to finish
What it takes to build a custom luxury home in Miami, from land and design through permitting and finish. The real sequence, the local constraints, and where a builder earns their keep.
Materials · Jul 22, 2026 · 3 min
Marble countertops: types, care, and where they belong
A clear guide to marble countertops: the main types, what the stone will and will not tolerate, and the rooms where marble earns its place rather than becoming a maintenance problem.
Materials · Jul 21, 2026 · 3 min
Limewash on brick: refinishing exteriors the quiet way
How limewash transforms a brick exterior into a soft, mineral finish that ages into character. The process, the durability, and the restraint that keeps it looking right.
Development · Jul 20, 2026 · 4 min
Turnkey whole-home renovation: one team vs. many contractors
The case for a single accountable team on a whole-home renovation in Miami, and what coordinating many separate contractors actually costs you in time, risk and finish.
Interiors · Jul 19, 2026 · 4 min
The dressing room: walk-in closets as architecture
How to design a walk-in closet that reads as a room, not storage. Layout, proportion, materials and lighting that turn a closet into a dressing room.
Materials · Jul 18, 2026 · 4 min
Choosing stone: quartzite, marble, and travertine
A working guide to natural stone countertops. How quartzite, marble and travertine differ in hardness, look and upkeep, and when each is the right choice.
Development · Jul 17, 2026 · 4 min
The spa-grade bathroom remodel: a Miami guide
What a spa-grade bathroom remodel in Miami actually involves, from the first survey to the sealed finish, and the decisions that drive both the result and the cost.
Materials · Jul 16, 2026 · 4 min
Microcement: a guide to seamless surfaces
The thin, jointless surface behind the monolithic bathroom. What microcement is, how it wears, and how it compares to venetian plaster and tile before you specify it.
Interiors · Jul 15, 2026 · 4 min
The Miami outdoor kitchen, designed like an interior
Why the best outdoor kitchens are planned with the rigor of a room, not bolted on as an afterthought. Materials that survive the climate, and a layout built for entertaining.
Development · Jul 14, 2026 · 4 min
Luxury kitchen renovation in Miami: process, timeline, and cost
What a high-end kitchen remodel in Miami actually involves. The real sequence of work, an honest timeline, the cost drivers, and why one team beats a chain of subcontractors.
Development · Jul 14, 2026 · 7 min
An $8.2M development cost breakdown, from land to finish
How a luxury development budget at this scale divides across land, architecture, construction and finishes: the categories, the logic behind each one, and what they mean for a buyer.
Materials · Jul 13, 2026 · 4 min
Venetian plaster: hand-applied surfaces
The troweled lime finish that turns a wall into depth and sheen. What Venetian plaster is, how it is applied, where it belongs, and how it compares to microcement and limewash.
Interiors · Jul 12, 2026 · 3 min
Warm minimalism: luxury without the cold
The branch of minimalism that keeps the calm and loses the chill. How material, light and texture turn a spare room into one you want to stay in.
Architecture · Jul 11, 2026 · 4 min
How to choose an architecture firm in Miami
The criteria that separate a residential architect who fits your project from one who does not. Portfolio, permitting, delivery model, and the red flags to catch early.
Materials · Jul 10, 2026 · 4 min
Limewash: the finish behind the quiet-luxury wall
The mineral paint that gives a wall depth instead of a coat of color. What limewash is, why it reads as quiet luxury, where to use it, and how it ages.
Interiors · Jul 9, 2026 · 4 min
Quiet luxury: the anti-trend that lasts
The design language that reads as expensive without announcing it. What quiet luxury is, the materials that carry it, and how to build a home that ages into value instead of out of it.
Development · Jul 8, 2026 · 2 min
Where luxury developers actually make money
It isn't the house. The margin is decided the day you buy the land, and protected by everything you refuse to cheapen.
Interiors · Jun 30, 2026 · 3 min
Trends 2026
A guided reading on the materials, tones and quiet gestures shaping interiors in the coming year, observed across thirty residences from Tulum to Lake Como.
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