{"id":557165,"date":"2026-04-01T00:22:13","date_gmt":"2026-04-01T00:22:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/557165\/"},"modified":"2026-04-01T00:22:13","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T00:22:13","slug":"the-ultra-rich-are-moving-to-miami-heres-whos-designing-their-homes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/557165\/","title":{"rendered":"The Ultra-Rich Are Moving to Miami. Here\u2019s Who\u2019s Designing Their Homes"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tIf the latest wave of billionaires arriving in South Florida<\/a> shares anything, it\u2019s that they are not dabbling in the Sunshine State. Miami<\/a> is no longer just a seasonal weekend diversion or a maybe secondary address to post up for a few weeks in the winter; it has become a primary residence, a strategic decision reflecting where global wealth chooses to live.<\/p>\n

\n\tAs recently as 2020, there were no recorded residential sales above $50 million, but by 2025, Miami had emerged as one of the country\u2019s\u00a0most active ultra-luxury markets<\/a>, where nine-figure transactions are no longer unusual. The broader market may be cooling, but at the very top, activity remains concentrated, and along a narrow stretch tracing Biscayne Bay, properties trade quietly, often before they are formally listed.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe buyers of these high-priced homes, however, are increasingly familiar. Mark Zuckerberg<\/a> and Priscilla Chan recently paid\u00a0a record $170 million<\/a>\u00a0for an unfinished estate on Indian Creek Island, where neighbors include\u00a0Jeff Bezos<\/a>\u00a0and Tom Brady. Larry Page has been assembling a huge spread in Coconut Grove, while\u00a0Sergey Brin<\/a>\u00a0has put down roots on Allison Island. And on Star Island, as well as Palm Beach,\u00a0Ken Griffin<\/a>\u00a0continues to set new benchmarks.<\/p>\n

\n\tAt this level, residential real estate<\/a> functions as much as a financial strategy and lifestyle enhancer as it does as a shelter. Buyers are not simply acquiring places to live; they are increasingly\u00a0purchasing adjacent parcels\u00a0<\/a>to create larger, more private compounds. The homes designed to cater to these folks have followed that shift.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"7<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tInside Mark Zuckerberg\u2019s new house on Indian Creek Island.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRendering by Ferris Rafauli Design<\/p>\n

\n\tFerris Rafauli<\/a>\u00a0is working across several of these kinds of uber-luxe projects, including the Indian Creek Island estate acquired by Zuckerberg and Chan. Known for\u00a0Drake\u2019s opulent Toronto mansion<\/a>, the Canadian tastemaker has increasingly focused his practice in South Florida, where projects tend to unfold at a much larger scale. On Indian Creek, he\u2019s currently working on another waterfront home for another billionaire, part of a small cluster of new mansions reshaping the island, and further north, in a private golf community near Palm Beach, he\u2019s designing homes for former hockey player Wayne Gretzky and\u00a0pro golfer Dustin Johnson<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n\tRafauli approaches these houses as fully integrated projects, with architecture, interiors, and landscape developed together from the outset. The goal is continuity, spaces that feel resolved rather than assembled. \u201cFor me, design is an insurance policy on the land it\u2019s built on,\u201d he said. \u201cThe right architecture elevates the investment. The wrong one diminishes it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tHe is also working on a 10,000-square-foot penthouse at the forthcoming Aman Residences in Miami Beach, where the challenge is more compressed. \u201cYou\u2019re delivering impact in a single moment,\u201d he said. \u201cEvery line of sight, every proportion\u2014it all has to work instantly, then reveal itself over time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Evan<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tInteriors by Evan Edward are designed to support work, family life, and entertaining.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNicole Franzen<\/p>\n

\n\tFor Josh Evan Goldfarb and Michael Edward Moriano of\u00a0Evan Edward<\/a>, the shift in Miami is less about aesthetics than about how a house performs over the course of a day. The Miami-based firm has built a reputation for high-end residential work across South Florida, particularly in Miami Beach and Coral Gables, where scale and livability are equally prioritized. As the city has become a year-round base, their clients\u2014often finance and tech principals\u00a0relocating from New York and California<\/a>\u2014expect homes to support work, family life, and entertaining without interruption.<\/p>\n

\n\tIndeed, multifunctionality has changed how they plan space. Offices are treated more like private work suites, usually with the same level of finish as the main living areas. Entertaining spaces are designed to expand and contract depending on use, accommodating larger groups without feeling oversized when empty. \u201cThe goal is for everything to feel seamless,\u201d they said. \u201cYou shouldn\u2019t have to think about how a space works\u2014it should just keep up with you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Evan<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tAs more buyers relocate full-time, homes across Miami are being planned to function continuously.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNicole Franzen<\/p>\n

\n\tAt\u00a0Wecselman Design<\/a>, led by Deborah Wecselman, that same shift is playing out across a portfolio that includes waterfront estates in Bal Harbour and Fisher Island, as well as high-end condominium work. Her projects often attract international clients, including energy and finance executives, and balance strong architectural frameworks with quieter, material-driven interiors.<\/p>\n

\n\tProjects are moving away from decorative finishes toward natural materials\u2014wood, stone, and layered surfaces that hold up over time. Floor plans are also becoming more segmented, with larger homes organized into distinct zones. \u201cPeople still want scale,\u201d Wecselman said, \u201cbut they also want a sense of separation within it.\u201d Her instincts are clearly pointed in the right direction. In Bal Harbour, a waterfront estate she designed for Invenergy founder Michael Polsky sold for $24 million, setting a local record, while\u00a0a nearby condo<\/a>\u00a0at Oceana Bal Harbour she redesigned is now asking significantly more than its last trade.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Wecselman<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tA South Florida residence by Wecselman Design.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDouglas Friedman<\/p>\n

\n\tThe way these homes are used has changed as well: stays are longer; work and leisure overlap; staff operates continuously but with minimal visibility. Houses in South Florida\u2019s most coveted areas are increasingly expected to accommodate all of it. That thinking is shaping Miami\u2019s next wave of development.<\/p>\n

\n\tKatie Earl of\u00a0HBA Residential<\/a>\u00a0is leading interiors at\u00a0the Delmore<\/a>\u00a0in Surfside, a new oceanfront project designed by Zaha Hadid Architects. HBA, part of the global hospitality design firm Hirsch Bedner Associates, is known for large-scale luxury hotel and branded residential projects, including work with Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton, and Mandarin Oriental. For Earl, the expansion and reorientation of priorities is not just about adding more amenities but about how cohesively they are integrated.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Wecselman<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tA shift toward quieter palettes and more durable materials reflects how these homes are now used year-round.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDouglas Friedman<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe\u2019re seeing a real shift in how people want to live,\u201d she said. \u201cWellness is at the heart of it\u2014not as an add-on, but as a framework for the whole environment.\u201d At projects like the Delmore, that means thinking beyond individual amenities and focusing on how the residence functions day to day, from daily routines to long-term stays.<\/p>\n

\n\tThough much of Miami\u2019s top tier is moving toward polished restraint, not everyone is following that direction. In Little River, a former industrial pocket turned creative hub,\u00a0Moniomi Design<\/a>\u00a0is leaning into something more expressive. Founded by Monica Santayana and Ronald Alvarez, the Miami-based studio has built its reputation on dynamic interiors that mix saturated color with a more relaxed approach to materials.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Moniomi<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tA residential project by Moniomi Design leans into color and custom furnishings.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJeanne Canto<\/p>\n

\n\tThat perspective is carrying into their residential projects, where the brief is often less about uniformity and more about personality. For Chelsea Hirschhorn, founder and CEO of Frida, Moniomi designed a Miami bungalow that operates as a standalone extension of her primary residence. With a softer, beach-driven feel, the project reflects a broader shift in how these homes are conceived.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe\u2019ve seen a move away from single-residence living toward more of a private campus,\u201d they said, with separate guest and amenity houses designed specifically for entertaining. In this case, the bungalow functions more like a boutique hotel than a traditional guest wing, with color-saturated suites and dedicated recreation spaces.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Moniomi<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tThe quiet luxury trend is slowly giving way toward more personalized interiors.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJeanne Canto<\/p>\n

\n\tProjects incorporate layered textures, bolder palettes, and highly specific programming, from guesthouses to spaces built around individual interests. \u201cAn elite home now is about how well it reflects the client\u2019s lifestyle,\u201d they said. \u201cNot just how it looks, but how it functions day to day.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tWhether Miami\u2019s top-tier homes double down on restraint and systemization or push in the opposite direction, toward identity and personalization, both approaches point to the same recalibration of what an ultra-luxury home is, no longer just a residence but a self-contained and multifunctional environment, part headquarters, part social space, and part retreat, often all at once.<\/p>\n

\tAuthors<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\"Abby<\/p>\n

\n\t\tAbby Montanez\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Abigail Montanez is a staff writer at Robb Report. She has worked in both print and digital publishing for over half a decade, covering everything from real estate, entertainment, dining, travel to\u2026<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t
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