On Spectacular SOBE

Osirys Mendez Goes Bold

Story by Aaron Glickman | Photos by Joseph Stern

Osirys Mendez of Mendez International is considered one of South Florida’s most prolific designers. With a client list that reads as a “who’s who” of Miami’s jet-set, Mendez prides herself on her ability to always create something new by mixing various design styles. Her signature, though, is modern in a classical sense with an emphasis on clean lines.

Mendez recently completed an installation in the spectacular Icon South Beach. The client was a young, successful single entrepreneur who wanted his SoBe condo to resemble his progressive lifestyle.

Icon South Beach was designed by renowned French designer Philippe Starck and developer Jorge Perez of The Related Group. A contemporary two-tiered residential tower, Icon rises 35 and 40 floors, respectively, and, as with many of Perez’s buildings, features an impressive collection of fine art in its common areas.

The project began with Mendez gutting out the entire space and reconfiguring room sizes and use. The only element left from the original space was the kitchen cabinets. Mendez and her team kept the space as three bedrooms, but redesigned it with a much larger master bedroom, an area for an office/convertible and a large guest room. In the kitchen new backsplashes, counters, lighting and accessories were installed.

“I spent a lot of time listening to my client – which is the most important thing a designer can do – and we provided him with exactly what he wanted,” said Mendez. “The client was accustomed to high-end brands and wanted his home to reflect an upscale, modern and contemporary look without the South Beach influence.