Boom, indeed! Big-name architects, dazzling superprojects, savvy developers, ferocious agents, multimillion-dollar listings, next-generation residences and construction cranes as far as the eye can see. The future of Miami’s luxury real estate market is brighter than ever. On the following pages, we give you the rundown on the A-list players, hot neighborhoods, noteworthy properties and must-watch trends that are currently keeping the industry on fire.

BUYER BOOM

With the frenzy of buying activity taking place in the luxury residential market right now, one question seems inevitable: Who are these people? The answer is not so simple. “It depends who you talk to,” says Alicia Cervera Lamadrid, managing partner at Cervera Real Estate, one of Miami’s leading luxury realty companies since 1969. Specifically, Cervera Lamadrid says, there’s been an influx of Mexicans over the past three years, but there are also plenty of wealthy Americans relocating from other states. “My clients from Texas tell me there are more places to spend their money here thanks to the world-class shopping, sporting events and major chefs from around the world opening restaurants. Top that off with the magical weather and the expansion of our infrastructure, and why wouldn’t they want to be here?” Geography aside, one thing these buyers do have in common are healthy bank accounts. “This is a market being built on serious cash deposits for homes that, in some cases, won’t be delivered for two to three years,” she adds. “So whether it’s at the entry or the top level, ours is an affluent and sophisticated buyer.” And one that’s in on the appeal of the new Miami. “I don’t have to explain this city,” says Cervera Lamadrid. “Everyone already knows about it. They just want to know more.”

LA DOLCE VITA

Italian aesthete Piero Lissoni sums up his design philosophy much like, well, a philosopher: “I only follow one idea: to be elegant, to be simple,” he explains. “To be elegant because I like to offer something absolutely sophisticated, and to be simple because simplicity is the maximum level of complexity.” A major factor taken into consideration by the prolific visionary—the architect and interior designer behind The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Miami Beach ($2 million to $40 million) and the interior designer for The Related Group’s Edgewater project One Paraiso ($600,000 to $5 million)—is the quality of the natural light, especially here in South Florida. This inspires him to create open layouts with screens and louvers for windows and doors to ensure control over shadows that might obscure that light in any way. For The Ritz-Carlton Residences specifically, Lissoni wanted to evoke a “strong European feeling” in the kitchens and bathrooms, juxtaposing “stone with style and steel; style and steel with wood.” The reason for that: “It is exactly like a European or Italian town,” he adds. “But at the same time, it’s in a special cloud of tranquility, cloud of security, cloud of beauty.” Poetry and Miami realty just found its man.

Lissoni: In Short

From A to Z: In addition to his work as an architect and interior designer all around the world, Lissoni is also regarded as one of the world’s premier furniture and home accessories designers. His creations include collaborations with leading contemporary brands such as Lualdi, Boffi, Glas Italia, Living Divani, Cassina, Flos, Porro and many others.