Cuban-born interior decorator Luis Lopez has created a Havana-Deco furniture collection (luislopezinteriors.com) designed specifically for south Florida. His sofas, chairs and other pieces are a nostalgic fusion of 1950s Havana-style and the Art Deco of Miami Beach. Lines are curvy; colors are bold.
Prices: $750 for a side chair; $5,500 for a sofa.
Lopez names the pieces after Havana neighborhoods: Almendares, Guanabo and Miramar, for example.
The timing of the collection couldn't be better. "There is a huge trend, particularly in Florida, to the colonial empire or colonial plantation look," says Kim McNatt, vice president at DCOTA (Design Center of the Americas) in Dania, "which has a very specific reference to Havana and the Caribbean."
Lopez is creating something to watch, says McNatt. "It could catch on as a trend."
Where to buy:Windows of the World at DCOTA, Dania
Plaza Design (Lopez's retail studio,Cooper City
The High Seas
Owners of "The World," a 1-year-old community-at-sea ocean liner that docked off the coast of south Florida in October, are targeting Floridians and Californians to become resident-passengers. Owned by ResidenSea Ltd., the ocean liner cruises international waters visiting ports of call around the world. Passengers pay anywhere from $2.25 million to $7.5 million for residences ranging from 1,100 to 3,200 square feet. ResidenSea's U.S. offices are in Miami.
Uptown Town Homes
Until recently, super-exclusive Palm Beach was known more for gated mansions and luxurious estates. But the community is seeing more new town home construction than it's accustomed to, and there's plenty of demand.
"There are lots of headaches involved in maintaining an estate," says Realtor Michael Cabot with Brown, Harris, Stevens of Palm Beach. "Town homes give you the same benefits of a mansion without the upkeep."
Cabot says residents are ready to trade upkeep for new, turn-key residences. But they're not trading in anything when it comes to the kind of luxurious living for which "the island" is known. Cabot represents two of the newest town home developments: The Ocean Colony and Villa Las Palmas. Developed by The Cury Group, these 5,700-plus-sq.-ft. residences boast Honduran mahogany, the finest quality plumbing fixtures and kitchen appliances, vaulted ceilings, air-conditioned garages and plenty of privacy.
Prices start at $4.5 million ($4.2 million preconstruction) at Villas Las Palmas and $3.8 million ($3.6 million preconstruction) at the Ocean Colony. Oh, and there's also that automatic membership to the private club at The Breakers -- included in the purchase package.
Movin' On Up
Tampa Bay real estate values may pale in comparison to the mega-million-dollar homes of Palm Beach and Boca Raton, but a recent analysis of single-family home sales with $1-million-plus price tags shows Hillsborough and Pinellas counties making inroads in the luxury market. Three years ago there were only 43 home sales in the $1-million-plus category in Pinellas and 16 in Hillsborough. Last year there were 86 sales of million-dollar homes in Pinellas and 55 in Hillsborough. Realtor Bill Tourtelot, president of Tourtelot Bros. in St. Petersburg, attributes the increase to the fact that the area's waterfront has been a well-kept (and low-priced) secret until now. "There has been an intensity of people looking at our area because prices are so high in other parts of the state. Our waterfront is luring people here," says Tourtelot. "We're a bargain by comparison to these other areas."
$1-Million-Plus Home Sales
Pinellas and Hillsborough countiesYear No. of
salesPrice rangeAvg. per sq. ft.200043
16$1 mil. to $4.1 mil.
$1 mil. to $3.8 mil.$286
$282200148
53
$1 mil. to $7.8 mil.
$1 mil. to $5.8 mil.$308
$298200286
55$1 mil. to $3.2 mil.
$1 mil. to $3.3 mil.$310
$271Current
listings179
78$1 mil. to $6.9 mil.
$1 mil. to $5.4 mil.$366
$332Source: Tourtelot Bros., based on MLS statistics