Three years ago my boyfriend, Bob, decided that he wanted to build a house in Miami, which is whole new kind of adventure for him. He asked for my help so I did a bunch of research, looking for the best architect for the project. My standards for this search were pretty high, and I scoured the web (and the world) to find the right fit.
Luckily, I found SAOTA, a distinguished and award winning firm based in Cape Town, South Africa. They build beautiful homes all over the world. As opposed to other firms who seek to copy contemporary trends, Saota works with their clients to create the vision that they truly want—a house that tells the story of the people who live there.
As you might have guessed, Bob and I love to travel! As we thought about it, the designs of the places we love most all have water as a main element, which is good for us, because the house will be built right on the water in South Beach. Places like the Setai Hotel in South Beach, The Bulgari Hotel in Bali, and One and Only in the Maldives all give us a feeling of beauty and serenity whenever we’re there, and that is how we want to feel at home, too.
So, feeling inspired by the work we saw from Saota, off we went to South Africa, to meet with the architects and bring this vision to life!
Meeting Stefan, Phillip, and Mark of Saota was a great experience. You can tell that they really “get” it. Watching the three of them collaborate with Bob on a vision, especially one as personal as a home, was great to be a part of.
After looking at the beautiful homes and spaces that they have designed over the years, I realized that architecture is truly an art form like no other. Their homes are like paintings that you can walk through. I could envision being inside one of their homes and the feelings it would bring out in me—what a thrill!
Here is what Bob’s Mac Daddy crib is going to look like in 19-21 months!!!
Indoor/Outdoor living
Below are some more of Saota’s designs:
