The most thoughtful interior design projects showcase the art of creating harmony from opposing elements. This can involve making a large space feel smaller and cozier or blending materials that are contrasting in nature. Post Company embraced this approach in their latest project at the 1 Hotel South Beach. Recently, Fiona Sanipelli, Co-Founder of DesignSpec, sat down with Leigh Salem, one of the  founding partners of Post Company. They discussed the reconfiguration of the Aviv dining space at 1 Hotel, the company’s philosophy of blending contrasting materials, and  DesignSpec’s contribution in managing a project that required meticulous attention to detail.

Could you provide some background on the 1 Hotel project that Post Company has been working on?

Aviv is located on the ground floor of the 1 Hotel South Beach in Miami. It's a highly amenitized property with a ton of F&B. It’s well attended and has a great spotlight. The restaurant space on the ground floor has gone through a number of iterations and approaches over the years. While it has always been separate from the hotel lobby, it has also consistently maintained the hotel’s ethos, palette, and overall vibe.

The original layout featured a large island bar in the center of the restaurant. The space's infrastructure was challenging because it always felt a little empty unless the area was fully occupied during dinner hours. The three-meal restaurant is a crucial part of the 1 Hotel experience, and Post Company aimed to create an enjoyable environment from early breakfast to late dinner parties and events. 

Most of the project's scope involved reconfiguring the space. We decided to build a new bar next to the lobby that would serve as an entry point into the grand dining space in the center. Additionally, we made sure to align everything aesthetically and narratively, tailoring that to Michael Solomonov's approach. 

The three-meal restaurant is a crucial part of the 1 Hotel experience, and Post Company aimed to create an enjoyable environment from early breakfast to late dinner parties and events.

I can see how a large bar could act as a visual and emotional barrier. What discussions led to the decision to remove it from the center of the space?

In the process of rethinking the infrastructure,  we discussed how often bar spaces feel more inviting when they're in zones of compression. This kind of setup elicits a much closer relationship between the customer and a bartender. Moving the bar to a lower ceiling height allowed for that intimate bar experience, which in turn allowed the dining area to become a more expansive and engaging environment.

However, we still needed to address the overall volumetric area above the space. To do so, we developed oversized light fixtures, which are almost eight or ten feet tall. We worked closely with the 1 Hotel, Starwood Hotels, and SH Collection teams to create an intimate dining experience within the large space. The light fixtures effectively filled the void in the area, providing a great solution to our challenge.

We worked closely with the 1 Hotel, Starwood Hotels, and SH Collection teams to create an intimate dining experience within the large space.

Tell me a little about how you narrowed down the palette of materials for the space and how you made it feel so cohesive.

1 Hotel has a strong perspective on its finishes and overall design approach. Even though the dining space is part of the hotel, it needed to feel organically integrated within that environment while establishing its own unique identity. We aimed to select the right materials that would resonate with the context of Miami, Florida, all while keeping the core principles of 1 Hotel in mind. Their design ethos emphasizes the organic expression of natural materials like wood and grain. 

We decided to use matte, honed, or leather finishes instead of polished or overly sleek options in our design. In the front bar area, we focused on creating an interplay between the textures of travertine and coquina. Travertine has tighter porosity, while coquina features natural pocketing and fossilization. We clad all the walls, the columns, and the ceiling with these two materials. Additionally, a beautiful mural in the bar is subtly rendered in loose geometries, utilizing the same monochromatic color palette.

Post Company also commissioned our friend Jesse Shaw from Episode to create incredible ceramic sconces with a crustacean skeletal feel mounted to the coquina walls. Soft fabric light fixtures and other gentle elements complement the harder textures of the stone and the organic figurines. We covered all the central columns and the sides of the space with linen fabrics that match the lighting fixtures. Our approach created a contrast between soft architectural elements and the more precise stone templating throughout the bar area.

Our approach created a contrast between soft architectural elements and the more precise stone templating throughout the bar area.

What was the most intriguing or interesting custom element you designed in this space? 

Almost everything in the restaurant is custom-designed. A few elements were specified and purchased off the rack, like beautiful lighting fixtures from Pinch. However, the majority of the design involved an intense custom specification and fabrication process. The renovation had to be very efficient because the space was the anchor to the overall F&B of the greater 1 Hotel property. Post Company did a lot of prototyping, planning, procurement, and front-loading, so everything was on hand to install as fast as possible. 

From our perspective, the biggest challenge was dealing with a considerable amount of custom FF & E in addition to all the architectural build-out. We focused on ensuring we had everything specified and developed before construction began. 

Post Company has been handling these types of projects for a while, but how did you manage to keep track of all the details and requirements this time around?

The project and design work took a while in terms of the overall timeline. The 1 Hotel, Starwood Hotels, and SH Collection teams went into this project with an incredibly thorough approach before they got into construction execution. Benjamin West did all of the procurement, so we were just one of many voices in bringing this project to life. We found it very beneficial to factor in prototype reviews and all the FF&E to avoid finding ourselves in a bind down the road.

Using DesignSpec was crucial for us, especially since we are working on a high-profile location in Miami. The project underwent thorough standards reviews from the 1 Hotel perspective, focusing closely on contract details, construction requirements, operational needs, lead times, and pricing. The specifications for this project had to be meticulously examined. It was essential to ensure that all of our specifications were clear and well-organized.

Using DesignSpec was crucial for us, especially since we are working on a high-profile location in Miami.

Do you have any stories related to something unexpected or crazy that happened during construction?

I don’t think anything particularly crazy happened during the project, but there were numerous iterations on every aspect of our work. For instance, we conducted four prototype reviews just for the oversized lantern light fixtures to ensure they were perfect. Our process involved constant iterative adjustments to ensure the space performed as we needed and expected.

There are different perspectives to consider when looking at our light fixtures. You can view them from below, but there’s also a mezzanine level used for private events, which means we also had to think about what people would see from above. Additionally, we needed to factor in the kitchen area, where there is significant airflow and a powerful AC system. It was crucial to ensure that the fixtures didn’t sway or move around in the space. We had to configure these large pieces to work seamlessly with a highly advanced lighting system throughout the hotel. 

Our process involved constant iterative adjustments to ensure the space performed as we needed and expected.

Moreover, we couldn’t overlook the three massive columns in the center of the space, which we draped in the same fabric and style as the light fixtures. Since a different vendor was manufacturing these lanterns, we needed to ensure that they matched in color temperature, performance, and overall light quality. It was essential for these elements to work cohesively with everything else that was being developed.