Supermodel Joan Smalls's Miami Aerie Gets a Luxe Beachy Makeover
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Joan Smalls’s decorating eureka moment came at a fashionable dinner party. The supermodel was seated next to designer Jeremy Scott, whose clothes for both Moschino and his own eponymous label are known for their color and camp. “I asked him, ‘Is your place decorated in the same style?’” Smalls recalls. “And he said, ‘Absolutely not. It’s extremely white and clean.’ You wouldn’t expect it from him, but I can understand why. He wants that contrast between what you do and how you live, which I love.”
With that in mind, Smalls had a clear idea of how she wanted her new Miami vacation condo to feel: breezy, cool, and comfortable—the opposite of her peripatetic lifestyle, which has her jetting from her home in New York to fashion weeks in Milan and Paris and other far-flung destinations.
To bring this vision to life, she turned to RH, Restoration Hardware’s Interior Design concierge-level services. Its team of designers takes a holistic approach to design, consulting on everything from colors to wall treatments, antiques, and objets d’art.
Smalls was already a fan of RH’s aesthetic, having decorated her New York apartment with the company’s furnishings.
For her two-bedroom apartment, which she purchased in Miami’s downtown Brickell neighborhood in January, Smalls chose a palette that included cool grays and warm whites for an airy, seaside feel; black detailing for a touch of drama; and lush greens that nod to the tropical environs. She also combed RH, Restoration Hardware’s website for inspiration and shared screenshots of the items that best spoke to her.
The designer came back with mood boards featuring a curated mix. “A lot of the time, my eye is drawn to more masculine shapes in furniture and not soft and delicate ones,” Smalls says. “The colors balance it all out.”
The end result is a space that is rich in texture and designed for lounging and entertaining. The rooms feature designs by Milo Baughman, Jonathan Browning, and Kelly Hoppen, among others, and plenty of luxe yet earthy materials—think cashmere, linen, and mohair velvets as well as natural agate, shagreen, and quartz crystal.
“It felt like when you walk into a hotel room and think, I love how this space makes me feel,” Smalls says of the moment she first saw the completed project. “It is such an escape.”
She now plans to throw dinner parties for friends, including her model BFFs Candice Swanepoel and Doutzen Kroes, with everyone gathered around the kitchen—or, as she calls it, “the heart of the home.” She will prepare pasta or a favorite dish from her native Puerto Rico, such as habichuelas guisadas (red rice and beans).
And when the final guests have said their goodbyes, Smalls can retreat into the master bedroom, which features her favorite piece in the entire apartment: RH, Restoration Hardware’s polished-nickel Ravelle round chandelier. “I always wanted a chandelier above my bed,” she gushes. “To me, it’s like a fairy tale.”
This story appeared in the September 2019 issue of ELLE Decor. Produced By Parker Bowie Larson & Jennifer Donnelly; Styled By Lili Abir Regen; Wardrobe Styled By Eric McNeal SUBSCRIBE
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