Out: Miami’s design district.
Blasphemy, I know. But I’ve visited Miami’s famed design district numerous times. Admittedly, never during Art Basel, never during a fancy party weekend. But I’ve never seen more than the faintest glimmer of life (NIBA being the notable exception).
That’s just no fun.
Many of the showrooms aren’t exclusive to Miami – Ann Sacks, bulthaupt, Poltrona Frau – so it’s not special for a non-Miamian to go there. The ones that ARE exclusive to Miami, well…even if someone’s there to admit you, you’ll probably be the only visitor once you’re inside.
Also no fun.
Happily, there’s an alternative. It’s called Visiona.
Feeling kind of glum after leaving the design district last Saturday, I pulled out a notice from a local paper about a vintage store specializing in mid-century modern furniture and accessories.
As we entered the first Visiona location, on 79th Street, one of the owners, Juan-Carlos (JC for short) immediately started apologizing for the disorganized state of the place. Engaging and affable, he lovingly gave us information about everything we looked at.
It really was a mid-century fantasy. How awesome are these Milo Baughman chairs? I wouldn’t let JC take them off the desk because I loved the whole scene. He gave me a tearsheet, though.
Visiona lists its stock with 1st dibs for easy searching. They ship anywhere in the world.
Check out the fantastic table lamps –
A composition in red and black –
Glass vases on a Platner coffee table –
Chairs a go-go –
And a Corbu settee manufactured by Cassina –
Visiona’s owners aren’t shy about refinishing or lacquering pieces that need it – “no-name” pieces on which an original finish doesn’t add value. Bold and smart.
We were so energized that we decided to visit Visiona‘s other store, an 125th Street in North Miami, across from MOCA Nomi. This location had a broader range of objects – it wasn’t so tightly focused on mid-century modern. (But can you glimps the Saarinen dining table below? It’s the real deal.)
Look at this beautiful apartment table –
These two chairs TOTALLY would have found their way into my living room had my husband not held me back. How cool are they?
There even was this painting. Authentic Josef Albers? A copy? A fake? They haven’t been able to determine. (Calling all art authenticators…even the Albers Foundation couldn’t help)
So next time you find yourself in Miami with a few hours to kill, I urge you to take a little field trip. In addition to Visiona and other vintage furniture showrooms, North Miami has a few excellent one-designer clothing boutiques. At Rucht D’Oleo, I snagged a hand-painted sleeveless blouse, a black satin skirt, and a beaded purse.
It almost made up for passing on those cable chairs from Visiona. Almost.
