About

Poinciana Residence

Poinciana Residence takes its cues from mid-century modernism and answers them with material honesty. The facades wear their raw materials openly, so the house reads as something built rather than dressed. Vertical louvers cut the elevations into rhythm and shadow, adding a second layer of depth that shifts as the Miami sun tracks across the sky.

Location: Miami, FL
Status: Completed
Site Area: 21,000 sf
Livable Area: 5,952 sf
Total Area: 7,789 sf
Architect: SDH Studio
Interior Design: SDH Studio
Landscape: ULU Studio
GC: TBD
Photographer: TBD
Team: Stephanie Halfen, Anita Castellano

The plan is organized as two distinct volumes, one on each side of the home, joined by a clear walkway. That link is the organizing idea of the house. Moving from one wing to the other becomes a short passage through the garden itself, a daily reminder of the 21,000-square-foot site the home sits within. It also lets each wing hold its own character, with private and social life separated by a pause rather than a corridor.

Arrival is marked by a pronounced entry. An overhanging roof frame reaches out to meet visitors, offering shelter from sun and rain and setting a clear threshold between street and home. Just beyond, a water feature acts as a deliberate point of disconnection, a moment of movement and sound that separates the world outside from the calm of the interior. It is less ornament than punctuation. The house asks you to slow down before you enter.

Inside, the architecture turns its attention upward. High wood ceilings give the principal rooms their warmth and scale, and clerestory windows set along the roofline draw daylight deep into the plan. The effect is a house that feels generous without being oversized, its 5,952 square feet of livable space reaching well beyond its footprint. Floor-to-ceiling openings carry the garden to the edge of every major room, so the landscape becomes the backdrop to daily life rather than something viewed from a distance.

Greenery is written into the building itself. The projecting volumes carry integrated planters, softening the raw material palette and letting vegetation spill over the facade. Over time, the planting will grow into the architecture, blurring the edge between structure and garden in a way that suits the subtropical climate. ULU Studio’s landscape design extends that thinking across the grounds.

The result is a 7,789-square-foot home, designed by Stephanie Halfen and Anita Castellano, that pairs mid-century clarity with a distinctly South Florida openness. Its clients describe a house “designed around the way that we live,” and that is exactly the point. Every move, from the garden passage to the timber ceilings, is shaped by how the family moves through the day, and by the light and landscape that surround them.

Poinciana Residence 

Poinciana Residence takes its cues from mid-century modernism and answers them with material honesty. The facades wear their raw materials openly, so the house reads as something built rather than dressed. Vertical louvers cut the elevations into rhythm and shadow, adding a second layer of depth that shifts as the Miami sun tracks across the sky.

Location
Miami, Florida
Status
Completed
Site Area
21,000 sf
Project Area
7,500 sf
Program
Single family residence
Poinciana Residence
1-min

Detail

A stunning water feature serves as a disconnect element, creating a barrier between the exterior and interior of the home while adding movement and visual interest.

Poinciana Residence
Poinciana Residence
Poinciana Residence

Alex and Sue

“Stephanie and her team do what few architects do: they listen, engage, and co-create homes that truly reflect and honor the owner’s vision. The house is designed around the way that we live, and we couldn’t be happier with the design. Stephanie and her team are delight to work with, and we would happily recommend them to anyone who wants a true partner to help them bring their vision to life.”

8-min
8-min
8-min

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