Mayfair House Hotel & Garden: Miami’s Tropical Masterpiece Reborn
Where organic architecture, lush artistry, and Coconut Grove soul entwine.
An Icon, Reimagined
Long before “design hotel” was a buzzword, there was the Mayfair, the 1985 vision of architect Kenneth Treister, a disciple of Frank Lloyd Wright whose work in Coconut Grove blurred the lines between structure, sculpture, and storytelling. With its curving stairways, mosaic inlays, stained glass, and climbing vines, the building has always been a love letter to tropical modernism. Nearly four decades later, a sensitive restoration by Goodrich NYC has brought this icon back to life—not as a relic of the past, but as a lush, living artwork. The bones remain pure Treister: concrete softened by curves, bronze balustrades kissed by patina, and sinuous corridors open to sky and garden. Yet now, every surface hums with renewed intent—earthy tones, hand-textured plaster, warm woods, and jewel-colored tiles that make sunlight shimmer as it filters through the palms.
Architecture that Breathes
The Mayfair House isn’t built to be looked at—it’s built to be felt. The hotel’s design philosophy is immersive: a labyrinth of courtyards, water features, and foliage that pulls the outside in. Walkways are open-air, bridges arc above koi ponds, and staircases coil like vines, inviting exploration. Every turn reveals a new composition of shadow, texture, and tropical light. It’s architecture as ecosystem, where concrete and copper coexist with orchids and ferns, and the sound of running water becomes part of the design language. Few buildings in Miami achieve this level of sensory integration; fewer still maintain it with such grace.
Rooms as Private Residences
Each of the 179 rooms and suites feels more like a personal atelier than a hotel key. Private terraces draped in greenery blur the threshold between indoors and out. Deep soaking tubs, rich timbers, and handwoven textiles add warmth, while sculptural furniture pieces ground the aesthetic in quiet sophistication. The design by Goodrich balances nostalgia with modern craft—the soul of the original Mayfair filtered through a contemporary lens. Nothing is mass-produced; everything feels made, layered, and lived in. The walls breathe, the light moves, and no two rooms are quite the same.
Art, Texture, and Narrative
The Mayfair’s public spaces act as an open gallery—a curated journey through Miami’s creative heritage and Caribbean influences. Original copperwork and stained glass by Treister are joined by murals from Bahamian artist Angelika Wallace-Whitfield and custom installations by local artisans. Every corner feels tactile, intimate, and intentional, reminding guests that architecture here is not decoration—it’s dialogue.
Culinary and Cultural Anchors
At Mayfair Grill, Chef Giorgio Rapicavoli channels the wood-fired flavors of the American Southwest through a tropical lens—smoky, fresh, and utterly Miami. Above it all, Sipsip Rum Bar crowns the building like a joyful punctuation mark: a rooftop retreat of rattan, terracotta, and sea breeze where locals gather to sip, laugh, and linger as the Grove’s canopy glows at sunset.
A Grove Original, Reborn
Coconut Grove has always been Miami’s bohemian heart—a lush, eccentric refuge for artists, architects, and dreamers. The reborn Mayfair House Hotel & Garden captures that spirit perfectly: a fusion of history, craft, and quiet hedonism, where architecture grows like a living organism and design feels like emotion made visible.
DNA Hotels Verdict
The Mayfair House Hotel & Garden is a rare masterpiece of tropical modernism revived for a new era. Bold yet grounded, lush yet precise, it is Miami’s most architecturally expressive stay—a symphony of curves, copper, and cascading green. In a city known for spectacle, the Mayfair whispers—and the whole world leans in to listen.
