Issue link: https://www.balharbourdigital.com/i/1532915
This concept is strongly reflected in his living space at Eighty Seven Park, where continuous balconies soak up views of freshly minted parkland and the sparkling water beyond. The Renzo Piano–designed building is so close to the beach that looking down from the 11th-floor unit he shares with his husband, architectural designer José Marty, almost feels like running sand through your toes. Inside he tapped into a Miami-style tropical flair with pieces like the living room's undulating Ammonoid Gama chair by Misha Kahn, upholstered in red and hot pink, facing Hyper Ellipsoid, a bioluminescent sculpture by Gisela Colón that to Mindel looks "like something you might find under the sea." He likewise chose the room's commodious wicker Carlo Scarpa armchairs for their seaside feeling, combining them with the François Bauchet coffee table he admires for "its Morris Lapidus influence." An iconic Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown Queen Anne chair suddenly seems all about its wavy lines. The neon "M-I-A" displayed by the entrance is part of a 1940s sign that originated in Finland. The balmy climate allowed Mindel to furnish the commodious balcony with the type of Rodolfo Dordoni sofas and tables and Alvar Aalto Stool 60s normally found indoors. Chaise lounges from his design firm's Continuous Line for Sutherland Furniture encourage relaxing in the sun, and the elongated rectangle of a blue Chilewich rug forms a trompe l'oeil swimming pool. Just a few blocks north, The Surf Club, originally founded in 1930 by tire tycoon Harvey Firestone, offered him another opportunity to make a personal statement. While pursuing his architecture degree at Harvard University's Graduate School of Design, Mindel studied under Richard Meier, so in 2015, when Meier invited him to work with him on the club's redesign and expansion, he jumped at the chance. Tapped to provide an architectural statement that would serve to introduce a development encompassing a Four Seasons hotel and condominium complex, Mindel designed a sales office and exhibition space in a light-filled pavilion built over a series of canvas baffles that seemed on the verge of setting sail, announcing a new, transformative presence in a historic spot. Its natural environment of sea, sand, and tropical greenery became integral to the design vocabulary of his Florida work. Despite its slight size, the 800-square-foot historic house on Root Trail in Palm Beach feels voluminous after its careful restoration.