Maite Granda designs chic, sleek Miami vacation pads where clients can kick up their feet and relax. In her spaces, vibrant hues wink against backdrops of crisp white, warm woods slide across floors, and walls of glass open to views of azure sea and sky. We spoke with Granda, who’s part of our Trade Program and the owner of Interiors by Maite Granda in Miami and New York City, on how she creates dreamy destination homes.
What’s your approach toward vacation homes? Designing vacation homes is totally different than permanent homes — the colors, lighting, materials, everything. People want open-concept spaces where they can all hang out together and a luxurious, comfortable, functional home that has a fresh look.
How do you achieve this? We go with fabrics that are more relaxed, like cottons and linens, and we use sheers on drapes. Area rugs tend to be much more casual. In regular homes, we tend to use high-end silk area rugs. In vacation homes, we go with natural materials like jute and bamboo. We also use a lot of natural wood in light colors, like pine, bamboo and maple.
What about furnishings? Rattan, bamboo and washed wood are all very low-maintenance. Woven rattan make lumieres more see-through as well as less expensive, which people care about for second homes. Leather on seating is spectacular here, because it feels so cool and fresh. Murphy beds are also a must in vacation homes.
Does color play a part? Miami style has white walls and a clean look, then I accentuate it with color. I grew up in Spain, where there’s red bougainvillea, Moroccan blue flowerpots and orange houses everywhere. I draw from those influences, along with patterns like black-and-white Spanish-style geometric tile with a pop of green.
Ways to capture those glorious views? We use something called a NanaWall as much as possible. They’re glass doors that fold to the side, so you can bring the outside in and have a magnificent view. Clients go crazy for them; they’re moving to Florida to have that experience.
Any last advice? Make sure to keep the house at a nice temperature, so wallpaper doesn’t open up or wood floors mold. That is key. You want to keep the design beautiful all year round, even when the homeowners are away.