Colors of South Beach
28th Nov. '07 • Category: Destination Color • Tags: art-deco, beach, exterior-color, historic-color, travel
Authored by Kate Smith
As if a few days of breathing salt sea air and sipping champagne weren’t enough to spoil me I had the added pleasure of strolling along Ocean Drive in Miami’s colorful South Beach.
South Beach has the largest concentration of Art Deco buildings anywhere in the world with more than 800 of these gems within a square mile.
Constructed mainly of masonry or stucco, their flat roofs, geometric patterns and rounded motifs give the many small, pastel-colored hotels a distinctly modern look.
Pastel and neutral painted buildings in beige, gray, cream, rose taupe, and butter yellow are accented with brighter pastels in peach, pink, aqua, and green, or with deeper neutrals such as charcoal gray or black.
Both the style and colors signaled a period of renewed optimism and confidence in the U.S. during the post-depression building boom of the 1930s.
Today the Art Deco treasures are being preserved and some newer buildings that complement the distinctive architecture of the area have been allowed to go up.
The show doesn’t stop when the sun goes down on this historic district. Neon and colored lights beckon in red, white, orange, blue and gold adding to the festive atmosphere of this international hot spot.
Can you blame me for not coming back to work until today?
