Dornbracht Newsroom
  • Blog
  • Press
  • Events
  • References
  • ← dornbracht.com
  • Search
  • Menu Menu
You are here: Home1 / Blog2 / STA Architectural Group – The Estates at Acqualina | The Mansions at A...

The Mansions and The Estates at Acqualina – located mere minutes from the epicenter of Miami’s glamour, beauty and excitement

We recently sat down with Isabel Tragash, Principal at STA Architectural Group, who provided us with a peek inside both The Estates at Acqualina and The Mansions at Acqualina, together referred to as “Acqualina”. Known for her extensive design experience, Isabel leads the Interiors practice at STA, a well-respected mainstay in the Miami Beach architectural community. She shared with us her design approach and how one can never be too prepared when taking on projects of this scale and luxury. Read on to learn more.

Hi Isabel. You lead the interiors practice of your firm, STA Architectural Group. Tell us about your firm in a couple of sentences. 

From its inception in 1985, STA ARCHITECTURAL GROUP has been led by husband and wife principals Todd and Isabel Tragash, together they have built a studio of talented design professionals and a distinguished portfolio of national and international work. STA specializes in high-end Architecture and Interior Design with a diverse breadth of work ranging from exclusive private homes to hospitality.

It’s not every day we get to feature a designer with 35 years of experience under her belt, who’s also at the very forefront of a thriving design community like Miami’s. What’s the best part about designing for South Florida clientele? 

South Florida is the destination for the well-traveled to enjoy the relaxed life style in an exciting cosmopolitan city. Miami has become a center for the arts, design and food. Designing for a diverse and well informed clientele who appreciate a sense of effortless elegance and personal well-being is a privilege.

Do you remember the first space that made an impact on you?  

Many spaces have made an impact on me but one that I remember most, was my unexpected visit to the Therme Vals Spa in Switzerland in 2008, A year prior to Peter Zumthor winning the Pritzker Price. The building is partially carved into a Quartzsite hillside, the interiors is masterfully planned where you experience total darkness in contrast to perfectly composed window openings exposing the picturesque  countryside of Vals. The architect’s play with light and materiality in this underground space is magnificent.

A free standing tub fitted with Donrbracht.

Tell us about working on Acqualina. How do you approach a project of this scale and luxury?

My studio’s approach to projects like Acqualina is research, research and research. We look into design elements which set certain places apart from the rest. We specifically research great hotels, residences and spas in leading cities of the world. We draw ideas and expand or edit them to fit the lifestyle of South Florida. In addition we are attentive to what our clients respond to and what is important to them.

What were some of the challenges of this project? 

We always try to exceed what we did before and that can be quite challenging.

For Acqualina, you specified several Dornbracht products throughout including CL.1, IMO, Lisse, and Big Rain for the bathroom and Tara Ultra in the kitchen. Given your extensive knowledge of unique materials, walk us through your thought process in selecting a design and finish to complement the surfaces you had in mind.

For the master shower we always ask ourselves what could be the most indulging shower experience? We appoint each master shower with a flush mounted ceiling rain shower, body sprays, waterfall features and lastly a steam component. I love the feel and the translucent dimension of onyx for a master shower, when pairing the fixtures and accessories I look for fixtures with strong and clean lines that will complement and not compete with the stone.

Your firm has adapted very well to remote work during these exceptional times. What attributed to making the transition so seamless? What has been the biggest challenge?

Our entire studio was completely taken by surprise on how well we are working remotely.  Technology certainly contributed in making the transition seamless but technology would have not worked well if we were not good communicators.  We are constantly on virtual charrettes, constantly sharing ideas and critiquing our work. We have embraced the situation and I have no doubt that it has brought our studio closer together.   We are also having great experiences with our virtual presentations to clients locally and abroad. We can walk through their plans and communicate design ideas through 3D imagery and for the touch and feel we send a trove of samples prior to the virtual presentation.  The greatest challenge is getting everyone to login remotely without technical difficulties.

It’s 2020 and we’ve just entered the third decade of the 21st century. What stands out about the current state of the design industry? 

Good design is well recognized, I believe that in this decade we have developed a greater sensitivity towards design.

Are you seeing any particular design requests trending among your clients?

The trend has been that the home should cater to one’s wellness.  This trend continuous to expand with requests for integrated air purifying systems, therapeutic shower experiences and a designated place for meditation.

What’s next for you? Anything we should be on the lookout for?

People will spend more time in their homes and designing for their personal wellness will be a priority. There will be a need to integrate exercise, relaxation and work from home.  Equally important will be the quality of light, air and water.

Popular
  • DORNBRACHT ManufakturTraditional craftsmanship in manufacturing and digital ...6. May 2019 - 13:15
  • Reframing Minimalism_Dornbracht_westmount_a3_swReframing minimalism: designing an infinite present3. May 2019 - 13:10
  • STA Architectural Group – The Estates at Acqualina | The...14. August 2020 - 11:19
  • A Modern Farmhouse in Vancouver by Sophie Burke Design24. July 2020 - 10:50
Recent
  • The icon Madison2. December 2020 - 15:05
  • Dornbracht Mem luxury bathroom FaucetDornbracht icons with custom finishes2. December 2020 - 12:44
  • Chateau de Vignee Dornbracht bathroom Tara luxury marble blackChâteau de Vignée23. November 2020 - 21:42
  • Chateau de Vignee Dornbracht bathroom Tara luxury marble blackChâteau de Vignée19. November 2020 - 17:27

Categories

  • Blog
  • Press
  • Events
  • References

Instagram

Follow us

Pinterest

Instagram Feeds

dornbracht_official

Innovative design products for kitchen, spa & bathroom made in Germany. To get featured, mention & tag #dornbracht.

Dornbracht
Beautiful monochrome reference by @frmwrkstudio ⁠
⁠
Design by @sieger.design
From classic to playful – discover The Architect From classic to playful – discover The Architectural META collection.⁠
⁠
⁠Design by @sieger.design ⁠
Situated in an old textile warehouse, @norroen_arc Situated in an old textile warehouse, @norroen_architects studio takes an industrial yet refined aesthetic. The floors have been paved with raw metal plates that have been placed methodically to mimic the layout of a Japanese tatami floor and the walls are built of raw concrete blocks – giving the whole space a rough-luxe feel. ⁠
⁠
Product: Dornbracht TARA in Dark Platinum Matte⁠
Design by @sieger.design
Dream vanity unit by @vanitasstudio studio paired Dream vanity unit by @vanitasstudio studio paired with Dornbracht TARA faucet design by @joannalaven⁠
⁠
Design by @sieger.design⁠
Vanity unit: @vanitasstudio⁠
Table lamp: @flos⁠
Wall lamps: @articololighting⁠
Congratulations @fabianfreytag on receiving the "I Congratulations @fabianfreytag on receiving the "Iconic Design Award 2021 for Innovative Interior." We are pleased that our products were selected for the awarded project: META and LOT from Dornbracht and STEEL 19 from @Alape_official. Read more – see link in bio. ⁠
⁠
Design by @sieger.design
Wake up with water therapy. Hydrotherapy, or water Wake up with water therapy. Hydrotherapy, or water therapy, is a natural treatment for different conditions and a way to improve our overall health and wellness. Explore all of our shower solutions.⁠
⁠
Design by @sieger.design
The grand dame of the bathroom. MADISON redefines The grand dame of the bathroom. MADISON redefines contemporary interiors with its meticulously crafted detailed handles – inspired by the Art Deco period. 
⁠
Design by @sieger.design
Bathroom goals at @spacethirtysix by interior desi Bathroom goals at @spacethirtysix by interior designer @anya_sebton. Featured here is the iconic Dornbracht TARA faucet in Matte Black and washbasin from @alape_official⁠ 
⁠
Design by @sieger.design
The META 2 mixer, spout and rinser can be arranged The META 2 mixer, spout and rinser can be arranged exactly as needed to support you in the kitchen... like taking care of your plants. ⁠
⁠
Design by @sieger.design
Load More Photos Follow Me

Service

Service

Facebook
YouTube

 

Categories

  • Blog
  • Press
  • Events
  • References

Archive

  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • March 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • October 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • November 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • January 2018
Scroll to top

This site uses cookies and other tracking technologies to assist with navigation and your ability to provide feedback, analyze your use of our products and services, assist with our promotional and marketing efforts, and provide content from third parties. Cookies and privacy statement

OKRead cookie & privacy statement

Cookie and Privacy Settings



How we use cookies

We may request cookies to be set on your device. We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website.

Click on the different category headings to find out more. You can also change some of your preferences. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer.

Essential Website Cookies

These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features.

Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refuseing them will have impact how our site functions. You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site.

We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain.

We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. You can check these in your browser security settings.

Google Analytics Cookies

These cookies collect information that is used either in aggregate form to help us understand how our website is being used or how effective our marketing campaigns are, or to help us customize our website and application for you in order to enhance your experience.

If you do not want that we track your visit to our site you can disable tracking in your browser here:

Other external services

We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. Changes will take effect once you reload the page.

Google Webfont Settings:

Google Map Settings:

Google reCaptcha Settings:

Vimeo and Youtube video embeds:

Other cookies

The following cookies are also needed - You can choose if you want to allow them:

Privacy Policy

You can read about our cookies and privacy settings in detail on our Privacy Policy Page.

Accept settingsHide notification only