River INn
east little havana, FL
Professional, 2015 - 2016
Renovating Miami's longest continuously operating, Riverside hotel, was a spectacular experience. Originally built as a Victorian boarding house in 1908, these wood vernacular houses are still standing tall - its history preserved but upgraded with modern convenience. The clients were property owner, Avra Jain and hotel operators, ROAM.
Thrifted ornate metal chair spray painted pastel pink to match the house behind. Image provided by Quinones Productions
painted ladies
These four charming, pastel colored houses are located in East Little Havana right by the Miami River. With original wood framing, delicate wood siding, and durable Dade County Pine floors, Miami's painted ladies offer a lot of history and required a lot of care.
The preservation process began with mold premeditation, foundation reinforcement, and termite control. It ended with charming interior design, fresh paint, and lavish landscape design. From restoring some of the antique furniture to adding ornate Spanish tile, from window shade design to preserving the coral rock - no part of the property’s story was left untold.
The design inspiration came from the property's layered past and immediate context. The refurbished and reupholstered antique masterpieces add modernity to the authenticity of the interior rooms. The hardware, furnishings, and metal stairways speak to the industrial working River while the coral rock and Spanish tile pay homage to Little Havana.
All 38 bedrooms and bathrooms received updates and the kitchen are was remodeled to serve the needs of modern day tenants.
location
outdoor living rooms
Every porch was treated like a gathering place. Unique chairs, tables, benches, hammocks, and swings were placed throughout the property to give a sense of community living and encourage an appreciation for the outdoor spaces.
Image provided by ROAM.
EXTERIOR
Nautical light fixtures, wood siding repairs, and fresh paint gave the exteriors the face lift they needed. Each window and door was removed and restored by a historical window expert, to function as they were originally intended - with a weight and pulley system.
Image provided by Quinones Productions.
Image provided by Quinones Productions.
Image provided by ROAM.
Image provided by ROAM.
Interior
The interior design was inspired why the simple vernacular architecture of the buildings and the need to emphasize a clean, more modern environment in the bedrooms. The rope nightstand light is an example of the nautical elements brought in as homage to the working River.
Image provided by Quinones Productions.
Image provided by ROAM.
Image provided by ROAM.
Image provided by ROAM.
Image provided by ROAM.
b & W
The bathrooms at River Inn are more spacious than your typical bathroom. Each received classic new black & white checkered tile. Some of our signature rooms have sinks that are installed on retrofitted singer sowing machines, and others have spectacular clawfoot tubs.
Image provided by Quinones Productions.
Original restored claw foot tub, with gold hardware.
Renovated and reupholstered chair, bench, armoire and side table in the first floor of the blue house.
Image provided by ROAM.
POST CARD facade DESign
This graphic elevation was designed as the cover of a post card. It was handed out at events held at or about the historic hotel.
collateral & branding
Image provided by ROAM.
Window shade design
The window shade art design was inspired from some research I was doing to learn more about the neighborhood. Stumbling upon a historic photograph of the pink house with stripped awnings inspired this elegant grey, white, and color stripe pattern show above.
Image provided by Quinones Productions.
Image provided by ROAM.
Image provided by ROAM.
Image provided by Quinones Productions.
ANTIQUE FURNITURE
When purchased, the hotel came with many antique masterpieces- though most were practically unraveling. An expert furniture restorer was brought on as part of the team to give each piece the attention it needed. Modern, sleek fabrics & paints were selected based on the exterior colors of the four houses.
Image provided by Quinones Productions.
Image provided by ROAM.
Image provided by ROAM.
Bringing the outdoors, in with the use of pattern and color.
Image provided by ROAM.
Image provided by ROAM (Antique Singer sowing machine repurposed into a sink).
Image provided by ROAM.
Black frame around the historic photograph ties into the frames around antique mirrors we painted black to add modernity to the bathrooms.
Singer sowing machine converted into a functioning sink.
it's all in the details
Image provided by Quinones Productions.
Image provided by ROAM.
Food set up for the opening night party.
Our new Spanish Tile.
logo art
Below is a sketch drawn as a homage to the historic hotel entrance and it's original circular logo.
Curated wall art made of historic photographs. Image provided by ROAM.