October 13, 2023 By Morgan Goldberg Architectural Digest
About six years ago, David Grutman took Noah Tepperberg on a boat ride around Miami. The Groot Hospitality founder wanted to show his best friend, the co-CEO of Tao Group Hospitality alongside co-CEO Jason Strauss, a property he had recently purchased. The landmark Mediterranean Revival building, which first opened in 1926 as the home of the Miami Women’s Club, was situated right on the shores of Biscayne Bay. Grutman thought the historic waterfront structure was the perfect venue for his first-ever partnership with Tepperberg: a lively restaurant that would make an indelible impression on the up-and-coming Edgewater neighborhood.
“If we were going to do something together, we didn’t want to do just a regular space,” Grutman says. “We wanted to do something that was going to leave a legacy for both of us.”
Grutman and Tepperberg’s proudest achievement, Casadonna, opens this week. The coastal Italian–inspired restaurant, whose menu takes cues from seaside destinations like Naples, Taormina, and Bari, is housed in the bottom levels of the 97-year-old building. AD100 designer Ken Fulk, who Grutman worked with on the Goodtime Hotel in South Beach, was behind the dramatic transformation of the once crumbling space. He and his team did everything in their power to maintain its original charm while bringing it into the 21st century.
“The goal was to seamlessly weave in the new with the old, which I think might be my favorite part of the process—figuring out how you elevate it and have those worlds collide so that it doesn’t become an artifact [of the past],” Fulk says.
Grutman, Tepperberg, and Fulk agreed on a grand palazzo aesthetic with a playful palette of pinks and blues. The bubble gum and blush tones are a nod to the Floridian locale, while the aquas and teals were derived from the arched windows that are original to the structure. “The color of the windows was historically significant, so we kept them and really used them as touchstones and jumping off points for the design,” Fulk adds.
Casadonna diners enter through the dramatic double-height courtyard, where glowing lanterns hang from the retractable roof and an eye-catching bar features antique mirrors layered in fretwork. A new set of glass doors is built into an old arched window, leading to a series of indoor dining rooms, each with its own vibe. “We wanted to have a sense of discovery, to feel like rooms in a house that were [individually] compelling, yet all fit together like a puzzle,” Fulk explains.
In the Garden Dining Room, textured plaster walls are adorned with collected artwork like archival Miami Women’s Club photographs, vintage Karl Blossfeldt prints, and a Grant Schexnider painting. Colored terra-cotta tiles create a bold geometric pattern on the floors, which juxtaposes the elaborate custom print on the curtains and the back of the banquette. The one-of-a-kind fabric depicts flora and fauna endemic to the region.
Meanwhile, the Loggia Dining Room is characterized by coffered ceilings, whitewashed parquet floors, and Murano glass chandeliers by Fabio Ltd. The regal upholstered chairs, which appear throughout the interior spaces in different fabrics and are Grutman’s favorite detail, were designed by Fulk as an homage to Old Hollywood meets Old Havana glamour. “It was that Deco inspiration, with the flared backs and elegant legs that lift them up,” he notes.
For alfresco dining, guests can head to the Ocean Bar and Lounge on the terrace. Grutman and Tepperberg enlisted Raymond Jungles to landscape the outdoor area, which was once a parking lot. He and his team used native plants and trees to cleverly frame the idyllic view of the bay and block out all the neighbors, creating a sense of seclusion. “When you’re sitting there, you actually feel like you’re on the water,” Tepperberg says. “You’re not on a river, you’re not set back. You really feel like you could take a few steps and jump right in.”
Fulk outfitted the terrace with rattan armchairs, midcentury-modern sofas with powder-coated steel frames, and small stone-topped tables that can be moved around easily. For all the seating, he specified cushions with tones of flamingo pink and mint that can withstand the humid Miami weather. “There’s a little bit of Italian Dolce Vita about this whole endeavor,” Fulk muses. “It has that Riviera sex appeal to it.”
And, because it’s a Groot Hospitality and Tao Group Hospitality production, there is a DJ booth—though it’s not the main event. “It’s going to be a really good hybrid of fine dining and social dining,” Tepperberg promises. “The music will be played live, but it’s a background setup. It’s not huge speakers and moving lights.” It’s crudos and pastas and dreamy bay views instead.