The glistening glass box on the corner of North Miami Avenue and NE 39th Street opened its doors during Art Basel to reveal furniture as sleek and refined as the structure itself. This massive, 5,000 square-foot showroom serves as the U.S. headquarters for Baltus Collection, a high-end furniture company based out of Marbella, Spain. With both a designer and an artist at the helm — Pedro Peña and Javier Martín, respectively — the aesthetic is simultaneously minimalist, complex, and very large in scale. When shown in context, pieces seem to blend into their surroundings; up close, the craftsmanship and material choices make them stand out. Each console, couch and cabinet is hand-built by a team of artisans who painstakingly personalize the item to suit a buyer’s taste. Roxana Matticoli, general manager for Baltus Collection, explains that Miami’s diversity makes it the perfect backdrop for the simple functionality of these pieces: “It’s a strong foundation for great design and endless opportunity.”
