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Courtesy of DCOTA

DCOTA is home to almost 100 of the nation’s most remarkable interior design showrooms, attracting internationally renowned designers, architects, decorators and dealers from around the globe. So why is the interior of the building itself so outdated? (Think lifeless maroon-edged balconies and haughty emerald green marble floors.)

So, on a recent visit, I was elated to learn that the 775,000 square-foot design giant is getting a much-needed makeover. “Times are changing," says Ashlee Harrison, DCOTA’s director of marketing. "We want to stay relevant."

The redesign includes major architectural changes by Los Angeles firm Area Design Inc., landscaping by Thomas Balsley and Associates in New York, water features by Los Angeles-based Fluidity Design Consultants and lighting graphics by Kaplan, Gehring, McCarroll, also in Los Angeles. Although the renovation is estimated to take about five years, construction is already underway in the “A” building, which will be complete by April. The renderings (one of which is shown here) show it to be awash in bright oranges, blues and greens — a design center worthy of its South Florida digs.