Bold New Wave

Charlap Hyman & Herrero bring surrealism to South Beach in a stunning Miami high-rise.

- By Camille Okhio

When Tom Healy, a writer and educator, and Fred Hochberg, a former businessman and government official, received an unexpected offer on their Miami house, it proved too good to pass up. They accepted and took the sale as an opportunity to downsize-to a luxurious floor-through apartment in South Beach that overlooks the Atlantic Ocean. The offer on their former home included the bulk of the couple's furniture, leaving Healy and Hochberg with a blank slate.

In a confluence of goodwill, two of Healy's friendsgallerist Nina Johnson and curator Alexandra Cunningham Cameron both recommended the same designers within hours of each other: Adam Charlap Hyman and Andre Herrero of the New York-based firm Charlap Hyman & Herrero. "When Adam and Andre first arrived at the apartment, Adam was dressed like it was the middle of winter and Andre was wearing a shirt open to his navel, with tight leather pants," Healy remembers. "What I love about them is that balance of temperaments and styles, which I felt reflected our relationship as well." While Healy and Hochberg's previous homes had been decidedly bold, Charlap Hyman & Herrero took the couple to a whole other level, Hochberg says. The firm looked to the extreme environmental conditions and architectural history of Miami Beach for inspiration, conceiving a design scheme organized around the elements.