Trading Spaces
Jamaican design maven turns ordinary spaces into hip restaurants and lounges. And she also has women hailing her as a life saver. SAVANNA WEST tells why

It always puts a smile on my face to observe when people are introduced socially to Alison Antrobus. Her physical beauty is obvious but Alison’s real attraction is her playfulness, the sort usually possessed by a 15-year-old girl. What they don’t know is that they are playing with a mega star, renowned for her architectural design and respected by international greats.

Alison Antrobus has designed some of Miami’s most popular and revered bars, lounges and restaurants along with some super homes for not-to-be-mentioned stars who reside on Miami’s shores.

Antrobus was born in Jamaica, raised in Barbados and is a product of the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design where she double majored in architecture and interior architecture. It is there that she learned to sketch three dimensionally in a matter of seconds, offering her clients and contractors an effective and efficient way of understanding an idea instantly. She says this has become her secret weapon. “So much detail and the spirit of the design concept is lost in the two-dimensional world of plans. Building a project is a collaboration among client, architect, designer, and builder, and producing three-dimensional sketches on the spot is the only language that all involved can understand clearly.”

With fashion as her original passion, Antrobus was accepted to the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, Rhode Island in the US to major in fashion design. She quickly recognised the potential satisfaction that would flow from channelling her artistic energy elsewhere. “I realised that architecture would contribute to more people’s experiences. Architectural design became a greater stage on which to play and that’s what drives me to this day, the excitement knowing that I am contributing to a multitude of personal experiences and creating a stage for life.’’ The sculpting of an empty shell, turning a mere room into an experience for anyone who enters, is what this young, talented woman is renowned for.

Antrobus began her professional career in Atlanta designing hospital interiors. It was a great foundation as it taught her the critical theories on the physiological effects of colour and materials. She then moved to Miami where she got involved in a major private residence. “I considered this project to be my graduate school in design as it was there that I was introduced to the dying craft of the artisan and the relevance of detail. Every element of this house was developed from their original techniques,” she said. The Venetian chandeliers which were designed with one of the oldest Murano Glass Factories in Murano, Italy are a perfect example of this. Antrobus would design the chandelier alongside craftsmen flown over from Italy.

At Prime One Twelve, the sense of suspension is seen in the details of the bar cases; they do not rest directly onto the bar counter but are mounted or suspended on stainless-steel poles. This floating concept is also expressed in the use of acrylic for the bar stools, and most of all, in raising the brick columns off of the floor with an acrylic lit base to express the “lifting of the building”.

The use of brick around the six-inch by six-inch existing steel columns was not only to re-emphasise the structural grid of the building but to express permanence; brick is also a material that would conjure up a sense of nostalgia. The heaviness and permanence of brick were juxtaposed with the lightness and impermanence of arched wood ribs that were hung from the ceiling on chains. Antrobus said she made these “boat-like” ceiling structures to mock the Spanish galleon that was supposedly buried under the building.

The acrylic panels embedded with natural grass which line the bar and the kitchen and are also seen in the menus were selected as the signature material of the space. “To me, this material was the perfect culmination of the concepts that drove the design. The impermanent nature of grass as an analogy of the impermanent footprint of a building that had to be carried through the air versus the permanent character of acrylic as a material that will never naturally corrode as an expression of the permanence of the building’s history and site.”

The space would not have been complete, Antrobus said, without honouring and sharing its history in such an accessible way, and making it an integral experience for all those who visited the building. To do this she utilised the back panels of the liquor cabinets that line the entrance to display old newspaper clippings and archived photographs of the building before Ocean Drive even existed. It was an ingenious finish to this new space.

Antrobus believes that restaurants are stages, which allow people to be seen as much as they like to see. She therefore spaced the liquor/archival display boxes widely enough so that people can see one other on opposite sides of the bar, but close enough to encourage a conversation. This detail conjures up situations of “now you see me, now you don’t” which in many ways plays off of the voyeuristic atmosphere of restaurants.

Antrobus kept the lighting at Prime One Twelve in tones of amber to add warmth to the space. She used amber glass shields surrounding the bulbs over the tables and at the suspended lights by the kitchen. The oatmeal fabric of the large lampshades are a similar tone. “I used tabletop lamps on the bar counter to add a more domestic feel, as opposed to hanging lights traditionally seen over a commercial bar,” Antrobus explained. The final product has been featured in architectural and design magazines all over the world.

Antrobus’s latest project is one which has to be experienced personally as pictures could never raise the goose bumps one gets on entering through the doors of Badrutt’s Place located in Bricknell, Miami.

“As with all of my projects, I depend upon the personality of the programme or client to draw inspiration. With Badrutt’s Place, the client made two things very clear: firstly, it must be ephemeral, transitioning atmospheres from casual lunchtime to a sexy night lounge. And secondly, to create the warmth of a residence, as opposed to the commercial vibe of a large restaurant and club.”

Antrobus used aged French oak floor boards in an effort to make it feel “lived in”. She explained that “this aged floor was used to anchor the luxurious decoration of taffeta silk drapes and a crystal chandelier. It’s exactly like coordinating an outfit to be elegantly casual: you need those worn jeans paired with fabulous heels and a smart shirt to pull it off.’’

The most exciting and unique design element of Badrutt’s Place is the VIP area which is placed ingeniously on a raised stage in the middle of the restaurant. This area has motorised scrim blinds that enclose the VIP area. This idea was to heighten a voyeuristic experience in the VIP. “With the screens down, those outside of the VIP can merely see the silhouettes of faceless dancing bodies. Those inside of the VIP feel very secluded, but know that they can be seen,” explained Antrobus.

Antrobus also custom designed the furniture used in Badrutt’s, which was made exclusively for her in Italy. Beautiful white leather high-back chairs and sofas in the dining area give the feeling of being in a house rather than a commercial restaurant.

The most creative and imaginative part of Badrutt’s however is the lighting which is used to change the atmosphere from day to night. Antrobus used coloured light patterns reflected on the VIP scrim blinds, turning the restaurant into a lounge/club mood after guests have had their dessert.

Antrobus’s talent does not end at architecture, interiors and furniture design. One of her most heartfelt projects combines her initial passion for fashion and her innate command of space and structure. She has designed and patented a bag which is taking the design world by storm.

She simply was unable to find a bag that would operate in the way that she needed it too. Beyond the standard “digging procedure” of finding things in her bag, Antrobus also had to transport her “tools of the trade” in several different ziplock bags. Totally dishevelled and frustrated, she went out in search of a bag that would help her perform in a more organised fashion whilst on the road. As with most creative people, when presented with a design problem, she became obsessed with finding the solution.

Antrobus realised that no matter how many compartments a bag has, one is still loading everything vertically, one on top of the other and thus, always having to rummage endlessly to retrieve or find anything. It occurred to her that with a drawer, items are loaded horizontally and therefore are visually and physically more accessible. So she designed the first bag with drawers placed one on top of the other for accessibility and ease. As with Badrutt’s Place, “The Antrobus” bag is also transient from day to night as the bag can be dismantled and used in three different ways: a work bag of sorts using the drawer compartments, a purse, and a clutch which can be used with cocktail clothes. This patented design is elevating Alison Antrobus from mere mortal designer status to the salvation of all women who hate to dig in a bag to find that ringing phone.

At 36 years old, this talented young woman is not only recognised by her peers in the United States and Europe, but respected. The very special thing about Alison Antrobus is that this fame has not spoilt her, as she is planning to give up the glitz and glamour of Miami life to return home to the Caribbean, where, in a way, she has to start all over again. Crazy, some may say, but to Alison Antrobus, it’s a dream come true.