PICTURESQUE CORAL GABLES, “THE CITY BEAUTIFUL,” stands out as a rare pearl in South Florida with its lush tropical landscape, historic buildings, trendy bistros, lively social scene and cohesive family community. Developed by George Edgar Merrick during the Florida land boom of the 1920s, the city’s scenic thoroughfares curve past stately homes, landscaped urban spaces, fountains, waterways and Mediterranean Revival architecture – seemingly only footsteps distant and yet nearly one hundred years past. These diverse characteristics captured the imagination of P.R. and Marcia Steinfurth, a young couple looking to renovate a 7,800 square-foot apartment in The Gables condominium that edges Biscayne Bay and the Atlantic Ocean beyond. To create a permanent residence that would accommodate their growing family, the Steinfurths chose designer Constantin Gorges to fashion a clean-lined interpretation of an open Mediterranean space. “The couple’s major concern was to complete the project within nine months from start to finish,” the designer says. “They were expecting their first child and needed to move into the apartment.”

Once walls were knocked down and the space was completely gutted, Gorges began working closely with the homeowners to infuse the restructured interior with an updated Georgian design accented with Empire antiques and 20th-century art. “Marcia is very traditional and I’m really contemporary at heart,” P.R. says. “Constantin created a happy medium by mixing Marcia’s choice of fine antiques and traditional furnishings with my penchant for modern art.”

To tie it all together, Gorges maintains a soothing palette with walls painted a uniform ecru-colored, off-white in complementary contrast to the African wenge-wood flooring that runs seamlessly from the public to the private spaces. In addition, fabrics were kept simple to enhance a grand spatial experience and perimeter lighting was recessed into a dropped ceiling soffit to create a subtle glow – a visual effect that furthers the illusion of space.

Step inside an exquisite Movingue satinwood entry framed in stained mahogany and the eyes are at once drawn to the floor-to-ceiling walls of glass that wrap the main areas with pristine ocean views. Directly fronting the seascape, the couple’s clean lined sofas cue the grand-scaled living area’s relaxed palette, while a Steinway piano and golden draperies in Jim Thompsons’ raw silk from Jerry Pair lend a formal elegant theme. A subtle Art Deco undertone is injected with a bronzed horse head atop the custom granite pedestal designed by Gorges.

The living area opens onto a dining area set against the backdrop of an ornate Japanese screen discovered at Naga Antiques in New York. Modern and antique furnishings – including a cherry wood table and side chairs framed in macassar ebony – form a striking fusion of styles.

Warming up the master suite, Gorges intermingled a suede leather-upholstered Ralph Lauren sleigh bed with vintage 1950’s John Widdicomb bedside chests and a free-standing, wood-framed glass screen. A soothing and serene palette continues in the master bath wrapped with stained mahogany.