🏠 News From Your Neighborhood
Miami, FL
5 Highlights From Design Miami 2024—And the Story Behind Its Uplifting “Blue Sky” Theme
Design Miami—one of the world’s leading design fairs, that takes place in tandem with Art Basel—is about to enter its 20th year. What began as a small endeavor in Miami’s Design District is now a tri-part international juggernaut: Design Miami occurs not only in the Magic City, but also Basel, Switzerland, and Paris, France. It’s a big deal, and yet, because it largely focuses on items for the home, there’s a warmth around it that can be harder to sense in the static convention halls of a traditional art fair. Case in point: Design Miami is known for its feel-good verve, and that’s especially true at this year’s edition, which was built around a theme upliftingly dubbed “Blue Sky.”
Photo: Kris Tamburello
“It’s the concept of ‘blue sky thinking,’” said Glenn Adamson, Design Miami’s 2024 curatorial director, at a media preview on Tuesday. “Taking the imaginative leaps that are intrinsic to design practice. It’s also the idea of a boundless horizon, and the optimism in that. And the final meaning has to do with universalism. The same sky is above all of us, no matter who we are.” Design Miami’s CEO Jen Roberts also emphasized the optimistic component when speaking about the fair. “There’s a joyfulness,” she told us. “You want to try it out. You want to engage with it. There’s pleasure in it—I think that’s what it is.”
The room—well, mega-tent—was buzzing over that sentiment. Craft, which has returned to prominence in the design world over the past few years, had a strong presence at this year’s edition, along with a touch of the fantastical and a dash of the pragmatic—all of it amounting to something sophisticated and fresh and, perhaps, a little bit youthful. (Twenty is still young, after all.) Below, our highlights from Design Miami 2024.
Design Miami is open to the public from December 4 to December 8.
Bottega Veneta x Zanotta
2.jpg)
Photo: Courtesy of Bottega Veneta
1.jpg)
Photo: Courtesy of Bottega Veneta
Mathieu Blazy’s seating at Bottega Veneta’s fashion shows is garnering cult status in the design world, too. For spring 2025, the brand’s creative director tapped the Italian design firm Zanotta to create beanbag chairs in the likenesses of animals (two years before that, the chairs were colorful boxy resin shapes, made with the late Gaetano Pesce). When the fauna are gathered together, as they are in Miami, this capsule is called “The Ark,” which Blazy described as “a joyful world with a sense of wonder” (very fitting for the optimism Adamson mentioned). Before the show had opened, a number of the animals had sold out (there are only 500 in total, in various colorways). Two, a light gray rabbit and a white chicken, are exclusive to Design Miami. If interested, Bottega Veneta can connect you to their dedicated sales team–but, and forgive the pun, there’s a flood of interest in this ark, so act fast.
Fendi’s ænigma by Lewis Kemmenoe
Photo: Robin Hill / Courtesy of Fendi
If you’re a diehard pizza fanatic in Miami, you’ll soon be able to check another renowned style off your list without leaving home. Arriving in October 2026, Royale Pizza Napoletana will debut at 1680 Meridian Avenue, introducing South Florida to the exceptionally precise world of Tokyo-style Neapolitan pizza. This highly anticipated opening marks the monumental stateside arrival of legendary Japanese pizzaiolo Chef Bun, the mastermind behind Tokyo’s genre-defining concept, Savoy.
RECOMMENDED: Where to find the best pizza in Miami
The restaurant is the brainchild of banking entrepreneur and restaurateur Jess Varughese, the innovator behind Miami’s ultra-exclusive, members-only hotspot, Haiku. After experiencing Chef Bun’s “perfect pizzas” during a trip to Japan, Varughese envisioned bringing this science-driven culinary movement to sunny South Florida. To ensure absolute authenticity, Varughese assembled an elite culinary team. Alongside Chef Bun, the kitchen features Haiku Executive Chef Albert Diaz and Chef Dalila Sabatino, a rising pizzaiola talent praised by Bun who previously trained at Los Angeles’ acclaimed Pizzeria Sei.
What sets Tokyo-style Neapolitan pizza apart is its rigorous, chemistry-like execution. At Royale, the dough undergoes a meticulous 30+ hour fermentation process. Varughese and his team spent hundreds of hours adjusting the recipe, combining artisan flours with the Autolyse technique and even altering Miami’s water softness to match Japan’s famously soft water. Pizzas are then baked fresh in an 800-degree oven. The resulting crust achieves an ethereal balance of lightness, chewiness, char and crunch. As Varughese notes, having Chef Bun’s 20-plus years of innovation on board elevates the entire culinary game.
Royale will be fast-casual, yet polished, with seating for 65 guests including a large community table at its center. Staying true to an accessible vibe, the restaurant will operate on a first-come, first-served walk-in basis with no reservations, though takeout and delivery will be available. You’ll order at a main counter from a carefully curated menu featuring antipasti, two pastas, two mains and seven distinct pizzas—including four traditional options and three specials. This is a pizza spot that deserves the hype, so stay up to date on their progress at @royalenapoletana ahead of the official October launch.
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. — A 12-year-old girl was shot in the arm after gunfire erupted in a northwest Miami-Dade neighborhood early Tuesday morning, according to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies said they responded just before 1 a.m. to the area of Northwest 64th Street and Northwest 21st Avenue in the county’s Gladeview area, where they found three vehicles struck by gunfire, including a silver Hyundai.
“The car was parked outside of the residence. It was occupied by three juveniles, so it was the girl and her two siblings that were in the vehicle. The mom was outside of the vehicle at the time, so this could have been a very different outcome,” MDSO Detective Samantha Choon said.
Authorities said Miami-Dade Fire Rescue medics transported the girl to a nearby hospital in stable condition.
A family member of the victim told Local 10’s Jackie Pascale that the girl is now home and doing OK.
They said neither her siblings nor their mother was injured in the shooting.
According to investigators, no arrests have been made, and detectives have not released any suspect information at this time.
Neighbor Marie Grimes said she was shaken after hearing multiple gunshots.
“I heard the booms — boom, boom, boom, boom — and I said, ‘Oh my God, what’s happening?’” she said. “Maybe five or six, ’cause look at that right there. I’m just glad the little girl is OK.”
Investigators asked neighbors to check their surveillance or Ring camera footage from around 1 a.m. and contact authorities with any information.
Anyone with information on the shooting is urged to contact Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477. Anonymous tips are accepted.
Copyright 2026 by WPLG Local10.com – All rights reserved.
-
Wisconsin9 minutes agoFlood relief grant applications now open for nonprofits, churches in Northeast Wisconsin
-
West Virginia15 minutes agoNew law allows employers to provide benefits for independent contractors in West Virginia
-
Wyoming21 minutes agoElection Q&A: Jessica Crowder for Wyoming House District 43
-
Crypto27 minutes agoBlackrock Becomes World’s First $15 Trillion Asset Manager, Unleashes Tokenization Blitz
-
Finance33 minutes agoBig financing steps forward for The 78, Foundry Park projects
-
Fitness39 minutes agoMore Muscle, Less Fat—Is This High-Tech Workout A New Fitness Answer?
-
Movie Reviews51 minutes agoFilm Review: “The Odyssey” – MediaMikes
-
World1 hour ago
Movie Review: In Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey,’ an ancient epic is reborn
