via pinkcloud.dk

PinkCloud's Project Inflatable.

Miami's a city where old and new meet in unique and often surprising ways, especially when it comes to its architecture. So PinkCloud's idea to revitalize the Miami Marine Stadium, an architectural treasure now covered in graffiti, is perhaps the most fitting proposal for returning the venue to life.

It's futuristic. It's eye-catching. And oh yeah, it's essentially a giant helium balloon.

See also:
- Miami Marine Stadium: A Revival of Magic, Concrete, and Spray Paint
- Parkour Athletes Flip to Save the Miami Marine Stadium (Video)

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via miamism

Ikea's Sunrise location.

For years now, Miami enthusiasts of Allen wrenches, horse-flavored meatballs, and cheap, Swedish furniture had to shlep all the way into Broward County to satisfy their cravings at the IKEA location in Sunrise.

But soon, those Liatorps, Bjurstas, and Fabrikörs will be no farther from your home than a drive down the Dolphin Expressway. IKEA's coming to Miami, y'all -- and sooner than we originally thought.

See also:
- IKEA Is Coming to Miami-Dade: Let the Swedish Takeover Commence

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The James Royal Palm

Miami Beach is beautiful. With its long, sandy shoreline, lovely climate, and amazing confluence of world cultures, the Beach has gone from a sleepy seaside resort to a world-class city. And in the short history of that process, it has also become one of the most distinctive and fascinating architectural cityscapes on the planet.

Exploring this unique cityscape was the idea behind Saturday's Miami Art Museum Bike Crawl, a four-mile jaunt around South Beach's historic Art Deco District that began and ended at the newly renovated James Royal Palm.

See also:
- The Ten Best Skyscrapers in Miami
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Miami is a flourishing, young city, barely a century old and fluid in its rhythms, its culture, and its image. That image has evolved year by year with the rising and falling of skyscrapers all across the county, as we continue to find ourselves wandering about fascinating new pieces of architecture that pierce upward along our flat horizon. And while one of the most significant periods of that architectural evolution took place in the '80s, in the wake of Miami's cocaine renaissance, the ill-fated boom era of our economy that came to a grinding halt in 2007 saw a flurry of activity in the form of mega-cranes and legions of construction companies pushing our skyline higher.

Soon, that skyline will have itself a new occupant in the exciting form of Zaha Hadid's first skyscraper on this side of the planet. As Miami's architectural landscape prepares for yet another change, we're taking an affectionate look at the wonderful buildings we know and love around town. From downtown Miami to the northern throes of the Beach, here are the ten most exquisite heights in our expanding jungle of glass-and-steel behemoths.

See also:
- Zaha Hadid's One Thousand Museum Tower Will Make the Rest of Downtown Look, Like, So Ten Years Ago
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Salvador Dalí, Cuillére avec montre-peigne (spoon with comb), 1957

We've heard of clothing as art, shoes as art, and hair as art. So it's not a far stretch to expect jewelry to be art, too. Thanks to Diane Venet, this is now a reality that we can all gawk at at the Bass Museum of Art.

The curator got her start collecting when she first met her husband, sculptor Bernar Venet, in 1985. "He gave me a barre of silver that he twisted around my two fingers as an engagement ring," she notes. "This ring remains among my very favorites!"

The following Christmas and birthday, he gave her some pieces made by some of his close friends that were also artists. "The subject interested me so much that I started to learn and research about which artists had been challenged in the past, and who would be interested in doing a piece now," she continues. "I met other collectors, dealers, gallerists, and as the seed was planted in the soil, I went on [collecting] alone."

See also:
- Temporary Contemporary: The Bass Museum Redefines Street Art

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Inside Jonathan Adler's Miami store.

You may recognize Jonathan Adler's name from the Bravo show Top Design. But the TV personality is also a potter, designer, and author, as well as the owner of his namesake design empire. With 19 stores and counting, an e-commerce site and a wholesale business with 1,000+ locations worldwide, he's pretty much become a household name.

The talented Adler -- who incorporates a mid-century mod aesthetic with pop and art culture -- is making his way to Miami, to celebrate the expansion of his Miami location, as well as his new book, 100 Ways to Happy Chic Your Life.

We caught up with Adler to discuss the future of his fun, cheeky design company, his new tome, and gift giving in Miami.

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"Architecture for Dogs: this is only the start," world-renowned Japanese designer Kenya Hara, said as part of his introduction to the furriest, friendliest exhibit this side of Art Basel. And from what this reporter's seen, he's not kidding. For this project, artists all over the world have taken doggie design to the next level, mixing designer furniture with humanity's never ending appreciation for canine camaraderie.

See also:
- Architecture for Dogs: Sparky Can Finally Sit on the Furniture
- Art Basel Miami Beach 2012 Fair and Gallery Guide

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Ami Vitale

Fisherman from the Kokhanok village catches salmon on the south shore of Iliamna Lake on the Alaska Peninsula.

Humanity's come a long way since acknowledging the existence of global warming and our selfish, consumptive ways. More and more people are going green, and it doesn't hurt that it's become trendy to do so. Captain Planet would be proud.

The products we use on the daily impact us more than we think, so the Nature Conservancy has decided to address these issues through a unique exhibit, Design for a Living World, set to premiere at the Coral Gables Museum on July 26.

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Read also: New Public Art in Opa-Locka Promises to Break Down Barriers, Literally

Los Angeles-based designers Christian Stayner and Jennifer Bonner do not look like they belong in Opa-locka.

But when the distressed neighborhood called for artists to come install public art and start a movement, the hipster pair answered and came to the impoverished site with experience and a plan.

One year ago, the Opa-locka Community Development Corporation received a grant that would allow it to launch a project to erect public art pieces and strengthen the community's involvement with the arts. Stayner and Bonner were one of four artist teams chosen to help drive the cause.

The thing about these Angelinos, though, is that they don't plan on leaving any time soon.

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Lifetime

Totes a winner!

During the final moments of Lifetime's Project Accessory, Miami's fashionistas and design junkies held their breath as judges Kenneth Cole, Molly Sims, and Ariel Foxman decided the fate of two of our own.

South Florida was represented by both Nina Cortes and Brian Burkhardt, there to prove their obvious and immense talents, placing Miami firmly on the fashion map. In the end, the judges granted artist and Triian designer Brian Burkhardt the winner of the competition and $100,000.

After we exhaled, we got on the phone with Burkhardt who told us what he'd be doing with his winnings, how the show was like summer camp on acid, and that limitations are only in your mind.

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