Meet, Olsens Miami

The vibrant creative director of a boutique tile and interiors showroom and a lighting designer were never going to design and create a nondescript family home.

Having lived in the lively coastal hub of Miami for 16 years, Jasmine and Ash Dowthwaite wanted to stay in their beloved, creative neighbourhood and create a smaller footprint, meticulously designed home using the finest quality materials.

When a block that backed onto a spacious leafy park and was just a short ride or stroll to the beach and Miami’s slew of breweries, cafes and distilleries hit the market, the Dowthwaites toyed with the idea of buying it and building thoughtfully-designed duplex houses.

They flagged the idea of a collaboration with colleagues and friends, Tui and Rob McKinnon, the husband-and-wife team and directors of Havenden Projects, who were also looking for new opportunities. The rest is history.

In collaboration with building designer Jayson Pate, the formidable foursome have created one of the most inspiring residential projects on the Gold Coast, paying homage to the group’s shared love of Mid-Century design, music, entertaining and good times.

“Ash emailed us something along the lines of ‘let’s do this’ and it just rolled on from there,” Tui tells Three Balls Red. 

“Rob and I are always on the lookout for new opportunities and we knew partnering with people we already knew in the industry would be beneficial.”

Along with the Olsens Miami team, Pate designed two spectacular two-storey beach homes with considered spaces, finding clever ways to optimise their size and practicality.

“We also decided to use the site’s flood overlay regulations to our advantage,” says Pate.

“Changes in floor heights add flair and character to the design.”Jas and Tui were responsible for the interior design, with a strong focus on the highest standard of craftsmanship, including custom joinery and woodwork details by Mosh Joinery, and tile selections from Three Balls Red.

“Quality was non-negotiable,” says Tui. “We are not the cheapest builders, nor do we want to be. Jas and Ash were on the same page, which made this an easy collaboration. Quality and trust has value and pays off in the long run.”

Taking an environmentally conscious approach to design with the smaller footprint living, the four-bedroom Olsens Miami each boast soaring ceiling heights and open-plan spaces designed for connecting with family and friends.

As well as the interiors detailed with high-end finishes and fixtures, the lighting scheme was designed by Ash, director of international lighting and audio-visual design consultancy, FPOV.

“We took the approach of soft warm accent spots and decorative items where we could,” Ash tells Three Balls red. “Using warm dim technology so the home warms as the light is reduced is a key technique being applied as well. Only key task areas and our art is lit so the rest just falls away to create theatre and interest in our different spaces.

”A seamless indoor/outdoor flow leads out to a design-led pool landscape and alfresco entertaining space with sprawling parklands as a peaceful backdrop. Located in the beating heart of the Gold Coast’s arts and creative hub, it’s of little wonder the Dowthwaites can’t wait to move into their new family home.“This is us for quite some time,” says Jas.