The Flamingo Lounge designed by Tabanlıoğlu Architects opened at the twelfth edition of Design Miami/, which took place from November 30th – December 4th, 2016. Based in Istanbul, Turkey, Tabanlioglu brought the essence of tropical Miami into the Collector’s lounge which is a central feature in this prestigious international design event. Entitled The Flamingo Lounge, to reflect the single candy pink colour that was used throughout, this 100m² space, was open for the duration of the Fair to host the most influential collectors, gallerists, designers and curators.

The aesthetic for the Flamingo Lounge was inspired by a number of diverse sources, from the flamboyant panache of cult filmmaker John Waters, to the utilitarian minimalism of Mies van der Rohe and the colourful liquidity of Gaetano Pesce. In addition, the architects called on their own perception of Miami style and culture and brought this into the design giving it a playful yet severely abstract feel.

A single material and colour was used throughout the space with the floor and the furniture all cast in the same candy pink resin, so that the space appeared to be carved out of a solid, yet apparently liquid block. The long rectangular space was broken up into zones, each represented by a separate piece of furniture that also doubled as an archetypal symbol, evoking primitive geometric characters with a language that goes beyond their pure function, conveying multiple levels of meaning for each visitor.

Principals Melkan Gursel and Murat Tabanlioglu commented on the design: Melkan Gursel said:

As Tabanlioglu Architects, we have recently opened our branch office in NY. Taking a step forward to establish our presence in the US we are now in Miami as arts and design is a part of our personal lives and architectural practice. Designing Collectors Lounge has been a challenge and an opportunity to express our approach in design and architecture; rooted in the modernist tradition. Our perception of Miami and its style, including the fragments of Hollywood, of course especially of Miami Vice of our very young ages, is within the design.

Murat Tabanlioglu said:
For the design of Lounge our main consideration has been the proportions and spatial qualities of the space as well as the environmental data of Miami, Florida and the USA. The pieces of furniture are stripped to their bare minimum, existing as abstract, primitive geometries. They attempt to function not only as utilitarian objects but also as symbols and archetypes that are a means of complex communication with multiple levels of meaning.