Modern Home from Series Is for Sale – DIRT

It has been deemed the era of excess – of big hair, Aqua Net and mohawks; leg warmers, spandex and high-tops; the Material Girl, the Brat Pack and the Two Coreys. Yes, nothing quite compares to the ‘80s! Considered by many (including this writer) to be the best decade, Medium recently declared 1980-1989 “a glorious time to be alive”  – a neon-lit age that gifted the world “some of the best movies, music, TV shows, and toys of all time.” And there’s really no denying that “Back to the Future,” “Thriller,” “The Golden Girls,” and Teddy Ruxpin are at the absolute apex of their respective genres.

The era was also an abundant source of colorful architecture and design, introducing the world to such tubular décor elements as Memphis Group furnishings, Laura Ashley wallpaper and, of course, the transparent phone. As the Houzz website summarized, “Pomo, jumbo, faux: No matter where you stand on the 1980s’ postmodernism, McMansions and decorative paint finishes, you have to admit that design in the decade didn’t play it safe. Whether it was with their hair, shoulder pads or homes — which expanded 12% as lot sizes decreased 4% — Americans took it to the max.”

And now, a fabulously retro Coral Gables property that remains virtually untouched from the time it was initially erected by local Miami-area architect Alberto Otero in 1987 has come up for sale. Outfitted with boldly colored furniture, abstract pop art and glass blocks as far as the eye can see, the residence is a veritable relic. A true ‘80s icon, the place even once cameoed on “Miami Vice,” a series so prolific that People magazine acknowledged, “Even if you didn’t watch a frame of this tropical crime hit, you felt its influence in fashion, music, men’s grooming and South Beach style.”