For the buyer settling in South Florida for good, torn between a Miami neighbourhood of galleries and shops and the West Palm Beach waterfront to the north.
This page explains. Whether the building suits you is a separate conversation. Contact the desk at Miami Dossier for the current position on any building we cover.
For a full-time life built on walking, culture and restaurants, the Design District fits better: Kempinski Residences and Fouquet's Hotel & Residences put you at or inside the district. For a full-time life built on the water and space, West Palm Beach fits better: Olara and South Flagler House sit on the Intracoastal, with a marina, family rooms and a 2027 date at South Flagler. Choose the weekday you want, then the building.
The same five questions, from the developers' published material.
Kempinski Residences Miami Design District. Price point: From $3,700,000. Delivery: no date in the material on our file. Unit mix: about 132 homes in two 23 story towers, two to four bedrooms, each with a den, about 2,100 to 3,100 square feet inside, plus six townhomes. Position: 3801 and 3883 Biscayne Boulevard, at the gateway to the district, with bay and skyline views; not waterfront. Operator: Kempinski Group, with no hotel on site.
Fouquet's Hotel & Residences Miami. Price point: no published entry price. Delivery: no date on file. Unit mix: 143 homes of one to four bedrooms with private terraces, many with dens, in a 25 storey tower. Position: 39 NE 39th Street, inside the district; the rooftop pool overlooks the Intracoastal and South Beach. Operator: Fouquet's runs the hotel, with owner access to its services.
Olara. Price point: no published entry price. Delivery: phased, late 2026 through 2028. Unit mix: 275 residences of two to four bedrooms plus den, over 26 storeys. Position: 1919 North Flagler Drive, West Palm Beach, overlooking the Intracoastal, with Currie Park and the NORA District walkable, per the developer. Operator: Savanna, with Jose Andres Group dining.
South Flagler House. Price point: no published entry price. Delivery: March 2027, reported on track. Unit mix: two 28 storey towers on 3.4 acres; the Park Residences run one and two bedrooms, about 1,800 to 3,000 square feet, about 80 percent sold. Position: 1355 South Flagler Drive, facing the Intracoastal, Palm Beach Island and Worth Avenue. Operator: Related Ross.
In the Design District, the day can happen on foot. Our own read of the district is a square mile of galleries and flagship stores with almost nowhere to live, which is why these two buildings exist. At Fouquet's, the hotel adds two restaurants, a bar and a patisserie downstairs. At Kempinski, the day starts with breakfast at the Sunrise Café and, when you need to go further, a house car.
In West Palm Beach, the day is built around the water and the building. Olara's sixth floor deck carries more than 80,000 square feet of amenity, a 13,000 square foot fitness centre, a recovery spa, an 8,500 square foot waterfront restaurant and a marina with resident slips. South Flagler House has a vanishing-edge pool facing the lagoon, a 25 metre lap pool, indoor pickleball, a golf simulator and a full spa. You drive more, and you need to leave the building less.
A full-time owner also needs ordinary life close: a doctor, a supermarket, a school. Olara lists a 24/7 medical concierge by Sollis Health. Map the rest yourself from each address.
Kempinski, on the published plans. Every home has a den, and the four typical plans on our file run from a two bedroom of about 2,225 square feet inside to a four bedroom of about 3,102, with terraces of about 465 to 585 square feet. A den is the office a full-time owner needs. See the Kempinski floor plans.
Olara runs two to four bedrooms plus den across 275 homes, so the choice of size is widest there. South Flagler House lists a children's playroom, a teen lounge and a sports court, the clearest family program of the four; its Park Residences, though, run one and two bedrooms, so ask about larger lines in the towers. Fouquet's runs one to four bedrooms, many with dens; see the Fouquet's plans.
The Design District gives up the water at the door. Kempinski is not waterfront; its homes look east to the bay over the city. Fouquet's sees the Intracoastal and South Beach from its 70 foot rooftop pool, not from the street. Neither has a boat slip.
West Palm Beach gives up the walk to a gallery opening and a flagship store. Olara's walk is a park and the NORA District; South Flagler's view is Worth Avenue across the water. Both are big buildings by Design District standards: 275 homes at Olara, two towers at South Flagler.
Timing differs too. South Flagler House gives March 2027, and Olara's first phase is due from late 2026. Neither Design District building has a date in the material we hold. A buyer moving for good on a fixed date has more to work with in West Palm Beach. If the move changes your state of residence, read whether buying makes you a Florida resident.
Kempinski suits the full-time owner who wants to walk to dinner, a den in every plan and a building with no hotel. You give up the water and a delivery date, and it carries the only published entry of the four, From $3,700,000.
Fouquet's suits the full-time owner who wants to live inside the district with a hotel's restaurants and staff. You give up a published price and a residence-only lobby.
Olara suits the full-time owner who wants space, a marina and a service program at scale. You give up a small building and a single delivery date.
South Flagler House suits the family that wants a 2027 date, classic architecture and rooms for children and teenagers. You give up most of the choice in the Park Residences.
See the Kempinski dossier, whether Fouquet's is worth it, what makes Olara different, what South Flagler House offers and Olara or South Flagler House. The Design District zone page maps the Miami side, and Miami vs Palm Beach for a second home reads the wider coast for a part-time buyer. A New York household choosing the northern side should read relocating from New York to West Palm Beach, and a buyer who wants to compare the Design District with Downtown should read Downtown Miami or the Design District. The desk lays the four plans side by side with delivery terms and the budget of each building; read our notes on who to call in the Design District and who to call in West Palm Beach.
Contact the desk at Miami Dossier for the current plans, pricing and availability as the developer releases them, discussed one to one.
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We hold no listings and we are not the developer. Contact the desk at Miami Dossier and we will tell you what applies to your situation, what does not, and where we would not proceed. Where a question is legal, tax or structuring, we introduce you to advisers who handle that properly rather than answering it ourselves.
Samuel Strauch is the owner of Metrik Real Estate. His team of agents represents buyers in Miami pre-construction.
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