QB INTERIORS
Design Studio
What Barcelona Can Teach Us About Designing a Home That Lasts
Barcelona changes the way you see design. I've traveled to many places where beautiful architecture fills every street, but Barcelona feels different. Design isn't confined to museums or luxury hotels. It's woven into daily life — in the apartment buildings, the neighborhood cafés, the public benches, the parks, the lighting, and even the way the city moves. After spending time there recently, I found myself asking a familiar question: Why does Barcelona feel so intentionally designed? The...
What Barcelona Can Teach Us About Designing a Home That Lasts
Barcelona changes the way you see design. I've traveled to many places where beautiful architecture fills every street, but Barcelona feels different. Design isn't confined to museums or luxury hotels. It's woven into daily life — in the apartment buildings, the neighborhood cafés, the public benches, the parks, the lighting, and even the way the city moves. After spending time there recently, I found myself asking a familiar question: Why does Barcelona feel so intentionally designed? The...
Why New Luxury Condos in Brickell Still Need Professional Interior Design
From soaring waterfront towers to amenity-rich high-rises, Brickell continues to redefine luxury living in Miami. For many homeowners, purchasing a brand-new condo offers the appeal of modern architecture, premium finishes, and the convenience of a move-in-ready residence. Yet one of the most common misconceptions we encounter is that a newly completed luxury condo doesn't need interior design. The reality is that while developers excel at creating beautiful buildings, they aren't designing a...
The Rooms We’re Not Using (And What They’re Telling Us)
One of the first things I notice when I walk through a client's home isn't the furniture, the finishes, or even the architecture. It's the rooms that aren't being used. Not the rooms that need updating. Not the rooms that are unfinished. The rooms that have simply fallen out of the rhythm of everyday life. Almost every home has one. Sometimes it's a formal dining room that sits untouched except for holidays. Sometimes it's a beautiful sitting room that looks exactly as it did the day it...
How to Personalize a Developer-Grade Apartment in Miami
Walk through Brickell today and you’ll see it everywhere. Glass towers are rising faster than the eye can keep up, each promising luxury, views, and convenience. But step inside many of these Miami luxury condos, and a pattern emerges: beautiful, yes… but often indistinguishable. In a city defined by rapid overdevelopment, the real luxury isn’t just square footage or skyline views, it’s creating a home that feels entirely, unmistakably yours. Developer-grade apartments are designed to appeal...
Why True Luxury Has Nothing to Do With Price
Luxury Isn’t What You Think It Is Luxury has become one of the most overused words in design. It’s used to describe imported marble, handcrafted furnishings, designer brands, and homes with breathtaking price tags. Scroll through social media, and it’s easy to believe that luxury is something you buy—that it’s measured in square footage, material selections, or the number of zeros in a renovation budget. But after years of designing homes for successful clients, I’ve come to believe that true...
How to Design a Child's Bedroom That Grows With Them: Lessons From a Real-Life Redesign
I'm currently working on the redesign of my step-granddaughter's bedroom. This isn't the first time I've been involved in the evolution of the space. While I wasn't part of the original nursery design, I did help when she transitioned from a crib to her first "big girl" bedroom. Now, at eight years old, we're revisiting the room once again—but with a very different goal in mind. This time, we're not designing for the next few years. We're designing for the next ten. The objective is to create...
Branded Luxury Condos in Miami: Are Buyers Paying for Timeless Design—or Just the Logo?
Written by Cynthia McFarlane A little over a year ago, I wrote about the rise of branded luxury residences in Miami and questioned whether these projects were truly smart investments, or simply highly sophisticated marketing. Since then, the landscape has evolved considerably. Some branded towers are progressing toward completion. Others are still navigating approvals. And some, like Mercedes-Benz Places in Brickell, have encountered financial turbulence that raises broader questions about...
Why Window Treatments Matter More Than You Think
Light, privacy, and the art of framing the view in Miami homes In a city like Miami, where towers continue to rise and glass is everywhere, it’s easy to assume that more windows automatically mean better living. Floor-to-ceiling views of Biscayne Bay or the Brickell skyline are often treated as the main event. But left completely bare, even the most spectacular view can feel unfinished. Window treatments are often considered an afterthought, something purely functional. In reality, they are...
5 Design Decisions Miami Homeowners Most Often Regret
Few things are more exciting than moving into a new home. Whether it's a waterfront condo in Brickell, a Coral Gables renovation, or a newly purchased residence in Coconut Grove, most homeowners are eager to make the space their own. But after the boxes are unpacked and everyday life settles in, certain design decisions often become sources of frustration. In many cases, these regrets could have been avoided with a little more planning upfront. Here are five of the most common design mistakes...
The Emotional Clutter No One Talks About
When people think about clutter, they usually think about physical things. The overflowing closet. The crowded garage. The kitchen drawer that no longer closes properly. We tend to believe that if we could simply organize better, donate more, or create additional storage, our homes would feel lighter. Sometimes that's true. But over the years, I've noticed another kind of clutter that is much harder to identify—and much harder to solve. It's emotional clutter. Unlike physical clutter,...
Lighting a Miami Penthouse: Creating Atmosphere Above Biscayne Bay
In luxury interior design, lighting is often the element that determines how a space ultimately feels. Not just how bright it is, but whether it feels warm or cold, dramatic or flat, intimate or impersonal. For a penthouse we are currently designing on the 51st floor in Brickell, lighting became one of the central conversations early in the conceptual phase. The residence has sweeping unobstructed views of Biscayne Bay, floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors, and a significant art collection...
Designing for the View: How to Make the Most of Miami’s Skyline and Water
Source: luxesource.com Coastal Vibes Inspire This Family-Friendly High-Rise In Miami | Luxe In a city like Miami—where glass towers rise faster than palm trees and every new development promises “unobstructed views”—it’s easy to assume the view alone is enough. But step into most luxury condos in Brickell, and you’ll notice something surprising: despite the floor-to-ceiling windows, the interiors rarely honor what’s outside. The result? Spaces that feel disconnected from the very thing...