Wynwood and Design District Make for Cool Living

During the last five years, the neighboring neighborhoods (say that fast three times) of Wynwood and the Design District have boomed into areas where artists, designers and musicians want to be. This creative resurgence has led to a residential explosion in the areas.Midtown Miami in the heart of the District started it all with buildings that boast residential, retail, restaurants and nightlife. There’s 2 Midtown Miami, 4 Midtown Miami and Blue Condominium. The 2 and 4 have a midrise buildings each with 62 units and also each has a Tower with 256 and 327 units respectively. These are located between 29 and 36 Streets along Midtown Boulevard. Blue Condominium is at 601 NE 36 Street and has 345 units.2 Midtown Miami/Google ImagesSo we’ve determined that there’s no shortage of places to live in the area but what about things to do? For starters, there are restaurants at the bottom floor of some of these buildings and one of the best is The Cheese Course at 3451 NE First Ave. Within the heart of Midtown are the stars Mercadito, Sugarcaneand 100 Montaditos and just a tad north is Fratelli Lyon and Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink.And the shopping, oh the shopping. Fashion designer Christian Louboutinmoved in a few months ago and Louis Vuitton is set to arrive in the near future. Being such a design and fashion-conscious area, there’s no shortage of stores like these and alongside them are some unique finds like Las Tias in Wynwood.Run by veteran Miami Beach luxury real estate maven Esther Percal, Las Tias was created as a way to bring antiques and fine furnishings from those luxurious homes that would have been discarded or donated elsewhere to the public.Billing themselves as an upscale resale and consignment shop Las Tias’  merchandise includes well known items like Baccarat and Lalique crystals, Ligne Roset furniture and Lucite furniture and serveware. The idea here is to inspire customers to create their own style.