Your Tropical Concrete Sanctuary

Final Project — University of Miami, Interior Design Certificate

May-September 2025​

Tools: SketchUp, InDesign, Sora

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Tropical Concrete Sanctuary explores the balance between hard and soft. The project reimagines Brutalism through warmth, texture, and tropical ease, turning concrete from something cold into something calm and grounding.

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The space is designed as a retreat from overstimulation. Monolithic built-ins and continuous surfaces create a clear spatial rhythm, reducing visual clutter while emphasizing flow between rooms. Low lines, organic forms, and integrated storage allow function and form to exist as one cohesive environment.

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The material palette centers on warm-toned microcement in place of standard gray concrete, layered with stone, zellige tile, heavy wood, linen, rattan, and soft textiles. Color is introduced through tropical greens, corals, and muted accent tones, balanced with matte black details to anchor the space.

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Wellness guided every decision. The home prioritizes low-toxin, durable, and easy-to-maintain materials to support clarity, comfort, and long-term living.

Influenced by my work as a Senior Graphic Designer at SKKN by Kim, this project translates sculptural minimalism into a livable interior, adding warmth, texture, and humanity to an otherwise rigid aesthetic.

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​I designed the home down to its architectural and furniture details, creating a custom kitchen, all bathrooms, vanities, bathtubs, showers, fireplaces, beds for the master and child’s bedrooms, desks, built-in shelving, and other spatial elements in SketchUp. I designed the kitchen in its entirety, including the cabinetry, integrated refrigerator surround, island, worktop, backsplash, and overall material composition. Custom built-in shelving was developed for the child’s bedroom, bathrooms, and office. The architectural and built-in elements are unified through a material language of microcement and Zellige tile, complemented by natural wood, stone, rattan, and textiles. AI-assisted visualization was used to take the SketchUp designs and transform them into photorealistic renders.