Inside the Bond on Brickell, Which Just Received its Temporary Certificate of Occupancy

August 12, 2016

The lobby

The Bond on Brickell, which used to be called the Bond ‘at’ Brickell until its developers MDR and the Rilea Group secured an address and entrance on Brickell Avenue itself for the building (the name change has become something of, shall we say, a conversation piece) recently received its temporary certificate of occupancy for most of the building, and has started closings while still putting on finishing touches. It is also almost completely sold out, with only about a dozen units remaining according to a building representative. Meanwhile, it was recently reported that the first unit closings took place earlier this week. Today the building was a beehive of activity as workers got the Bond showcase ready and brokers brought their clients/current owners/us for a looksie.

On the first floor, the building’s driveway can be entered via either Brickell Avenue or SE 1st Avenue, leading to a covered porte cochere which will have a waterfall feature, and the building’s signature London phone booth. Inside, the spacious lobby itself is divided into a few sitting areas, with a fireplace, overstuffed couches, and mod chairs, giving it a bit of a British vibe. Not really British-meets-the-tropics, or British colonial, just British. Walls throughout are paneled in a variety of interesting materials. In the lobby, surfaces alternate between gray suede and dark, blood red leather. Despite its location in the heart of Brickell, the building’s interiors are hushed, due to a layer of fiberglass behind all the walls.

Upstairs, on the amenity level, a club room, library, and fitness center all look out onto an amenity deck with a large T-shaped pool and outdoor fire pit. Also on the floor is a children’s playroom which is probably the most explicitly flag-flying, ‘God save the Queen’-ing part of the entire building, with wallpaper covered in British-isms like ‘Mind the Gap.’ Mens and women’s saunas and steam room, with accompanying locker rooms, are elsewhere on the floor, slightly oddly not attached to the gym, but on the opposite side. They are tiled in contrasting black and white rocks, to moody effect.

Finally, we checked out a few units with varying layouts. Balconies are generously deep, all kitchens come standard with Bosch appliances, designed to coordinate with the dark wood cabinetry, and some units come with dens. Interior doors feel solid wood, instead of hollow, which is often the case, and door handles and other hardware is nice.

One final note about the exterior. Although renderings gave the impression of dramatic exterior lighting, it appeared that this was not (or at least not yet?) part of the final design. Where there would have been long bands of light shooting up and across the facade as of now are just bands of decorative plaster, painted a dark gray.