Shareef Malnik, owner of Miami Beach’s popular restaurant The Forge, has hired Douglas Elliman to market his stylish pad on Ocean Drive that’s hopped on and off the market for several years.
Until last week, Dora Puig of Luxe Living Realty had the listing for 222 Ocean Drive, which had been on the market under her firm for roughly 10 months. Puig did not return repeated requests for comment.
Listing agents John Sandberg and Ann Nortmann of Douglas Elliman
The listing now belongs to John Sandberg and Ann Nortmann of Douglas Elliman, who are advertising the 7,707-square-foot home at $14.995 million — the same price as Puig’s listing.
“[Malnik] had it on the market many different times in many different ways, and it just didn’t work out,” Sandberg told The Real Deal. Zillow shows it’s been up for sale and rent multiple times since 2009, with prices ranging from $7.9 million to the current high of nearly $15 million.
The home, which was retrofitted from a 1930s-era apartment building, is the only single-family residence that still exists on Ocean Drive. The Versace Mansion could also qualify, but its owners have it up for lease as a commercial property. It also hasn’t been used a residence for years.
According to a 1991 Miami New Times article, the house was first fashioned out of an eight-unit apartment complex by artist Dana Hotchkiss in 1989. She paid only $525,000 at the time, and put another $50,000 into its conversion.
Malnik came along in 1995 and paid Hotchkiss $1 million for the property. He first built a three-story addition on its rear, including a rooftop deck with its own pool, and most recently completed a massive renovation that involved completely gutting the house’s interiors. “He just hit the reset button,” Sandberg said.
The master bedroom and bathroom
Dubbed “the beach house,” Malnik’s sleek estate has four bedrooms, four bathrooms and is directly across from the beach. Its all-white interiors are offset by light wood furniture, black curtains and the occasional industrial-gray pillar. Even the kitchen appliances are painted white, except for their stainless steel knobs and cooking surfaces.
Its other features include a theater room, complete with a framed picture of Frank Sinatra at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach, a spiral staircase that’s more art fixture than passageway, and a temperature-controlled wine cellar.
The rooftop deck and pool
To do all this, Malnik hired Briggs Edward Solomon to design the interiors and spec home developer Todd Glaser to lead the renovations.
As for who’s interested in buying, Sandberg said he’s looking at the Big Apple for clientele.
“There’s a big chance that a New York buyer will be buying this property,” he said. “Miami is a value compared to New York real estate.”