Move over biophilia: Buildings inspired by blooms are the latest trend in residential design. 

By Shivani Vora

February 26, 2022

Real estate for sale featuring biophilic designs in residential developments and single-family homes is a well-documented trend (AD covered the movement in a recent story), but properties inspired solely by flowers are newer to the scene. Most recently, several new residential projects globally play up a flower theme. 

Okan Tower, in downtown Miami and debuting in 2026, takes the lead with its shape that’s an image of the tulip, Turkey’s national flower. The 70-story building rises 902 feet in the air and folds inwards at the top, resembling a closed tulip bud before its petals have bloomed. Acclaimed architect Robert Behar designed Okan Tower and says that he chose the flower because of his Turkish background; the developer, Okan Group, is also Turkish and favored a tulip design.

Behar says that he is drawn to the flower’s shape. “The curvature of a tulip is smooth and seductive which lends itself well to a building’s design,” he says. “The appearance is completely different than the typical rectangle-shaped buildings you see.”

In addition to the residential real estate for sale, Okan Tower will have hotel rooms and offices. Amenities include a rooftop pool and sky deck with cabanas and views of Miami spanning from the bay to city; a fitness center; a spa; a theater; a wine cellar; and a second pool on the 12th floor for laps. Prices of condo-hotel residences start at $387,000, and sky residences start at $587,000.

200 East 83rd, on New York’s Upper East Side, is another flowered-themed residential example. Designed by Robert A.M Stern Architects, the tower’s Indiana limestone façade is embossed with wildflowers once native to the area. According to a spokesperson for the building, the design team wanted to pay homage to the location by memorializing these now extinct flowers. The building has 86 residences that span from one to six bedrooms with prices starting at $2 million. Owners can enjoy amenities such as a 70-foot pool with double-height vaulted ceilings; a winter garden with an outdoor terrace; a spa with treatment rooms; a library; a cinema; a yoga studio; and spaces for both children and teens.

Staying in New York, Flatiron House, located near Madison Square Park, also looks to flowers. With architecture and interiors by COOKFOX Architects, a leader in biophilic design, the development features latticework that resembles blooms and many residences with balconies that are already full of flowers such as periwinkle, lavender, alpine strawberries, and lowbush blueberries.

Flatiron House, debuting this summer, is comprised of two buildings connected by a shared interior garden that’s planted with native flowers and plants. The development has 44 residences and amenities such as a gym with a yoga studio and adjoining landscaped terrace, a game room, and a film screen. Prices begin at $1.98 million.

The Bjarke Ingels–designed 670 Mesquit in Los Angeles, currently in construction, pays a nod to flowers too. Located in the city’s Arts District, the mixed-use development with housing features public parks and plants with flowers and has landscaping throughout with what’s described as “fragrant native perennials.” 

Moving on from buildings to individual properties, the Caribbean resort Secret Bay, on the island of Dominica, features two Ylang Ylang villas, named for the eponymous flower. The homes stand up on one primary “stem” and resemble the petals of the Ylang Ylang flower, which grow on Secret Bay’s property. Available for full or fractional ownership, the villas span almost 1,600 square feet and have one bedroom and bath, two decks, an indoor/outdoor kitchen, and a swimming pool. Prices for fractional ownership begin at $208,000 and full ownership begins at $3.8 million.

Aesthetically appealing in more ways than one, the flower-inspired properties we’ve rounded up are places that we’d be happy to look at all day and move into any time. We’d best describe them as a complete multi-sensory experience. 

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