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A GANGSTER'S PARADISE

Al Capone’s stunning former Miami Beach mansion

Al Capone’s stunning former Miami Beach mansion is back on the market for the second time in less than a year. This time with a price tag of $8.45 million.

The gangster Al Capone with his family in Florida after he got out of prison.

Al Capone’s stunning former Miami Beach mansion

The 36,000-square-foot oceanfront island property is where the notorious mobster is said to have plotted the 1929 St. Valentine’s day massacre, where he lived after his release from Alcatraz a decade later and where he “dropped dead” in one of its upstairs bathrooms. Capone bought the property for just $40,000 in 1928 — about $544,928 by today’s standards.

Al Capone’s stunning former Miami Beach mansion

Despite the history of the home, the seven-bedroom mansion has amazing breezy features like a two-story cabana house, a private sandy beach and a breathtaking 60 feet aqua-colored pool.

Al Capone’s stunning former Miami Beach mansion

DIY TREASURE /// MARBLING TECHNIQUE

Icon-Baby, the interior design Blog /// DIY Treasure - Marbling

Icon-Baby /// DIY Treasure - Before

Icon-Baby /// DIY Treasure - The Idea

Faux Marbling & Faux Gemstone Painting Marble gives that look of elegance and luxury to your home. Real marble or gemstone covered items are quite an expensive purchase and difficult to find. So why not paint some faux gemstone? It still looks classy and is a fun DIY project. This technique may be one of the lengthier and difficult one …. but the results are a real 'wow.' It needs some testing to get it right and I suggest you try it out before you start on the final surfaces.

Icon-Baby, the interior design Blog /// DIY- Marbling - The Result

Insider Tip: The trick to get your faux gemstone technique to look real is to imitate the veining in your chosen gemstone. That means you'll want to study some decorative gemstone items and see how nature did it. The other aspect is getting the right color combinations. I used gold and black because I had still some left overs from a previous project and wanted to try out the technique. Make sure that you choose a light color for the base and a darker one for the marble pattern. Again, find some pictures of marble to decide which color patterns you like best.

What You'll Need
Low-tack masking tape - Paint roller - Plastic drop cloth - A smooth sponge sander - A base coat (darker) - A top coat (lighter)
A hard and compact cardboard (a lot of it…) - Gloss Clear Interior Varnish

1 /// Prep workspace and yourselves. This work can get quite messy!

2 /// Sand all surfaces with a Sanding Power tool or by hand with fine sandpaper. 3/// Fill in all damaged areas with a ‘Multi-Fill’ paste for timber and let it dry overnight. Go over these surfaces with a very smooth sponge sander. Remove all dust.

Icon-Baby, the interior design Blog /// DIY- Marbling - Preparation

4/// Tape off areas of your project in order to get smooth lines.

5/// Apply your base coat all over your project (I used Porter's Alchemy Liquid Gold) and let it dry. Go over it with a very smooth sponge sander. Remove all dust.

Icon-Baby, the interior design Blog /// DIY Treasure - Marbling - Layer one

6/// Mitering - In real life, gemstones are usually used on small items, not on large walls. Real gem stone veneer will usually be spliced together in a mitered design. To get the look of mitering, simply tape or masking off every other piece with masking tape.

Icon-Baby, the interior design Blog /// DIY- Marbling - Segments

Icon-Baby, the interior design Blog /// DIY Treasure - Marbling Technique

7/// Find cardboard that is not too soft. Tear it in small handy pieces and make sure that the torn edge is uneven.

8/// Paint the second layer for one section only in a darker color of your choice (I used Eggshell Acrylic in Black).

Icon-Baby, the interior design Blog /// DIY Treasure - Marbling - Second Layer

9/// You have to work fast. Take the cardboard piece and swipe over the still wet paint just strong enough to create uneven lines that mimic your chosen gemstone look. Use a new cardboard piece for each stroke.

Icon-Baby, the interior design Blog /// DIY Treasure - Marbling Technique

10/// Finish those sections, allowing drying overnight, and then doing the opposite pieces the next day.

11/// Go over it with a very smooth sponge sander. Remove all dust.

12/// I wanted to have a high gloss look and finished the night stands with 2 layers of Watson Gloss Clear Varnish.
13/// The black hardware was cleaned with Brasso Metal Polish rubbed on with medium strength Siva steelwool and polished with a cotton rag.

Icon-Baby, the interior design Blog /// DIY Treasure - The Hardware

Icon-Baby, the interior design Blog /// DIY Treasure - The Hardware Transformation

Voila, that's it.

Icon-Baby, the interior design Blog /// DIY Treasure - Marbling Technique

Top Tips: HOW TO MAKE COLD WHITE MINIMALIST INTERIORS WORK

Entrance hall by Steven Volpe Design - San Francisco, California

NOTE: A SPLASH OF GOLD AND THE TULIPS DO THE TRICK.

Contemporary dining room by Pamplemousse Design, NY

NOTE: POLISHED STEEL - COLD WHITE MARBLE. THE GREEN FLOWERS IN THE GLASS VASE ARE A STYLIST TRICK TO WARM UP AN OTHERWISE CLINICAL AND COLD INTERIOR MOOD. THE WARMER WHITE ACCENTS OF THE UPHOLSTERED BENCH AND CHAIRS TOGETHER WITH THE GREAT VIEW OF THE GARDEN MAKE IT JUST WORK.

Modern hallway by Magni Design, Beverly Hills, California

NOTE: THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF A MINIMALIST WHITE INTERIOR GOING CLINICAL. DON'T YOU FEEL AS IF YOU ARE AT A LUXURIOUS DENTIST OFFICE?

Vintage dress by Vionnet

Simple white drapes - silver - polished steel - whites

NOTE: THE WARM LIGHT SOURCE MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE!

Faceted mirror as artwork

NOTE: THE FLOWERS, THE GOLD ACCENT TABLE AND THE CREAM LAMPSHADES SAVE THIS ROOM FROM BEING ONE - DIMENSIONAL. MY OPINION - FROSTY, BUT OK IN A HOT CLIMATE.

Dolores del Rio 1930s / 1940s

Dolores del Rio

Dolores del Rio

“Exercise, diet, beauty treatments –

these things are all a complete waste of time

because everyone must get older.

If women were more sensible

they would cease going to beauty parlors

for facials and would instead

lie down quietly in the peace of their bedrooms

for the same length of time

and arise more beautiful in face

and more peaceful in spirit.

The fact that I’m aging

makes me a part of life,

a part of the bigger scheme of existence…

It is my mind,

not my body,

that I am trying to preserve,

because

it is through the mind

that I can stay young.”

~ Dolores del Rio, 1964

Dolores del Rio

Dolores del Río was a Mexican actress in Hollywood in the 1920s and 1930s, and was one of the most important womanly figures of the Golden Age of Mexican cinema in the 1940s and 1950s. She was considered a mythical figure in Latin America and quintessential representation of the feminine face of Mexico in the world. She was the first Latin American female star to be recognized internationally. During the 1920s and 1930s in Hollywood, Dolores was considered one of the most beautiful women of her time, the "Latin lover" in the silent films. Her career flourished until the end of the silent era and she was one of the few superstars of the silent era to adapt to the talkies in Hollywood.

Jacket - 1930 Metropolitan Museum of Art

VINTAGE STEEL - 1970

Angelica Houston at Studio 54, NYC - FAB

Intergalactic Jane Birkin & Serge Gainsbourg - ca. 1970

Pyrite from Ampliación