The PPG Development founder, Ari Pearl, on art as anchor, the evolution of a neighborhood, and what it means to create the first standalone Mondrian residences.
The PPG Development founder, Ari Pearl, on art as anchor, the evolution of a neighborhood, and what it means to create the first standalone Mondrian residences.
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In the world of branded residences, the formula has been predictable: announce a tower, sell on renderings, and ask buyers to wait three years. Ari Pearl, founder and CEO of PPG Development, is turning that model on its head.
First came Shell Bay, the country club he built with the Witkoff Group—a project that helped spark a reimagining of Hallandale Beach. Now comes Mondrian Hallandale Beach Residences, the first standalone Mondrian-branded residential project in the world. No hotel attached. Just 26 stories of art-filled living, move-in ready, with views that stretch from the Atlantic to the Intracoastal to the skylines of Miami and Fort Lauderdale.
We sat down with Pearl recently to discuss the project, the neighborhood’s transformation, and how art became the anchor of the entire experience.
Ari Pearl: It takes the experience to another level. The Mondrian brand is about design and art, and from the first second you pull up, you see our most impressive piece—a Jun Kaneko head, one of the last he ever made. There will be no others. It sets the tone immediately.
And then it continues. You move from the Kaneko head to the mirror arts, to the stone arts, to the tapestry arts. Then you get out to the pool deck and encounter this incredible spray art installation. We haven’t seen this kind of excitement around art in a project in a long time. When Wynwood first took off, you saw a lot of it, and then it sort of phased out because developers didn’t want to spend the money. But we realized it’s an investment well worthwhile. Sophisticated buyers—the kind of people who will spend what a Mondrian residence commands—they resonate with it. They understand it.
AP: That’s the beauty of it. We’ve created a canvas that respects and elevates what they bring. The building has a design aesthetic that says: this is a place that understands art, that values it. For someone with a collection, that’s incredibly reassuring. They’re not starting from scratch in a generic space. They’re walking into a dialogue.
AP: When I came to Hallandale in 2017, you saw a lot of senior citizens walking the streets, and that’s still a big part of the community, which we value. But now you see something else. You see a much more vibrant, younger community. Young mothers pushing baby carriages. People running, jogging, biking. It’s a very different energy.
That reimagination started with Shell Bay, the country club I built next door with the Witkoffs. We’re doing a branded residence there as well, and a hotel. The amenity package at Shell Bay is incomparable from Palm Beach County down to Key Biscayne. We have a 48-slip marina. And now, from Mondrian, residents look out their windows at one of the top country clubs in the world. The views are incredible; ocean, Intracoastal, the Miami skyline, the Fort Lauderdale skyline.
And location-wise, you’re in the most central spot in Florida. If you’re living here and working in Aventura, the mall is right around the corner. Easy access to 95, to all the major arteries, to the Golden Glades interchange. Downtown Miami? Easy. Downtown Fort Lauderdale? Easy. Airports? Fifteen minutes to Fort Lauderdale, 20 minutes to Miami International. You’re five minutes from Aventura Mall, 15 minutes from Bal Harbour. It’s just an incredible central location.
AP: It’s a big mix. Traditionally, South Florida, especially this area, has always had buyers from South America and Canada. We still see that. But now we’re seeing a lot more Northeasterners. Buyers from different parts of Europe. From the Midwest—Detroit, Chicago. And for the first time in the 25 years I’ve been here, we’re seeing a major migration from California.
What they’re looking for is highly amenitized, true luxury condo living. You don’t get many buildings, even on the ocean, that can amenitize the way we can here, because this building sits on five acres. You have a price point that’s lower than the ocean, but the luxuries of the most high-end buildings. The views and amenities are incomparable.
And the brand and artwork make a major statement to any buyer. They say: this building will have a design aesthetic, services, and everything you would want to live a high-quality life.
AP: It gives all the benefits of the brand without the transient nature. Without the traffic. You get the Mondrian design sensibility, the cultural cachet, and the access, but you’re in a pure residential environment. For buyers, that’s a huge part of the attraction.
And through Accor, our residents have access to Accor Living. That opens up a lifestyle at the highest level. Access to all the Accor properties and restaurants. Discounts. Concierge services. A whole host of benefits you don’t get with many other brands. Accor owns Fairmont, Raffles, and Sofitel, some of the best brands out there. Through Mondrian, our residents are connected to it all, no matter where they are in the world.
AP: We started with a blank canvas. Our canvas was views of the golf course, views of the ocean, views of the Intracoastal, and views of the skylines. With a blank canvas like that, it’s about using creativity to create the best product people want to live in. You don’t have the constraints of being sandwiched between two buildings.
We have an expansive resort pool deck. A tennis center with tennis courts, pickleball, and a basketball court. A dog walk, a walking trail. Incredible landscaping done by a residential landscape architect from Palm Beach. The pool deck alone is as good as any five-star hotel I’ve been to—and I’m not exaggerating.
Everyone talks about amenities, but what we’ve built here is different. It’s a lifestyle.
AP: Come see it. Come see the lifestyle we’ve created—between the brand, the arts, and the amenities. And you will realize: this is a lifestyle you want to live. Something totally unique.
Mondrian Hallandale Beach Residences offers one- to four-bedroom residences from 859 to 3,239 square feet, with prices starting in the $700,000s. The building is move-in ready, with sales and marketing exclusively represented by Fortune Development Sales. For more information, visit the project website.
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