Onda vs Alana in Bay Harbor Islands: Design, finishes & customization
Quick Summary
- Onda is fully furnished and design-curated, limiting buyer-led finish changes
- Alana’s minimalist palette can feel more adaptable to personal styling over time
- Onda’s private marina and larger homes favor yacht and “villa-sized” lifestyles
- Alana’s smaller layouts and wellness rooftop suit lock-and-leave, low-fuss living
Customization in Bay Harbor Islands: what buyers actually control
In Bay Harbor Islands, the most compelling new condo inventory is boutique by design: mid-rise buildings with a limited number of residences, a premium on privacy, and a closer relationship to the water than many higher-density coastal submarkets. In that setting, “customization” is less about selecting every finish from scratch and more about understanding how final-and how intentional-the developer’s vision is meant to be.
That distinction matters because both Onda and Alana are delivered as developer-finished homes. The difference is the level of authorial point of view in the finish package, and how much room it leaves for an owner to tailor the residence post-closing without working against the architecture.
For some clients, customization is about expressive design and collecting. For others, it’s about operational optionality: the ability to refine lighting, built-ins, window treatments, and surfaces over time-without having to dismantle a fully composed interior narrative. Onda and Alana sit at different points on that spectrum.
Onda: curated, Italian-forward, and delivered as a complete composition
Onda Residences is an 8-story, 41-residence waterfront building at 1135 103rd Street. Architecturally, it’s designed by Arquitectonica, led on the project by Bernardo Fort-Brescia-signaling a strong authorial stance from the exterior inward.
Inside, Onda’s interiors are by Italian studio A++ (Carlo and Paolo Colombo). The homes are marketed as fully furnished, and that single detail largely defines the customization conversation. Fully furnished delivery can be a major advantage for buyers who value certainty and speed: the residence presents as a finished product from day one, with minimal ambiguity about how the spaces are intended to live.
The material story reinforces the Italian-curated premise. Kitchens are specified with Snaidero cabinetry and Miele appliances. Baths feature Italian marble identified as Statuarietto, paired with Milldue cabinetry. This isn’t a neutral base waiting for a homeowner’s direction; it’s a cohesive aesthetic with named components and a clear sensibility.
In practical terms, Onda’s “better customization” isn’t about pre-closing choice. It’s about selecting the right home within the building’s mix and letting the delivered composition do the work. If you’re the kind of buyer who typically hires a designer to build a unified concept, Onda effectively pre-solves that brief.
For buyers who prefer to revise, evolve, and collect over time, the fully furnished positioning can feel restrictive. The more complete the original composition, the higher the friction to meaningfully change it without waste.
Alana: minimalist tone, easier to personalize through styling
Alana Bay Harbor Islands is a 7-story, 30-residence boutique project with architecture by Revuelta Architecture International, positioned as modern with Art Deco cues. The interior design is credited to BEA Interiors Design, with marketing emphasis on soft natural materials and a calm, minimalist palette.
That restraint can operate as a different kind of customization. When the base palette is intentionally quiet, many buyers find it easier to make the home their own through furniture, art, lighting, and textiles-without visual competition from heavily branded finishes.
Alana’s kitchen specifications include Italkraft cabinetry, quartz countertops, and Bosch appliances, aligning with a contemporary European-cabinetry look paired with a more mainstream appliance suite. Bathrooms are described with porcelain tile and modern vanity and fixture selections consistent with a spa-like, minimalist direction.
The clearest customization advantage here is both psychological and spatial: Alana’s finish language is less likely to dictate a single “correct” furniture style. The residence can read crisp, coastal, or quietly urban depending on how it’s dressed.
That said, Alana is still developer-finished. If a buyer’s goal is to select bespoke stone slabs, custom cabinetry, or a fully personalized kitchen concept prior to delivery, neither project is positioned as a true blank canvas.
Space and layout: the hidden driver of personalization
Customization isn’t only about materials. It’s also about volume, proportion, and how a floor plan tolerates reconfiguration.
Onda is marketed with residences beginning around 1,800-plus square feet and extending to 5,000-plus square feet. In a neighborhood where boutique buildings often skew smaller, this “villa-sized” range matters. Larger footprints typically allow more meaningful personalization: dedicated libraries, expansive art walls, seating zones that can shift over time, and the ability to introduce custom millwork without compressing circulation.
Alana’s layouts are primarily two to three bedrooms and are commonly around 1,229 to 1,662 square feet. That range can be ideal for buyers seeking a lock-and-leave residence close to Bal Harbour and Miami Beach. It can also narrow how much physical customization is worth pursuing. In a tighter plan, the most effective personalization is often strategic: lighting upgrades, window treatments, and storage solutions that elevate the existing intent rather than trying to reinvent it.
Amenities and lifestyle: customization by way of daily routine
Lifestyle programming shapes “fit” as much as finishes do.
Onda’s differentiator is its private marina with 14 boat slips accommodating boats roughly 30 feet to 55 feet. For yacht owners, that’s not a decorative amenity-it’s a daily-life feature that changes how the home functions and how often it’s used. Onda also offers a rooftop pool, fitness center, spa facilities including steam and sauna, plus concierge and valet-style services. In an ultra-premium decision, service becomes a form of customization: it determines how much of life is handled for you.
Alana’s amenity narrative centers on a rooftop oasis and wellness-style living, with pool and lounge social spaces and fitness. It’s a different kind of luxury: less maritime utility, more calm rhythm. Alana is not marketed with an on-site private marina, which may be a deal-breaker for boat-forward buyers and a non-issue for those who prioritize simplicity and low operational overhead.
Put simply, Onda “customizes” to a waterfront, boat-centric lifestyle; Alana customizes to a wellness-forward, ease-of-use lifestyle.
Cost consciousness and the customization trade-off
High design and full furnishing often correlate with higher ongoing complexity, even when they are undeniably beautiful. Alana has been publicly marketed in some summaries as having lower ongoing costs than Onda, including lower HOA-per-square-foot figures in certain portals. Costs will vary by unit and by timing, but the directional contrast is useful.
Why it matters for customization: monthly obligations influence how ambitious a buyer feels about post-closing changes. A home with higher ongoing costs can make owners more conservative about additional capital projects, while a lower-cost building can leave more room for personal upgrades over time.
The Bay Harbor Islands lens: boutique privacy close to the beach economy
Bay Harbor Islands is defined by low-density, boutique mid-rises and a location that sits conveniently near Bal Harbour, Surfside, and Miami Beach. That positioning attracts buyers who want discretion and proximity-without the friction of a denser tower environment.
For comparison shopping, some clients also look at nearby boutique or design-forward inventory like Arte Surfside for its overt art-and-architecture emphasis, or ocean-adjacent living at 57 Ocean Miami Beach when the priority shifts from bayfront calm to immediate beach access.
Within Bay Harbor itself, the conversation often includes how new product relates to established footprints such as Bay Harbor Towers, especially for buyers calibrating boutique scale, service expectations, and the lived reality of the neighborhood.
So, which offers better customization: Onda or Alana?
The decisive factor is how you define customization.
Choose Onda if your ideal is a residence that arrives as a complete, design-authored environment. Fully furnished delivery and Italian-sourced specification create a turnkey experience with a strong point of view. Add the private marina, and the building becomes especially compelling for buyers who view boating as part of their weekly routine. For that profile, the best “customization” is selecting the residence and view that best match your life, then letting the curated interior do exactly what it was designed to do.
Choose Alana if you want an intentionally calm baseline that you can personalize through your own collection and styling. The minimalist, soft-materials approach often makes it easier to layer art, furniture, and lighting without visual conflict. The smaller two- to three-bedroom layouts can be ideal for buyers who prioritize simplicity and want a home that’s easy to maintain, easy to live in, and still decisively boutique.
A final nuance: buyers who truly want bespoke pre-construction choice may find both projects more “designed for you” than “designed by you.” In that case, customization becomes a post-closing strategy-Alana’s restraint can feel more adaptable, while Onda’s completeness can feel more satisfying if you love the delivered look and prefer to move in without a design phase.
For additional context on how Bay Harbor’s newest inventory compares with other wellness-oriented concepts nearby, some buyers also track The Well Bay Harbor Islands as the neighborhood’s broader lifestyle narrative continues to evolve.
FAQs
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Is Onda actually delivered fully furnished? Yes, Onda is marketed as fully furnished, which tends to limit buyer-driven interior customization at delivery.
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Who designed Onda’s architecture and interiors? The architecture is by Arquitectonica, and the interiors are by the Italian studio A++.
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What are Onda’s kitchen and bath specifications? Kitchens include Snaidero cabinetry with Miele appliances, and baths feature Italian marble (Statuarietto) with Milldue cabinetry.
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Does Onda have boat slips on-site? Yes, it includes a private marina with 14 slips accommodating boats roughly 30 feet to 55 feet.
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Is Alana positioned as a boutique building? Yes, Alana is a 7-story, 30-residence boutique condominium in Bay Harbor Islands.
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Who designed Alana’s architecture and interiors? Alana’s architecture is by Revuelta Architecture International, and interiors are by BEA Interiors Design.
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What is Alana’s general interior style? It is marketed around soft natural materials and a calm, minimalist palette that can be easy to personalize.
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What are Alana’s typical unit sizes? Layouts are commonly around 1,229 to 1,662 square feet, generally in two to three bedroom configurations.
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Does Alana include a marina like Onda? No, Alana is not marketed with an on-site private marina, so it is more land-based in lifestyle.
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Which building is better if I want to customize after closing? Many buyers find Alana’s restrained base easier to adapt over time, while Onda suits those who want a finished composition from day one.
For a tailored shortlist and next-step guidance, connect with MILLION Luxury.
Million Luxury
Million Luxury
Welcome to MILLION, an exclusive luxury real estate boutique nestled in the heart of South Florida’s most desirable locations. Specializing in high-end properties, we provide a sanctuary for discerning clients including top Fortune 500 executives, affluent families, celebrities, and professional athletes from across the globe. At MILLION, we understand the unique demands of our elite clientele and offer a seamless blend of confidentiality and personalized attention. Our commitment to privacy is unwavering; we ensure that every transaction and interaction is handled with the utmost discretion and according to stringent confidentiality protocols. Our concierge service embodies the pinnacle of white-glove care, offering tailored assistance that transcends traditional real estate support.
