An Eclectic, Worldly Design Shines In Miami Beach
In his client’s Miami Beach home, interior designer Barclay Butera used two agate-and-iron chandeliers by Fuse Lighting from Thomas
Lavin to crown the dining and great room area, which greets visitors as they step down from the entry hall. Chairs by Hickory Chair surround a wood-inlay table by Therien from Kneedler-Fauchere, and underfoot is a custom rug from Kravet.
When designing his client’s newest home — an aging villa located on the scenic Intracoastal waterway in Miami Beach — Barclay Butera envisioned an eclectic vibe with strong Moorish-Moroccan influence.
Having worked together on six other homes, the homeowner entrusted the designer to take the reins. “It is a privilege to have a client that allows that level of creative freedom,” Butera says.
The designer, from Newport Beach, California, worked with a local team — architect Antonio E. Rodriguez, builders David Wilson and Gary Shear, and landscape architect Orlando Comas — to produce a modern homage to vibrant worldly designs in a lush, tropical setting.
He created a rich envelope for his interiors with hand-painted tile and exotic lighting but left the walls white for his client’s art collection. “Normally, we use a lot more wallpaper and color, but I knew this would be a walking gallery,” he says.
The color, instead, comes in through tile and deeply hued fabrics and rugs, layered with varieties of finishes in the lighting and hardware–just as one might see while strolling through a Moroccan souk.
“When you walk into a space, it feels worldly, and that’s the kind of feeling we wanted–a well-collected home,” Butera says.