Homes are often viewed as sanctuaries, retreats from the world. But for designer Travis London and his husband, Bruce Patrick, home is even more profound. Creating a residence rooted in their individual passions and shared history sparked a confidence in London that has transformed his approach to interiors, making way for bolder designs. “Bruce allowed me to pour every bit of my heart into this house,” he reflects, “and, for the first time in my life, my creativity felt truly safe.”
The couple had purchased their Miami property from Shoreline Home Developers when it was under construction, then summered in Europe as the work continued. While traveling overseas—during which they got engaged in the South of France—they procured furnishings and architectural materials, including a breakfast table in Milan and marble straight from an Italian quarry. Returning stateside to the blank-slate box, they hosted their all-white wedding at the pristine setting, then used their acquisitions to dive straight into a design that celebrates their passions.
Home Details
Interior Design:
Travis London, Travis London Design Group
Home Builder:
Alex Barberena, Xclusive Builders
Landscape Architecture:
Michael Thiel, Plantaysia, Inc.
Styling:
Filip Berdek
Go Behind The Design With Travis London
Pierre Frey patterns enliven the back exterior’s dining chairs, armchairs and chaise lounges, shaded by Cape Umbrellas’ Montague models. CB2 side tables mingle with an RH dining table.
“Everywhere you look, there’s a balance: Bruce’s love of vintage elegance, my obsession with whimsy and color, and the life we’ve built together.”
—Travis London
Marble US Countertops, Inc outfitted the kitchen with onyx by Opustone. The églomisé glass border by Simes Studios and the (Wh)ore Haüs Studios stools accent cabinetry by De Winter Metalworks. Waterworks’ Foro faucet joins the Miele appliances and Invisacook cooktop.
There were no prescriptive mood boards for this abode. Rather, “It began with a feeling,” London recalls. “It’s a whimsical expression of our life.” The entry sets a playful tone with a wall of pink antiqued mirror and a mind-bending corridor sporting a serpentine-like, Murano-glass lamp against a wall of slate-blue wood veneer. Then there is the “wow” moment: a stairwell featuring Italian marble treads, a 10-foot-long chandelier from Paris and an enormous pink-and-teal plaster mural titled New Beginnings. “This is where the story of our home begins—with a sense of drama, romance and reverence for the art of living,” the designer muses.
Soft, classic silhouettes fill the living area, including the cream-colored sofa—Bruce’s nonnegotiable. “Travis would find things I like, bring ideas together and then let me make choices,” he says, “but really, we made every decision together.” While the living area leans toward Bruce’s aesthetic, the kitchen honors London, a formally trained chef, who ensured the space is stylistically cohesive by sourcing beautifully striated onyx, metal cabinets, églomisé panels and an invisible island cooktop. “Every part of the house was done with quality in mind,” says the project’s general contractor, Alex Barberena.
Upstairs, visitors are immersed in a guest room wrapped in a sea-toned checkerboard paper and another adorned with a wallcovering that mimics an ombre sunrise. As for the primary suite, a mural inspired by London’s affection for jungle animals surrounds a bed with connected nightstands and a midcentury chair re-covered in a wavy stripe. “Everywhere you look, there’s a balance: Bruce’s love of vintage elegance, my obsession with whimsy and color, and the life we’ve built together,” the designer says. The couple’s bathroom features a tub carved from a block of warm red travertine London spotted in Carrara, Italy. Meanwhile, Lake Como influenced the pool terrace, where landscape designer Michael Thiel sourced plantings the owners had admired in the region’s gardens.
Inside and outside, every corner of the residence honors the couple’s journey. “Bruce’s love has changed me as a designer, because it’s given me the security to evolve and dream,” London says. “I’m sure of who I am now, and that’s who you see in this house.”
A guest bedroom’s Cannon/Bullock wallcovering is an eye-catching backdrop for the CB2 armchair and rug. RH’s burl Bardot console displays Neil White artwork. “We imagined a space that felt like a breath of sea air,” the designer says.
Tour The Home:
Amid pink Venetian plaster walls by AM Fine Arts, Marble US Countertops, Inc constructed the staircase of marble by Opustone. A Katrien Van der Schueren mural echoes the Galerie Glustin chandelier.
The entry’s ceramic REM Atelier console holds a vintage sculpture from Paris. Beyond, Gregorius Pineo’s Broderick wood-veneer wallcovering from Jerry Pair backs a Christian Pellizzari lamp in a hallway.
Fronting a fireplace of onyx by Opustone, Cassina seating surrounds the living area’s Arte Veneziana coffee table. The lamps, by Ralph Lauren Home and Kelly Wearstler, are from Visual Comfort & Co.
A Filippo Carandini bookcase acts as a bar. The piece is located near the kitchen, which designer Travis London describes as “an area where aesthetics and utility don’t compete; they complement.”
Marble US Countertops, Inc outfitted the kitchen with onyx by Opustone. The églomisé glass border by Simes Studios and the (Wh)ore Haüs Studios stools accent cabinetry by De Winter Metalworks. Waterworks’ Foro faucet joins the Miele appliances and Invisacook cooktop.
In the primary bedroom, an Adrian Pearsall armchair wears a Pierre Frey pattern. Lining the window are Hunter Douglas's Luminette Privacy Sheers.
Élitis’ Moire wallcovering sets the scene for a guest bed in another Pierre Frey textile.
The primary bathroom boasts a Vaselli red travertine tub and walls.
A Rafael Arana mural frames the primary Lulu LaFortune bed in a Dedar material.
A guest bedroom’s Cannon/Bullock wallcovering is an eye-catching backdrop for the CB2 armchair and rug. RH’s burl Bardot console displays Neil White artwork. “We imagined a space that felt like a breath of sea air,” the designer says.
Pierre Frey patterns enliven the back exterior’s dining chairs, armchairs and chaise lounges, shaded by Cape Umbrellas’ Montague models. CB2 side tables mingle with an RH dining table.