Tuscan Details Abound In A Worldly South Florida Villa
Interior designer Bea Pila and her husband–architect and builder Carlos Gonzalez-Ochoa–worked under the guidance of friend and landscape architect Orlando Comas to design the landscaping plan for their own Coconut Grove home, such as in the charming front courtyard that includes heliconias, ginger and a range of palms. Cardboard palms in pots flank the entry, while the path is paved with old Chicago bricks, which Pila selected for their aged quality.
Designer Bea Pila has a split design personality: one side favors modern, clean lines, and the other, ornamentation. “I’m definitely drawn to line and form,” says Pila.” I love simplifying something to its cleanest essence, fashioning a sense of timelessness.
But timeless is anything but boring to the Miami-area interior designer, who fills her home with now-treasured objects she’s found combing flea markets and shops abroad. In fact, it was a trip totally with her architect-builder husband that inspired the construction of the couple’s Coconut Grove retreat.
Mirroring the architectural details of villas found in Tuscany the home’s front courtyard welcomes guests with lush landscaping, brick paving and a stone fountain. The interior, meanwhile,incorporates elements from other countries, such as porcelain Foo dogs (some 70 years old) and vintage suzanis. It’s all part of creating an inviting space where guests can mingle.
“Some people say I’m ahead of the trends, but I call it being connected to the design universe,” Pila says. “Design has the ability to influence the soul and elevate us to another level, and that’s what I wanted to do for my own home.”