Private art collectors present designers with the unique challenge of showcasing their art within the context of a particular style. Many designers welcome the challenge — resulting in the eye-catching interiors that grace the pages of this issue.

Starting with a blank canvas, designer Beatrice Pila-Gonzalez combined two penthouses to create a single, gallery-like residence in Key Biscayne. Filled with Italian modern furniture and antiques, the free-flowing floor plan showcases her clients’ vivid collection of paintings, art glass and sculptures by artists such as Dale Chihuly,

Andy Warhol, Alberto Gambale and more.
In Boca Raton, Vance Burke and Todd Peter conceived an interior design that puts the spotlight on a collection that Carol Cohen and her late husband had amassed over the years.

After undergoing an extensive renovation, the house combines Oriental, European and early Modern influences, while prominently displaying works by Jean Dubuffet, Fernando Botero, Alexander Calder, Larry Rivers and more.

Designer Gail Green and architect David Estreich transformed a Palm Beach Gardens estate into a “living gallery” for their clients’ collection by Chihuly, Dan Dailey, Kiki Smith, Steven Pippin and other artists. Taking their cues from the Art Deco period, the duo created a Deco Modern-style interior that allows the art to shine.

Art Deco also influenced Jaime Perczek and Jose F. Riano’s design of a Miami residence, where they used a variety of exotic woods for the backgrounds and custom-designed furniture.

For more information on the Art Deco period, be sure to read our article on the “Paris Moderne” exhibit, which is currently on view at the Bass Museum of Art in Miami Beach through Jan. 23, 2005.

From all of us at Florida Design, happy holidays.

Barbara Lichtenstein