"Located on an unassuming block in Miami's Little Haiti neighbourhood, the once-derelict Villa Paula houses within it some of Miami's most fascinating lore. The residence was originally built in the late 19th century for Domingo Milord, the Cuban consul at the time, and his wife Paula, an opera singer. The Milords needed a comfortable residence that contrasted Cuba's rich design and architectural history compared to Miami's at-the-time provincial aesthetics."
"Built by the Havana-based architect Cayetano Freira using imported Cuban materials, the resulting Neo-Classical structure sits entirely at odds with the neighbouring properties. It features Tuscan columns, towering ceilings, hand-painted ceramic tiles and a sprawling garden. A rich mythology surrounds the Milords, too: though they only lived there for about five years, it is said that Paula was so enamoured with the home her husband lovingly built to her comfort and taste that when she died she was buried in a sarcophagus on the property."
"More recently, a civic-minded landlord bought the property and has transformed the villa into a site for cultural production. It has hosted numerous pop-up exhibitions and events, and is now home to a semi-permanent tenant, the design gallery the Future Perfect, which also has locations in New York and Los Angeles. The Future Perfect's interventions have underlined the building's heritage while creating design vignettes in each of its intimate rooms."
Villa Paula sits on an unassuming block in Miami's Little Haiti neighbourhood and was built in the late 19th century for Domingo Milord, the Cuban consul, and his wife Paula, an opera singer. Architect Cayetano Freira used imported Cuban materials to produce a Neo-Classical house with Tuscan columns, towering ceilings, hand-painted ceramic tiles and a sprawling garden. Local legend claims Paula was buried in a sarcophagus on the property, although historical records indicate otherwise. The house fell into disrepair as the neighbourhood declined. A civic-minded landlord restored the villa as a cultural production site, and the Future Perfect now maintains a semi-permanent presence and stages design exhibitions there.
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