Design gallery The Future Perfect has opened its fourth location in a landmarked 1920s building in Miami‘s Little Haiti, which is rumoured to be one of the city’s “most haunted residences”.
The Future Perfect has taken over Villa Paula, a 2,000-square-foot (186-square-metre) neoclassical building originally built in 1926 by the Cuban government.
Designed by Havana architect Cayetano Freira as both a consulate and private residence for consul Domingo Milord and his wife, opera singer Paula Milord, the villa’s history is well-known locally.
“Over the decades, Villa Paula has served as a diplomatic hub, a cultural salon, and, according to local lore, one of Miami’s most haunted residences,” said The Future Perfect.
As with its locations in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco, the villa provides an immersive space for hosting exhibitions that spotlight designers and their collectible works represented by the gallery.
The building’s interiors have been largely untouched to preserve the original character created by colourful encaustic floor tiles, time-worn woodwork and stained-glass windows.
“Our work has always been about creating environments that transcend traditional gallery models,” said The Future Perfect founder David Alhadeff.
“Miami, with its history of design innovation and vibrant cultural scene, is the perfect place for us to take that vision further,” he continued. “Villa Paula’s history and architecture give us the opportunity to create something that is both site-specific and globally resonant.”
Tropical plants feature prominently both inside and out, including tangles of vines that grow out of bathtubs and bidets in the former bathrooms, and arrangements of leaves and fronds in vases.
The villa’s garden is also used as an exhibition area, where a whitewashed pavilion and a huge banyan tree provide a backdrop for the contemporary designs.
The location’s debut exhibition features renowned designers including Lindsey Adelman, Ian Collings, Piet Hein Eek, Vikram Goyal, Volker Haug, Faye Toogood, Arthur Vallin, Christian Woo, Floris Wubben and Jane Yang D’Haene.
Arflex, Bianco Light & Space, Boon Editions, Collection Particulaire, De La Espada, Dimoremilano, In Common With and Roll & Hill are amongst the brands that are represented in the show.
A fantastical, figurative wicker chair and a coffee table etched with outlines of breasts by Chris Wolston are presented in an ochre-hued room alongside a chandelier of hand-blown glass disks from Bocci.
Meanwhile, a space lined with textured green plaster hosts a large mirror by Chen Chen and Kai Williams, which reflects a boucle sofa by Mario Marenco.
Sculptural interpretations of Tiffany lamps that Autumn Casey crafted from recycled materials occupy a russet-toned room, while in another, a large walnut and brass dining table by Anthony Guerrée is joined by Wolsten’s dining chairs and a Jason Koharik pendant.
The Future Perfect’s other locations are equally impressive and experimental: a Manhattan townhouse that includes a David Chipperfield staircase, a Los Angeles mansion once occupied by famed movie producer Samuel Goldwyn and an apartment in San Francisco’s Pacific Heights neighbourhood.
At the crossroads between the US and Latin America, Miami has grown into an important creative centre thanks to events like Art Basel and Design Miami in December.
If you’re hosting an event during Miami art week 2025, get featured in Dezeen’s digital guide to the festival.
The photography is by Joe Kramm.
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