November 2, 2023 • 23 mins
Get ready to embark on a journey of transformation with our guests, Carla and Rosa Palenzuela from Carla Maria Designs, who took a Spanish waterfront gem in Coral Gables, Florida from the 1940s and turned it into a modern oasis. Highlighting their dedication to preserving history and sustainability in their designs, they intertwine the charm of vintage elements with the contemporary needs of their clients. As a woman-owned venture, Carla Maria Designs proudly brings forth spaces that are not just visually captivating, but also narrate tales of the past.
Carla and Rosa share their personal experiences, with a special focus on their Spanish home renovation, where they used Mallorca and Lake Moon ceramic subway tiles to breathe new life into the third floor. They talk about the wonderful interplay of light in design, the magic of matching wall and floor tiles, and how to choose the right ones for your space. Drawing on Rosa's experiences in Spain and their shared love for vintage aesthetics, they emphasize the importance of preserving the beauty of vintage pieces and best practices to seamlessly integrate them into a modern design aesthetic.
As we near the end of our journey, the duo gives us an insider's look into their upcoming Bahamian house project, as well as their recently concluded Spanish project. They share practical advice on home renovation, including investing in quality materials, trusting your instincts, and not shying away from expressing yourself. With their commitment to honoring the past while creating beautiful and sustainable spaces, this conversation with Carla and Rosa Palenzuela is a treasure trove of inspiration for all passionate about design and history.
LINKS:
- Follow Carla & Rosa on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carlamariadesign/
- Mallorca Tiles
- Lake Moon Tiles
Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
https://uppbeat.io/t/prigida/mellow-bop
License code: DMOG7RNGEPGMIPJH
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Lindsay Fluckiger (00:00):
Welcome to Tile Trends by Tile Club, the
podcast where we explore theworld of interior design and the
role of tiles in creatingbeautiful spaces.
I'm your host, lindsay Flukiger, and today we have two very
special guests with us Carla andRosa Palenzuela of Carla Maria
Designs.
Stimming from their sharedjourney of transforming a
(00:20):
vintage 1940s Spanish waterfrontgym in Coral Gables, florida,
this mother-daughter team hastaken their passion and
expertise to the next level.
They're not just about givingspaces a makeover.
They infuse every project withvibrant day-to-day elegance and
seamlessly blend in vintage andreclaimed elements.
Their commitment to honor theauthentic spirit of each home
(00:43):
while weaving in thecontemporary desires of their
clients.
Every home they touch unfolds aunique narrative, sculpting
what many may call the truedream home.
Carla and Rosa, welcome to theshow.
Carla (00:56):
Hi, thank you so much for having us.
We're so excited to get started.
We're Carla and Rosa.
This is my mom.
Lindsay Fluckiger (01:05):
Awesome.
It's a pleasure to have youboth.
We're so excited.
You are our very firstmother-daughter duo.
So, as we've said before on theshow, as a woman-owned company,
we love seeing strong femalesleading in the industry and just
making beautiful things happen.
So, to start things off, couldyou tell our listeners a little
bit about yourselves and alsohow you got started in the world
(01:26):
of interior design?
Carla (01:28):
We basically kind of started when, like you said, our
Spanish home here in MiamiFlorida, in Coral Gables, is a
1940 home and we basicallyrestored the home and remodeled
it.
But, unlike you know, otherproperties here in Miami, we
didn't just kind of get rid ofthe Spanish charm and then we
(01:50):
made sure to incorporate thecharacter while adding modern
elements.
And it was also kind of funbecause we incorporated a lot of
wallpaper tiles like color,like you can see behind us.
So our friends and family lovedit and thought that it was so
beautiful and different and Ithink, kind of incorporating
(02:12):
that like Spanish-European lookto a little bit of charm and
modern all mixed together gaveit a lot of character and it
kind of reflected like who weare as people and like our
tastes and interests too.
So kind of what that we startedand people.
I started my account onInstagram and people started
(02:33):
following us and really likewhat we do and asking for advice
and things like that.
And we also brought in a lot ofvintage aspects.
Actually, we we frequent toSpain because my mom's from
there originally, so we go toactually a studio since in the
north of Spain, and we brought alot of vintage tiles that we
(02:54):
incorporated in the kitchen andthe guest bathroom and just kind
of I don't know special, uniquepieces like that, but got us
into kind of the restoring andinterior design.
You know world so.
Rosa (03:08):
I grew up, basically for my inspiration.
I grew up in.
I'm from the north of Spain andmy mom's house is a historic
house and during the Civil Warin Spain it was used as a jail.
And when my grandparents and mymom and her sister went back to
(03:28):
Spain after the Civil War itwas completely destroyed, but
the tiles were there.
The original floor, theoriginal flooring, is there.
So I've always found it sobeautiful.
And then in the actual diningroom it's blue and yellow and in
Spanish it's called I'll tellyou a little what it's Los
(03:51):
Adorables, which it's ahydraulic tiles, and there used
to be in a studio.
There used to be a lot offactories, but now they're hard
to find.
But when we purchased our homehere in Miami I one summer,
thanks to the internet, I saidI'm going to see if I can find
all tiles.
So I searched and there wasthis gentleman, super nice, that
(04:13):
I found.
I went to his warehouse, thatamazing, beautiful, breathtaking
stuff.
So I bought a bunch of them,incredible price, and between my
suitcase, my daughter'ssuitcase, my husband's, my son,
we all brought it and then weused it here in a house in Miami
and I love it.
(04:34):
I think it's a, you know, but alot of people don't like doing
that, but I think it's good forthe environment, it's a way of
preserving the past, of, youknow, honoring our history.
So you know, that's how westarted.
And then, if it was for me, Iwould redo a bathroom once a
month, but it's impossiblebecause I love tiles.
I love it.
Lindsay Fluckiger (04:54):
Yeah, oh, that is such an inspiring story.
Thank you for sharing that.
I love everything you touchedon with the sustainability
aspect and then also justbringing a little bit of the
past to the present and reallyhang on each other.
Rosa (05:09):
Honestly, it was like how do you say honor Like honoring?
A tribute to my mother thatpassed away right before, right
after we started remodeling here.
So I wanted to have a piece ofher house here in Miami, you
know, to remember her, that's sobeautiful.
Lindsay Fluckiger (05:27):
Yeah, so interesting, you know, of course
we are a tile company and sothat's our forte, that's what we
do day in and day out.
But it's so inspiring to evensee like excavations in Rome
where, like, the tiles are stillintact.
I mean, it's just such atimeless piece, it's such a cool
design element to bring intothe space.
Rosa (05:48):
And being such a young country because in the United
States a young country, you knowit's good to incorporate a
little bit of something old Idon't know how to translate it
Like character, yes.
Carla (06:01):
And this home.
We were lucky that we were ableto maintain and save basically
the tiles of the main part ofthe house, kind of like the
formal area.
It was all original from 1940.
Rosa (06:13):
They were called Cuban tiles because they were made in
Cuba and then Miami was so closeto Cuba, so you know they would
bring them, you know sell themhere and sadly a lot of people
don't like it because it's a bigred ceramic tile.
But for me, if you clean it andyou maintain it with the
decoration, it looks amazingbecause it gives a lot of, you
(06:33):
know, character to the area.
Lindsay Fluckiger (06:35):
Yeah, and we're seeing a lot of those same
elements, like the more rustickind of style, coming back into
play the two cottage and you cansee our star and cross behind
me that are, I believe,manufactured also in Spain.
We just launched a new linecalled Amira.
That's an encaustic porcelaintile that's also manufactured in
Spain and they're just made sowell and they're so beautiful
(06:58):
and add so much to the space.
So, yeah, and I love what Carlawas saying, just about adding
character, Like, even though itmight be old, it still just
brings that uniqueness to aspace.
Carla (07:09):
No, and it's fun.
It's like I feel like myfriends come here and they're
always like your house, like Ijust feel like it brings the
beauty out of every day becauseit's just we add the color and
tiles, like have the ability todo that versus, you know, just
boring.
Let me just make every bathroomthe same type of thing.
We really try to give everyroom its unique character and,
(07:30):
like the bathroom is kind ofwhere everyone you know
expresses themselves a littlebit with what they want.
Lindsay Fluckiger (07:37):
So yeah, I love it.
Well, speaking of design andcreating the aesthetic of your
dreams, let's dive into theworld of interior design.
What do you both love mostabout being interior designers
and what inspires your work?
I think we touched a little onthat, but let's take that a step
further.
Carla (07:56):
I think really the goal for us specifically is, I think,
just sustainability andrestoring and kind of.
I think we have like a duty,you know, as interior designers,
to try to maintain as much ofan original home as possible and
incorporate antique pieces,like we were saying.
Of course, you know, with usand like with our clients, we
(08:21):
try to make the home as much ofa representation of them as
possible and, you know, up totheir tastes and incorporate
beautiful modern pieces as well.
But I think kind of for us agoal is to doing as much as
possible to restore and maintainthe original part of the house.
Rosa (08:43):
And it's hard because a lot of people are afraid, I have
to say, they're worried torestore and they know, oh my God
, what if it doesn't look goodwith them?
With them, modern, relax, youknow, and it's hard to explain
to them how it's gonna look, butat the end they all love the
final product.
But it's, I think, besides ait's overworked, of course, and
(09:08):
contractors don't like remodelshonestly, they'd rather just
start from scratch.
It happened here in our houseto be able to get somebody,
which at the end, I ended upbeing the contractor.
I had Sally, she fired everyone.
No, I fired the contractor andI did it on my own.
I was awake and fast, and theway it's supposed to be, but
before, when I contacted, I saidno, no, no, no, no, you have to
(09:30):
turn down the house and startfrom scratch.
And I know I'm gonna remodel,and we remodel and did a
addition.
So, and then our architect wasamazing.
He agreed with me and we'reable to, you know, to
incorporate both.
Carla (09:46):
I see a lot of like here in four gables.
There's a lot of beautifulSpanish houses that have gotten
knocked down and like peoplethat just don't appreciate.
Rosa (09:56):
We have a historic board and a lot of houses are, you
know, then, certifying the storyso they can touch them, but a
lot of don't.
Carla (10:06):
I don't know.
That's really.
I think the overarching purposeis for that and like
maintaining history.
And, like we said, the US hasvery little history, so whatever
we have, you know, to keep it.
Lindsay Fluckiger (10:19):
So yeah, that's a beautiful story and a
beautiful like a missionstatement just restoring and
sustaining and keeping thishistory alive, you know, and
also incorporating other vintageitems and historic pieces.
I think that's just such abeautiful thing.
Rosa, you being from Spain,maybe do you wanna speak on some
of the inspiration that you'veacquired from living in Europe.
(10:41):
How does having you know Spainas home inspire your own
interior design efforts?
Rosa (10:49):
I'm a very visual person so every time I go anywhere in
Spain or any other beautifulcity in Europe, I'm always
looking at ideas and admiringthe beauty of anything but
mainly tiles, wallpaper, and and.
In a lot of our projects webring the product from, even new
(11:10):
or old.
We bring the product fromEurope to incorporate it here.
But here in the United Stateswe have great factories of tiles
also and mainly like oh my God,my Portugal and Spain are
mainly the bigger manufacturersof tiles in Europe.
So I'm lucky that around me Iget ideas from everywhere and
(11:36):
I'm not into magazines.
I buy every magazine that I canfind.
I'm always looking, I buy allmy magazines over there and
that's my happy time justlooking and getting ideas and
everything they have such greatstyle there too.
Carla (11:50):
Yes, and that's where we see these beautiful houses that
were an old monastery orsomething like that, and we're
like this is stunning how theyput it together.
Rosa (12:00):
If it was for me, I would remodel every abandoned house
there is over there.
But you know, and it's funny,because now in Spain, or in
general, most people don't likeold stuff, quote unquote they
like modern.
That's why you find all thismaterial, this old material,
this vintage material, so cheap,because they get rid of it.
(12:23):
And you have to dig and youhave to find it, and I'll have
Carlos in your picture of whatwe did here with the old tiles.
So you see them?
Carla (12:32):
Yeah, it's really something beautiful.
Rosa (12:35):
And then, of course, here you have.
You can go to many places andpurchase something similar and
incorporate the old with the new.
Carla (12:43):
This art piece here came originally with the house.
As an artist in 1940, he kindof made it like a mural that he
made.
I don't have any of the artists, but a lot of houses in Coral
Gables.
Had this man come when, theywould build the house like make
specific to each house a reallypretty window.
Rosa (13:07):
It's a window that used to be the garage.
It's a window, so the breezewould come, you know, pass
through also and they had like abeautiful ornament and then the
natural breeze of Miami, itwould go through.
Carla (13:22):
I don't know, we've actually noticed around the
still houses that are stillremaining with it.
You can see them and they'revery beautiful.
We had a neighbor, actually,that remodeled their house and
had this spectacular one, thesame exact size, but instead it
had an anchor in the middle witha cross and then a heart, and
(13:44):
we were like so jealous we weretalking about all the time.
We were like, oh my god, thatone's even prettier than ours,
like wow.
And then one day we noticedthat it wasn't there anymore and
we were like what's going on?
We go knock on their door andthey were like, oh no, we got
rid of it, like we destroyed it,and we were like this is like
so sad.
We were like you know, peoplejust don't appreciate the art
(14:08):
and like the beauty that comeswith what the original house,
like they could have saved itand they could have put it
somewhere else and it would havebeen so spectacular.
But that's just an example oflike, I guess, part of our
mission where we're like youknow, we don't want to see that
happen.
So so, yeah, and we were thisis our kitchen, so we were able
kind of the breakfast area, sowe were able to incorporate it
(14:29):
here and I think I think itlooks.
It looks beautiful.
Lindsay Fluckiger (14:31):
So I was eyeballing it.
I was like what is that behindthem?
That's so, it's very unique.
I love that yeah.
Rosa (14:38):
Beautiful.
Lindsay Fluckiger (14:39):
But it sounds like you guys know exactly like
where your niche is and whereyou want to make an impact and a
difference, and what hasinspired you to continue this
journey, so to kind of movethings along.
I definitely do want to dwellon tile, because that's what we
do, but I wanted to talk alittle bit about how you guys
are so passionate aboutpersonalizing spaces.
(15:01):
We definitely see that in yourwork.
So, when it comes to design,tiles obviously play a
significant role in enhancingthe aesthetic and functionality
of a space.
So could you share some of yourfavorite elements of design
that tiles can bring to aproject?
Rosa (15:18):
Well, for me, the tile is the focal point of the space,
and then, from there, thewallpaper, or the paint color,
or even the, even the toilet,you know.
So the tile is the number, thefirst thing you need to choose
in order to continue with thedesign of the space.
Right?
Carla (15:40):
right, yeah, and the floor and the wall tile right,
and we.
I think the funnest part iskind of seeing what goes
together, like how do you matchthe wall on the floor and then
from there you, you move on, andthat's the funnest part.
Rosa (15:53):
It's choosing not so many beautiful.
Oh, my goodness, I I'm tellingyou I would remodel my bathroom
every month.
Carla (15:59):
There's beautiful, beautiful stuff and I think what
you've seen is in Spain, whichI think is the Mallorca ceramic
subway tile and then the moonceramic subway tile, which are
in the third but the weremodeled it this summer,
actually the third floor of ourhouse in Spain and then the
(16:19):
guest bathroom.
In the, or the guest housebathroom, the tiles came on
spectacular and it really IDon't know gave it kind of a
princessy feel to the housebecause it's like in the
mountains and it's like it hasthat vintage vibe.
But then those new tiles madeit just so beautiful and so like
cozy and Came out like stunning.
(16:40):
So we were super happy with howthat came out.
Lindsay Fluckiger (16:43):
It's so beautiful.
It's evidence in your designthat that was the focal point
and I love what you said aboutjust like letting that be the
foundational element of a spaceand then building upon that.
That makes so much sense and itis really fun to see like
matching floor and wall or niche, or like a shower feature wall,
and it's sometimes there areunexpected combinations that can
(17:06):
work together to really make aspace unique.
When you are approaching a Newproject for a client, what are
some key factors that youconsider when you're selecting
tiles?
Rosa (17:15):
The light of the bathroom, the natural light, first of all
, like what she was saying, forsome experience in the bath
bathroom, we, there was nobathroom in the third floor,
nothing, the, there was aconnection but no bathroom, but
it's a very dark.
It's all wood, it's beautifulwood, but it's very dark.
It's a attic.
The light of the bathroom, thesize of the space, but mainly
(17:38):
for me is the light, because I'm, for me, light is very
important for a project, becauseI don't like darkness.
Explain that, carla, is thatyou know I'm like you see, here
in our home, it's all, it's allwindows.
I love nature to come in intothe space.
So For me, I have to go to the,to the project, see the light,
(18:03):
and then we can start choosingthe tile.
But, yes, like, if it's a darkspace, you can, I would, I would
not choose a Dark tile, forexample, and and whatever the
environment is outside, ifyou're near the water, if you're
in the mountain and you try tobring in, you know, the mountain
or the or the ocean into thespace.
Lindsay Fluckiger (18:23):
So, so the Environment and the light both
great factors to to keep in mind.
For sure, can you share someprojects that maybe stick out to
you as designers?
Is there one or two that havereally really just kind of
captured your own attention orthe attention of your followers
and clients?
Rosa (18:43):
Well, there's a project, what?
That we haven't Published yet,that it's a house in the Bahamas
.
It's a beautiful wooden house,a beautiful on the water, and
the water, the ocean isturquoise, basically that, the
beach.
So we were able to find a tilethat matched the ocean, that the
(19:04):
color of the water, and webrought it into the bathroom and
it came out out of this world.
So it's still.
We still haven't finished takingpictures, hopefully now, and
now in November we're gonna goso we'll send them to you, but
that that project is gonna comeout Spectacular.
And there we kept, obviouslyit's a bathroom, it's all wood,
(19:27):
so, and so we kept obviously thewood, and then, with the shower
, all new tiles, and we didn't,we did the same week.
It was, you know, sustainable,no, yeah, mm-hmm.
So so, yes, that project isgonna come out beautiful.
And then the other one is apersonal one, of the last
bathroom that we did in Spain.
I think it came out and it was.
(19:47):
It was all long distancebetween the contractor that I
have there and here I had.
You know, I chose everything Iwant, this and this and this,
and when I got there was done,wow, that was great.
Lindsay Fluckiger (20:00):
It had to be like super satisfying.
Rosa (20:04):
I trust them with the key.
You know, yes, but that'sanother thing, the most
important thing for me, for aclient, they need to make a
decision Right away, in thesense that you cannot give them,
give them too many choices.
If you get them too manychoices and then they're gonna
oh, I don't know what I'm gonnado, I don't.
You know, this is the one isgonna look good and and that's
it.
I'm be sure about the decision.
That way, you know, movequickly and you can buy the
(20:27):
material quickly, and that's it.
Lindsay Fluckiger (20:30):
And kind of streamline it so that they don't
and like linger on beingindecisive, that's what they're
hiring you for.
Rosa (20:38):
Yes.
Time passes by and by the timeyou know, it's a month after.
No, no, no, let's make this achange now, and that's all yeah.
Lindsay Fluckiger (20:47):
I love that.
Oh, it's been such a pleasureto chat with you both today.
I love hearing about thedifferent projects that you guys
are excited about, that you'veaccomplished things that you're
going to be bringing to socialand to your portfolio soon.
Again, I love that your missionhas so much to do with
sustainability and history, andI think that that is going to be
such a game changer as you guyscontinue to grow in the
(21:10):
industry and people start tolook to you as a source for how
to and why these elements cantruly be beautiful and make
spaces so unique.
So thank you for sharing all ofthat with us.
If there was anything that youwanted to say to someone who was
considering renovating a spacein their home, what advice would
(21:31):
you give them just starting out?
Rosa (21:34):
Don't be afraid.
Don't be afraid of maintainingthe old character of your home.
Carla (21:39):
And doing what you want, because a lot of times people
want to do you know they're likeoh, I feel like I love this
color, like you know, this isreally me, but then they get
afraid because they don't want.
You know what are people goingto think?
Is it going to come out weird,like, and it's kind of just like
.
You know, it's your space, dowhat you want with it and don't
be afraid to express yourself,and it's all going to come out
(22:00):
great.
Rosa (22:00):
you know, if you really trust in your instincts and you
know what is it going torepresent you Also another
important thing is to buyquality tiles, even though they
spend a little more, becausehopefully it's going to be there
for a long time.
So my thing is it's better tospend more now than have to
(22:21):
spend a lot more later.
So it's to maintain the oldcharacter of your home, but at
the same time, if you need topurchase new material, go ahead
and just spend the money on thegood stuff like the products
that you guys sell.
Lindsay Fluckiger (22:37):
Well, thank you, I've been with our company
for two years now and just, Iknow that we sell top notch
stuff.
I've seen it, I've installedit, I have Spanish tiles in my
own kitchen at the moment and Ijust, it really truly does make
a difference, like you said, tojust invest now so that in the
future you're not having to redoeverything and rip out tiles,
(23:00):
rip up floors.
Just you know, do it right thefirst time and you won't have
regrets.
It was such a pleasure to meetyou both and to learn more about
Carla Maria Designs and themany wonderful things that
you're both doing to changelives, to create beautiful
spaces and keep our historyalive.
So thank you for joining ustoday.
Carla (23:19):
Thank you so much.
Thank you so much.
We had such a great time.
This was fun.
Rosa (23:25):
So, okay, we'll see you soon.
Welcome to Tile Trends by Tile Club, the
podcast where we explore theworld of interior design and the
role of tiles in creatingbeautiful spaces.
I'm your host, lindsay Flukiger, and today we have two very
special guests with us Carla andRosa Palenzuela of Carla Maria
Designs.
Stimming from their sharedjourney of transforming a
(00:20):
vintage 1940s Spanish waterfrontgym in Coral Gables, florida,
this mother-daughter team hastaken their passion and
expertise to the next level.
They're not just about givingspaces a makeover.
They infuse every project withvibrant day-to-day elegance and
seamlessly blend in vintage andreclaimed elements.
Their commitment to honor theauthentic spirit of each home
(00:43):
while weaving in thecontemporary desires of their
clients.
Every home they touch unfolds aunique narrative, sculpting
what many may call the truedream home.
Carla and Rosa, welcome to theshow.
Carla (00:56):
Hi, thank you so much for having us.
We're so excited to get started.
We're Carla and Rosa.
This is my mom.
Lindsay Fluckiger (01:05):
Awesome.
It's a pleasure to have youboth.
We're so excited.
You are our very firstmother-daughter duo.
So, as we've said before on theshow, as a woman-owned company,
we love seeing strong femalesleading in the industry and just
making beautiful things happen.
So, to start things off, couldyou tell our listeners a little
bit about yourselves and alsohow you got started in the world
(01:26):
of interior design?
Carla (01:28):
We basically kind of started when, like you said, our
Spanish home here in MiamiFlorida, in Coral Gables, is a
1940 home and we basicallyrestored the home and remodeled
it.
But, unlike you know, otherproperties here in Miami, we
didn't just kind of get rid ofthe Spanish charm and then we
(01:50):
made sure to incorporate thecharacter while adding modern
elements.
And it was also kind of funbecause we incorporated a lot of
wallpaper tiles like color,like you can see behind us.
So our friends and family lovedit and thought that it was so
beautiful and different and Ithink, kind of incorporating
(02:12):
that like Spanish-European lookto a little bit of charm and
modern all mixed together gaveit a lot of character and it
kind of reflected like who weare as people and like our
tastes and interests too.
So kind of what that we startedand people.
I started my account onInstagram and people started
(02:33):
following us and really likewhat we do and asking for advice
and things like that.
And we also brought in a lot ofvintage aspects.
Actually, we we frequent toSpain because my mom's from
there originally, so we go toactually a studio since in the
north of Spain, and we brought alot of vintage tiles that we
(02:54):
incorporated in the kitchen andthe guest bathroom and just kind
of I don't know special, uniquepieces like that, but got us
into kind of the restoring andinterior design.
You know world so.
Rosa (03:08):
I grew up, basically for my inspiration.
I grew up in.
I'm from the north of Spain andmy mom's house is a historic
house and during the Civil Warin Spain it was used as a jail.
And when my grandparents and mymom and her sister went back to
(03:28):
Spain after the Civil War itwas completely destroyed, but
the tiles were there.
The original floor, theoriginal flooring, is there.
So I've always found it sobeautiful.
And then in the actual diningroom it's blue and yellow and in
Spanish it's called I'll tellyou a little what it's Los
(03:51):
Adorables, which it's ahydraulic tiles, and there used
to be in a studio.
There used to be a lot offactories, but now they're hard
to find.
But when we purchased our homehere in Miami I one summer,
thanks to the internet, I saidI'm going to see if I can find
all tiles.
So I searched and there wasthis gentleman, super nice, that
(04:13):
I found.
I went to his warehouse, thatamazing, beautiful, breathtaking
stuff.
So I bought a bunch of them,incredible price, and between my
suitcase, my daughter'ssuitcase, my husband's, my son,
we all brought it and then weused it here in a house in Miami
and I love it.
(04:34):
I think it's a, you know, but alot of people don't like doing
that, but I think it's good forthe environment, it's a way of
preserving the past, of, youknow, honoring our history.
So you know, that's how westarted.
And then, if it was for me, Iwould redo a bathroom once a
month, but it's impossiblebecause I love tiles.
I love it.
Lindsay Fluckiger (04:54):
Yeah, oh, that is such an inspiring story.
Thank you for sharing that.
I love everything you touchedon with the sustainability
aspect and then also justbringing a little bit of the
past to the present and reallyhang on each other.
Rosa (05:09):
Honestly, it was like how do you say honor Like honoring?
A tribute to my mother thatpassed away right before, right
after we started remodeling here.
So I wanted to have a piece ofher house here in Miami, you
know, to remember her, that's sobeautiful.
Lindsay Fluckiger (05:27):
Yeah, so interesting, you know, of course
we are a tile company and sothat's our forte, that's what we
do day in and day out.
But it's so inspiring to evensee like excavations in Rome
where, like, the tiles are stillintact.
I mean, it's just such atimeless piece, it's such a cool
design element to bring intothe space.
Rosa (05:48):
And being such a young country because in the United
States a young country, you knowit's good to incorporate a
little bit of something old Idon't know how to translate it
Like character, yes.
Carla (06:01):
And this home.
We were lucky that we were ableto maintain and save basically
the tiles of the main part ofthe house, kind of like the
formal area.
It was all original from 1940.
Rosa (06:13):
They were called Cuban tiles because they were made in
Cuba and then Miami was so closeto Cuba, so you know they would
bring them, you know sell themhere and sadly a lot of people
don't like it because it's a bigred ceramic tile.
But for me, if you clean it andyou maintain it with the
decoration, it looks amazingbecause it gives a lot of, you
(06:33):
know, character to the area.
Lindsay Fluckiger (06:35):
Yeah, and we're seeing a lot of those same
elements, like the more rustickind of style, coming back into
play the two cottage and you cansee our star and cross behind
me that are, I believe,manufactured also in Spain.
We just launched a new linecalled Amira.
That's an encaustic porcelaintile that's also manufactured in
Spain and they're just made sowell and they're so beautiful
(06:58):
and add so much to the space.
So, yeah, and I love what Carlawas saying, just about adding
character, Like, even though itmight be old, it still just
brings that uniqueness to aspace.
Carla (07:09):
No, and it's fun.
It's like I feel like myfriends come here and they're
always like your house, like Ijust feel like it brings the
beauty out of every day becauseit's just we add the color and
tiles, like have the ability todo that versus, you know, just
boring.
Let me just make every bathroomthe same type of thing.
We really try to give everyroom its unique character and,
(07:30):
like the bathroom is kind ofwhere everyone you know
expresses themselves a littlebit with what they want.
Lindsay Fluckiger (07:37):
So yeah, I love it.
Well, speaking of design andcreating the aesthetic of your
dreams, let's dive into theworld of interior design.
What do you both love mostabout being interior designers
and what inspires your work?
I think we touched a little onthat, but let's take that a step
further.
Carla (07:56):
I think really the goal for us specifically is, I think,
just sustainability andrestoring and kind of.
I think we have like a duty,you know, as interior designers,
to try to maintain as much ofan original home as possible and
incorporate antique pieces,like we were saying.
Of course, you know, with usand like with our clients, we
(08:21):
try to make the home as much ofa representation of them as
possible and, you know, up totheir tastes and incorporate
beautiful modern pieces as well.
But I think kind of for us agoal is to doing as much as
possible to restore and maintainthe original part of the house.
Rosa (08:43):
And it's hard because a lot of people are afraid, I have
to say, they're worried torestore and they know, oh my God
, what if it doesn't look goodwith them?
With them, modern, relax, youknow, and it's hard to explain
to them how it's gonna look, butat the end they all love the
final product.
But it's, I think, besides ait's overworked, of course, and
(09:08):
contractors don't like remodelshonestly, they'd rather just
start from scratch.
It happened here in our houseto be able to get somebody,
which at the end, I ended upbeing the contractor.
I had Sally, she fired everyone.
No, I fired the contractor andI did it on my own.
I was awake and fast, and theway it's supposed to be, but
before, when I contacted, I saidno, no, no, no, no, you have to
(09:30):
turn down the house and startfrom scratch.
And I know I'm gonna remodel,and we remodel and did a
addition.
So, and then our architect wasamazing.
He agreed with me and we'reable to, you know, to
incorporate both.
Carla (09:46):
I see a lot of like here in four gables.
There's a lot of beautifulSpanish houses that have gotten
knocked down and like peoplethat just don't appreciate.
Rosa (09:56):
We have a historic board and a lot of houses are, you
know, then, certifying the storyso they can touch them, but a
lot of don't.
Carla (10:06):
I don't know.
That's really.
I think the overarching purposeis for that and like
maintaining history.
And, like we said, the US hasvery little history, so whatever
we have, you know, to keep it.
Lindsay Fluckiger (10:19):
So yeah, that's a beautiful story and a
beautiful like a missionstatement just restoring and
sustaining and keeping thishistory alive, you know, and
also incorporating other vintageitems and historic pieces.
I think that's just such abeautiful thing.
Rosa, you being from Spain,maybe do you wanna speak on some
of the inspiration that you'veacquired from living in Europe.
(10:41):
How does having you know Spainas home inspire your own
interior design efforts?
Rosa (10:49):
I'm a very visual person so every time I go anywhere in
Spain or any other beautifulcity in Europe, I'm always
looking at ideas and admiringthe beauty of anything but
mainly tiles, wallpaper, and and.
In a lot of our projects webring the product from, even new
(11:10):
or old.
We bring the product fromEurope to incorporate it here.
But here in the United Stateswe have great factories of tiles
also and mainly like oh my God,my Portugal and Spain are
mainly the bigger manufacturersof tiles in Europe.
So I'm lucky that around me Iget ideas from everywhere and
(11:36):
I'm not into magazines.
I buy every magazine that I canfind.
I'm always looking, I buy allmy magazines over there and
that's my happy time justlooking and getting ideas and
everything they have such greatstyle there too.
Carla (11:50):
Yes, and that's where we see these beautiful houses that
were an old monastery orsomething like that, and we're
like this is stunning how theyput it together.
Rosa (12:00):
If it was for me, I would remodel every abandoned house
there is over there.
But you know, and it's funny,because now in Spain, or in
general, most people don't likeold stuff, quote unquote they
like modern.
That's why you find all thismaterial, this old material,
this vintage material, so cheap,because they get rid of it.
(12:23):
And you have to dig and youhave to find it, and I'll have
Carlos in your picture of whatwe did here with the old tiles.
So you see them?
Carla (12:32):
Yeah, it's really something beautiful.
Rosa (12:35):
And then, of course, here you have.
You can go to many places andpurchase something similar and
incorporate the old with the new.
Carla (12:43):
This art piece here came originally with the house.
As an artist in 1940, he kindof made it like a mural that he
made.
I don't have any of the artists, but a lot of houses in Coral
Gables.
Had this man come when, theywould build the house like make
specific to each house a reallypretty window.
Rosa (13:07):
It's a window that used to be the garage.
It's a window, so the breezewould come, you know, pass
through also and they had like abeautiful ornament and then the
natural breeze of Miami, itwould go through.
Carla (13:22):
I don't know, we've actually noticed around the
still houses that are stillremaining with it.
You can see them and they'revery beautiful.
We had a neighbor, actually,that remodeled their house and
had this spectacular one, thesame exact size, but instead it
had an anchor in the middle witha cross and then a heart, and
(13:44):
we were like so jealous we weretalking about all the time.
We were like, oh my god, thatone's even prettier than ours,
like wow.
And then one day we noticedthat it wasn't there anymore and
we were like what's going on?
We go knock on their door andthey were like, oh no, we got
rid of it, like we destroyed it,and we were like this is like
so sad.
We were like you know, peoplejust don't appreciate the art
(14:08):
and like the beauty that comeswith what the original house,
like they could have saved itand they could have put it
somewhere else and it would havebeen so spectacular.
But that's just an example oflike, I guess, part of our
mission where we're like youknow, we don't want to see that
happen.
So so, yeah, and we were thisis our kitchen, so we were able
kind of the breakfast area, sowe were able to incorporate it
(14:29):
here and I think I think itlooks.
It looks beautiful.
Lindsay Fluckiger (14:31):
So I was eyeballing it.
I was like what is that behindthem?
That's so, it's very unique.
I love that yeah.
Rosa (14:38):
Beautiful.
Lindsay Fluckiger (14:39):
But it sounds like you guys know exactly like
where your niche is and whereyou want to make an impact and a
difference, and what hasinspired you to continue this
journey, so to kind of movethings along.
I definitely do want to dwellon tile, because that's what we
do, but I wanted to talk alittle bit about how you guys
are so passionate aboutpersonalizing spaces.
(15:01):
We definitely see that in yourwork.
So, when it comes to design,tiles obviously play a
significant role in enhancingthe aesthetic and functionality
of a space.
So could you share some of yourfavorite elements of design
that tiles can bring to aproject?
Rosa (15:18):
Well, for me, the tile is the focal point of the space,
and then, from there, thewallpaper, or the paint color,
or even the, even the toilet,you know.
So the tile is the number, thefirst thing you need to choose
in order to continue with thedesign of the space.
Right?
Carla (15:40):
right, yeah, and the floor and the wall tile right,
and we.
I think the funnest part iskind of seeing what goes
together, like how do you matchthe wall on the floor and then
from there you, you move on, andthat's the funnest part.
Rosa (15:53):
It's choosing not so many beautiful.
Oh, my goodness, I I'm tellingyou I would remodel my bathroom
every month.
Carla (15:59):
There's beautiful, beautiful stuff and I think what
you've seen is in Spain, whichI think is the Mallorca ceramic
subway tile and then the moonceramic subway tile, which are
in the third but the weremodeled it this summer,
actually the third floor of ourhouse in Spain and then the
(16:19):
guest bathroom.
In the, or the guest housebathroom, the tiles came on
spectacular and it really IDon't know gave it kind of a
princessy feel to the housebecause it's like in the
mountains and it's like it hasthat vintage vibe.
But then those new tiles madeit just so beautiful and so like
cozy and Came out like stunning.
(16:40):
So we were super happy with howthat came out.
Lindsay Fluckiger (16:43):
It's so beautiful.
It's evidence in your designthat that was the focal point
and I love what you said aboutjust like letting that be the
foundational element of a spaceand then building upon that.
That makes so much sense and itis really fun to see like
matching floor and wall or niche, or like a shower feature wall,
and it's sometimes there areunexpected combinations that can
(17:06):
work together to really make aspace unique.
When you are approaching a Newproject for a client, what are
some key factors that youconsider when you're selecting
tiles?
Rosa (17:15):
The light of the bathroom, the natural light, first of all
, like what she was saying, forsome experience in the bath
bathroom, we, there was nobathroom in the third floor,
nothing, the, there was aconnection but no bathroom, but
it's a very dark.
It's all wood, it's beautifulwood, but it's very dark.
It's a attic.
The light of the bathroom, thesize of the space, but mainly
(17:38):
for me is the light, because I'm, for me, light is very
important for a project, becauseI don't like darkness.
Explain that, carla, is thatyou know I'm like you see, here
in our home, it's all, it's allwindows.
I love nature to come in intothe space.
So For me, I have to go to the,to the project, see the light,
(18:03):
and then we can start choosingthe tile.
But, yes, like, if it's a darkspace, you can, I would, I would
not choose a Dark tile, forexample, and and whatever the
environment is outside, ifyou're near the water, if you're
in the mountain and you try tobring in, you know, the mountain
or the or the ocean into thespace.
Lindsay Fluckiger (18:23):
So, so the Environment and the light both
great factors to to keep in mind.
For sure, can you share someprojects that maybe stick out to
you as designers?
Is there one or two that havereally really just kind of
captured your own attention orthe attention of your followers
and clients?
Rosa (18:43):
Well, there's a project, what?
That we haven't Published yet,that it's a house in the Bahamas
.
It's a beautiful wooden house,a beautiful on the water, and
the water, the ocean isturquoise, basically that, the
beach.
So we were able to find a tilethat matched the ocean, that the
(19:04):
color of the water, and webrought it into the bathroom and
it came out out of this world.
So it's still.
We still haven't finished takingpictures, hopefully now, and
now in November we're gonna goso we'll send them to you, but
that that project is gonna comeout Spectacular.
And there we kept, obviouslyit's a bathroom, it's all wood,
(19:27):
so, and so we kept obviously thewood, and then, with the shower
, all new tiles, and we didn't,we did the same week.
It was, you know, sustainable,no, yeah, mm-hmm.
So so, yes, that project isgonna come out beautiful.
And then the other one is apersonal one, of the last
bathroom that we did in Spain.
I think it came out and it was.
(19:47):
It was all long distancebetween the contractor that I
have there and here I had.
You know, I chose everything Iwant, this and this and this,
and when I got there was done,wow, that was great.
Lindsay Fluckiger (20:00):
It had to be like super satisfying.
Rosa (20:04):
I trust them with the key.
You know, yes, but that'sanother thing, the most
important thing for me, for aclient, they need to make a
decision Right away, in thesense that you cannot give them,
give them too many choices.
If you get them too manychoices and then they're gonna
oh, I don't know what I'm gonnado, I don't.
You know, this is the one isgonna look good and and that's
it.
I'm be sure about the decision.
That way, you know, movequickly and you can buy the
(20:27):
material quickly, and that's it.
Lindsay Fluckiger (20:30):
And kind of streamline it so that they don't
and like linger on beingindecisive, that's what they're
hiring you for.
Rosa (20:38):
Yes.
Time passes by and by the timeyou know, it's a month after.
No, no, no, let's make this achange now, and that's all yeah.
Lindsay Fluckiger (20:47):
I love that.
Oh, it's been such a pleasureto chat with you both today.
I love hearing about thedifferent projects that you guys
are excited about, that you'veaccomplished things that you're
going to be bringing to socialand to your portfolio soon.
Again, I love that your missionhas so much to do with
sustainability and history, andI think that that is going to be
such a game changer as you guyscontinue to grow in the
(21:10):
industry and people start tolook to you as a source for how
to and why these elements cantruly be beautiful and make
spaces so unique.
So thank you for sharing all ofthat with us.
If there was anything that youwanted to say to someone who was
considering renovating a spacein their home, what advice would
(21:31):
you give them just starting out?
Rosa (21:34):
Don't be afraid.
Don't be afraid of maintainingthe old character of your home.
Carla (21:39):
And doing what you want, because a lot of times people
want to do you know they're likeoh, I feel like I love this
color, like you know, this isreally me, but then they get
afraid because they don't want.
You know what are people goingto think?
Is it going to come out weird,like, and it's kind of just like
.
You know, it's your space, dowhat you want with it and don't
be afraid to express yourself,and it's all going to come out
(22:00):
great.
Rosa (22:00):
you know, if you really trust in your instincts and you
know what is it going torepresent you Also another
important thing is to buyquality tiles, even though they
spend a little more, becausehopefully it's going to be there
for a long time.
So my thing is it's better tospend more now than have to
(22:21):
spend a lot more later.
So it's to maintain the oldcharacter of your home, but at
the same time, if you need topurchase new material, go ahead
and just spend the money on thegood stuff like the products
that you guys sell.
Lindsay Fluckiger (22:37):
Well, thank you, I've been with our company
for two years now and just, Iknow that we sell top notch
stuff.
I've seen it, I've installedit, I have Spanish tiles in my
own kitchen at the moment and Ijust, it really truly does make
a difference, like you said, tojust invest now so that in the
future you're not having to redoeverything and rip out tiles,
(23:00):
rip up floors.
Just you know, do it right thefirst time and you won't have
regrets.
It was such a pleasure to meetyou both and to learn more about
Carla Maria Designs and themany wonderful things that
you're both doing to changelives, to create beautiful
spaces and keep our historyalive.
So thank you for joining ustoday.
Carla (23:19):
Thank you so much.
Thank you so much.
We had such a great time.
This was fun.
Rosa (23:25):
So, okay, we'll see you soon.
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