Creative Couple’s True Colors Shine in Miami Residence

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avra jain and Danié Gomez-Ortigoza live a colorful life in Miami—both literally and figuratively. A Mexican American multimedia artist, Gomez-Ortigoza’s perceptive and worldly eye shapes her artistic pursuits, including her ongoing series Journey of a Braid, a project with rituals exploring hair as a social construct. A California native, Jain is the co-founder of the Vagabond Group, one of the city’s leading property developers, where her main focus is on restoring Miami Modern (MiMO) properties (from old motels to office buildings) along the Biscayne Corridor.

Not surprisingly, when the couple began looking for a new residence, they started with the waterside high-rises alongside Biscayne Boulevard and eventually landed at Palm Bay Towers, just north of the Miami Design District. The innovative structure from the Shulman + Associates architectural firm was built in 1972 and appears to be poised on its own isle above the water.

“The building spoke to me deeply,” says Jain. “It’s suspended with a lightness and daring that could only have been imagined in that golden era of design. You don’t just overlook the water here; you live within it, as if the ocean itself holds you.” As luck would have it, the development had an ideal unit for sale: a 4,600-square-foot apartment with panoramic views of Biscayne Bay, Miami Beach, and Downtown Miami.

To personalize the space, a complete renovation was in order, so the couple tapped one of Miami’s most prominent design duos, Angel Sanchez and Christopher Coleman, owners of Sanchez  Coleman Studio, to bring in some color, style, and fun vibes.

“It was a project that developed very organically and fluidly,” says Sanchez. “We knew beforehand that their art collection and some other special pieces would be the protagonists. Apart from that, the rest was a blank canvas to organize spaces, experiment, and create unity while maintaining the free spirit of the owners.”

Gregarious hosts who love to organize theme dinners populated by artists and creatives, Jain and Gomez-Ortigoza insisted color play a lead role in the design aesthetic. 

“They are quite fearless and they’re not afraid of bold color, which is a rarity today with so many clients,” says Coleman. “They insisted we just go for it, so Angel and I used different vibrant hues to define areas throughout the space.”

They did, indeed. An accent wall in rich purple welcomes guests to the apartment. A vibrant terracotta sets the ideal backdrop for a Mexican textile sculpture in the family room. Hunter green provides the ideal counterpart to black cabinetry in the kitchen. And a euphoric, bright red saturates Gomez-Ortigoza’s studio.

“Danie’s innate enthusiasm balanced perfectly with Avra’s pragmatism,” says Sanchez. “That made this project a pleasant experience from beginning to end.”

Throughout the home, compelling original artworks and photography merge with sculptural furnishings and meaningful collections—all interwoven and unified by color and self-reflective of the couple’s personal journeys.

“Working with Angel and Christopher was a true creative joy,” says Jain. “They are visionaries with a sensitivity to history and a modern pulse that aligned perfectly with what we wanted to achieve.”

For Gomez-Ortigoza, the late-afternoon design sessions, where they would all sit surrounded by paint samples, fabric swatches, and a bottle of wine, will always feel special. “Everything was so intentional and united,” she says. “We weren’t just designing a home. We were shaping an experience.”

Story Credits:

Interior Design by Angel Sanchez & Christopher Coleman, Sanchez Coleman Studio, Miami, FL

Text by Jeanne de Lathouder

Photography by Ken Hayden, Miami, FL

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