Street Art and Fashion Collide in Miami Home

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When former NFL outside linebacker Andre Branch asked the designers from 2id Interiors to design his newly purchased home, Laila Colvin and Rafaela Simoes knew they had landed an all-star project. 

The property was a 6,000-square-foot luxury spec home in Nautilus—an upwardly trending neighborhood in mid-Miami Beach. Branch was also an all-star client: a professional athlete with a love for contemporary and street art, fashion, and entertaining. Not only was Branch enthusiastic and engaged in the design process, but he also offered Colvin and Simoes carte blanche so the Brazilian design duo could be as playful and uninhibited as they wanted. No fabric was too precious, no angle was too sharp, no material was too fragile, no idea was too far out of the box. 

Their mission? To create a bold, masculine vibe that highlights Branch’s art collection, while giving him ample opportunities to entertain in serious style.

Branch’s home was already beautifully built and finished, so Simoes and Colvin did minimal construction work. However, the designers extended the primary bedroom by eliminating its closet; the adjoining guest bedroom became Branch’s walk-in closet. Despite losing a bedroom, the designers kept the house’s resale value in mind. By eliminating single walls instead of reconceiving the entire layout, they ensured the previous floorplan could be restored without great expense to future owners. 

Several other elements of the initial build had to be re-worked in order to meld with the design vision. Colvin and Simoes did not love the home’s preexisting stark marble floors, nor the glass box feel of the home, so they created warmth by adding window treatments, textured rugs, walls plastered to resemble concrete, crocodile leather wallpaper, and a living moss wall. Instead of tearing out the kitchen cabinetry—originally done in a light veined wood that didn’t fit the new aesthetic—the designers wrapped the cabinets with dark, moody adhesive wrap by 3M. 

In the living room, Colvin and Simoes fashioned a built-in focal wall in walnut. “There are a lot of cold materials in this house… We knew we needed to bring in some warm wood,” Simoes says. “We weren’t afraid to mix and match wood tones.” A sliding panel hung with a Matt McCormick painting hides the television. A bench extends the length of the accent wall and creates additional seating for entertaining. Along another wall, a hidden panel accesses Branch’s adjoining television room, allowing for contiguous spaces with multiple uses.  

Creating a cohesive decor to show off Branch’s art collection was another matter. “This house doesn’t have a lot of walls. There is a lot of glass. And [Branch] has a lot of art,” Simoes explains. “We created niches where we could. Wherever we could gain some wall, or gain some niche, or some display for his art, we did.” Bookshelves in the living room and den were customized to the dimensions of Branch’s collectibles such as his Bearbricks and KAWS figures. A rich, neutral palette was maintained throughout the home to highlight his vibrant, graphic art collection.

2id Interiors’ catalog of projects is varied. Often, Colvin and Simoes say they find themselves designing outside their aesthetic wheelhouse. Simoes says, “Our design aesthetic is very eclectic because we cater to so many different clients from all over the world here in Miami.” A nod to their Brazilian roots, the pair tends toward organic, natural elements with Simoes leaning towards the bohemian and Colvin toward a modern, Pop Art style. “We’re in Miami, where people think shiny white is a must,” Simoes says. “We educate the clients, but we also embrace. At the end of the day, we’re doing this for our clients. As a firm, we’ll cater to whatever style, as long as we do it well.” 

Story Credits:

Interior Design by 2id Interiors, Laila Colvin and Rafaela Simoes, Hallandale Beach, FL

Text by Diana Odasso

Photography by Emilio Collavino, Miami Beach, FL

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