Gil Rigaud, a physician in Fort Lauderdale, wanted to downsize from his 3,000-square-foot home and completely alter the way he had been residing. “I wanted to utilize every area, reevaluate, downsize, and eradicate a lot of my things,” he explains. “I wanted my home to be comfy but not overdone; I get overwhelmed by a lot of stuff.”
When he found this loft in an arts district downtown, he also knew it was a perfect fit. Rigaud wanted the vibrance of his art collection to deliver the color to the space and opted to keep the concrete walls and white painted drywall just as it had been.
“I wanted to keep everything open,” he says. In planning out how to use the space, he focused on the fun that he wished to perform, keeping things uncluttered, choosing the proper light fixtures and supplying the proper background for his Haitian art collection.
Houzz in a Glance:
Who Lives Here: Gil Rigaud, a urologist originally from Haiti
Location: Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Size: Open loft with 2 bedrooms and 2 baths
“I really like to cook, I really like to amuse, and I really like to throw dinner parties,” says Rigaud. He took the space most people use as the dwelling area and made it the dining room area.
Large windows on two side of the unit flood the home with natural light.
This is a TV-free zone. “When I amuse people, we do not sit around and watch TV,” he says. Therefore, he turned the next bedroom into a room and relegated the television to this space.
It is possible to get a fantastic feel for the layout of these public spaces within this picture. The bedrooms and public spaces make a U-shape around the kitchen and two bathrooms. “I already had this particular table, also because it was wooden and so heavy, the cable chairs were a fantastic match,” says Rigaud. He also set up the light fixture, also called Larmes, which suggests”teardrop” in French. It is composed of 24 teardrop-shaped bulbs that cast a wonderful mild for entertaining.
This cabinet from Crate and Barrel really includes a surprise…
… It opens to reveal a fully stocked bar.
“I didn’t want to leave this place empty, or match it with too many items,” says Rigaud of the space beside front door. Four Barcelona chairs surrounding a marble coffee table from CB2 create a conversation area. A perfectly-scaled drum pendant, also by CB2, hangs overhead, and a floral painting by his mother, Jeanne Rigaud, brightens up the space. In reality, most of the paintings of flowers and girls you see around the loft are his mommy’s work.
“My mom is 86 years old and can be self-taught,” says Rigaud. “She began painting about 20 decades back, in her 60s.”
A massive column ordered the usable area from the seating area.
The kitchen is open to the remainder of the loft space, while the island gives it a feeling of separation.
Rigaud kept the cupboards and granite counters that were already there when he purchased his loft. He included a gorgeous and reflective glass mosaic tile backsplash that he found in Clad Tile and Stone.
Acrylic counter stools give guests a perch where they can keep Rigaud company while he prepares dinner.
Acrylic Barstools: ExoticaUnique
A bookcase divides the master bedroom from the main living space. A mixture of Buddha and books heads fill the shelves. Rigaud has been amassing Buddhas from all around the world for several decades.
The mermaid on the wall is from another Haitian artist who creates sculptures from junk found on the roads.
The floral painting over the mattress is from the late Haitian artist St. Pierre. It extends draws the eye up from the headboard.
Two fun owl table lamps from West Elm provide reading light.
Tate Bed and nightstands: Crate and Barrel
Here you can see the bedroom number two is tucked away past the public areas of the loft. In order to keep those areas TV-free, Rigaud changed this space into a television room.
More paintings by his mother, a Noguchi coffee table and a comfy sectional outfit the comfy space.
Rigaud installed frameless glass door in both bathrooms to keep the feeling of openness and to make the rooms feel bigger.
Two big vessel sinks sit beneath a big vanity that offers plenty of storage.
Fantastic features of the loft are the fantastic views of downtown and a nice-sized balcony.
“While this is a somewhat well-sized balcony, there isn’t room for a great deal of stuff,” says Rigaud. “I wished to provide seating and space to maneuver around.” A well-timed visit to some DWR closeout sale supplied him with the couch and chairs, which he says he obtained for”just about nothing.” The West Elm stools operate double-duty as cocktail tables and additional seating.
We’ll wrap this up with one last glimpse of the view of downtown and Florida’s sunny skies. Thanks so much to Gil Rigaud for taking the opportunity to talk about his home together.
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