For Victor A. Diaz, owner of Curated.Art in North Miami, this is the time of year he gets another opportunity to shine, especially for one of his longtime clients.
“I have a client I’ve worked with for many years,” Victor said. “I did the interior design for her home and I do all her holiday décor, and she does the most elaborate décor for Christmas. Every year for 12 years, it takes a month to prepare and it’s about a $250,000 installation.”
While an installation that elaborate may not be typical, he added that it does speak to the trust his clients place in him and his work.
For Victor, combining his passion for collecting art with a love of interior design makes his work personally fulfilling. After all, it's about so much more than just placing fine art pieces and antiques around the client’s home. It's about doing so in a way that reflects their aesthetic taste and unique style.
“My goal is not just to design a beautiful home,” he said. “I teach clients how to live within the home we’ve designed and evolve with the actual interior that we build together. That's what I like the most, because, in my way, I help people understand how to enjoy it. I teach people how to live within their art.”
With expertise in antique silver, as well as fine art, Victor spends a substantial amount of time traveling in an ongoing search for unique finds that will appeal to his clients.
“I spend summers in Europe, attending the major antique shows and art shows, buying different objects,” he said. “I did a huge exposition with Sotheby's in New York called ‘Curated, The Victor A. Diaz Collection.’ It focused on teaching people how to live with these magnificent objects. All of the major buyers in the U.S. were there and it got a lot of world press.”
While his work involves valuable antiques and fine art pieces, Victor said he never loses sight of the fact that he’s working in peoples’ homes, not museums and galleries.
“They're beautiful pieces and gorgeous objects, but people have to be able to sit down and be comfortable,” he added. “For example, people used to want nothing to do with acrylic fabrics, but new acrylics have been developed that are used in very high-end, hand-loomed acrylic fabrics. And you really can't tell the difference between a Chanel made in cotton or a Chanel made in acrylic.”
Except in one very significant way.
“If they get wet, or if something spills on them, they're much easier to keep clean.”
Curated.Art is located at 887 NE 125th St, North Miami, Florida 33161
