Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1439511
DREAM A LITTLE DREAM By Lisa Collins Shaddock. Photography Jonathan Zizzo. A cclaimed interior designer Juan Montoya begins c o n v e r s a t i o n s with his clients by encouraging them to dream. "We talk about the dreams — the things they think are impossible. The things that make them say, 'I want to do this but I don't think it can happen,'" he told fans at his illustrated talk and book signing at Roche Bobois showroom during Texas Design Week Dallas. "But when you start working on something by saying, 'My limitations are …' you are cutting yourself from the possibility of dreaming. The limitations come, no matter what. So, the idea is to open yourself, your heart and your mind, to possibilities that can be the most wonderful result at the end." For Montoya's clients around the world, these dreams have included an indoor/outdoor oasis in Punta Cana; an astrologer's home meditation space with marble arches from India; a resort turned private residence in Punta Mita; and a yacht-inspired residence at The Surf Club in Miami Beach. Welcomed to the showroom by manager Marcelo Sanchez, the design crowd hung on Montoya's every word. While discussing ideas for this new book with his editors, the Colombia- born designer was told they wanted it to focus on the tropics. "Do I even have that many tropical places?" he pondered. "Well, I found out that I did have quite a bit." When you set out to make clients' dreams come true, that often means creating homes in some of the world's dreamiest corners. After the talk, Montoya signed copies of his book, Designing Paradise: Tropical Interiors by Juan Montoya (Rizzoli). Floor & Decor was a sponsor of this event. Seen: Kathy Adcock Smith, Abier Alkhouri, Luis Araujo, Katherine Cortese, Mark Curtis, Amanda Dorsey, Tucker Enthoven, Empress Gilbert, Angela Gonzalez, Donna Guerra, Adriana Juarez, Roy Marcus, and Denise McGaha. DESIGNER JUAN MONTOYA, WHO CREATES TROPICAL HOMES IN THE WORLD'S DREAMIEST CORNERS, IMPARTS LIFE ADVICE AT HIS ILLUSTRATED TALK AT ROCHE BOBOIS. Juan Montoya Linda Fritschy Lea LaFortune Tucker Enthoven Amanda Dorsey Adriana Juarez Juan Montoya Marcelo Sanchez Nancy Larkin Rhea Ann Chamness Sharon Wolpert Juliana Oliveira Abbey Latham Kathy Adcock-Smith Donna Guerra