Florida Architecture

Presidential Suite
At Home with University Of Miami President Donna Shalala
Written by: Daphne Nikolopoulos

" Warm" and "vibrant" are not words typically used to describe university presidents' residences. More often than not, presidential homes tend to have the sensibility of high-brow academia-that is to say, they are serious, orderly and institutional.

Not so with the University of Miami president's residence. Donna Shalala, who has occupied the Gables Estates house since she assumed the president's post in 2001, has fashioned for herself a sophisticated environment with a clear sense of home- and an unexpected sense of humor. "So many presidents' houses look like doctors' waiting rooms," Shalala says. "I wanted this to be my house. I wanted to be able to put my feet up anywhere in the house and feel comfortable."

There were, of course, other requirements. As the U.M. president, Shalala frequently entertains faculty, students, trustees and the community. The house had to be equipped to handle crowds ranging from20 to 2,000 and events ranging from intimate dinner parties to commencement ceremonies. And at the end of the day, it had to be cozy enough for the president to relax and feel at home amongst familiar objects and tropical surroundings.

A tall order, perhaps- but not for interior designer Phyllis Taylor. Taylor, whose modus operandi is to create living environments for "real people with real lives" by building a layered look, took several factors into consideration. First, there was Shalala's fascinating background.
A woman of Lebanese descent, Shalala has a number of important family heirlooms and a penchant for all things ethnic. She has also amassed an impressive collection of art and objects during her high-profile career in academia and political administration. She is perhaps best known for her eight year of service as Secretary of Health and Human Services under the Clinton administration.

Another key factor was the university's heritage. The president's residence is more than a venue for entertaining; it is also a showcase for and projection of university pride.

From the vibrant color scheme incorporating dressed-up versions of the school colors- orange and green- to the display of art by students, past and present, the house seems to echo a cheer: C-A-N-E-S- canes!"
Taylor began by making some architectural adjustments. The three-story Colonial house, which was built in 1965 and gifted the University of Miami in 174, needed updating, inside and out. "The façade was red brick," Taylor says. "Normally, I would have left it. But because Donna was starting a tropical life, I had to override my own sensibilities and paint the exterior."

Inside, Taylor added or enhanced moldings and millwork, reworked lighting to illuminate what tends to be a dark house, and updated the house for ADA compliance. Because Shalala was particularly sensitive to the needs of the handicapped, Taylor added ramps, refitted a downstairs bath, and raised the coral rock floor of a sunken porch.

The next step was to give the house a tropical ambiance, thereby creating a sense of place. To achieve this, Taylor covered walls with various manifestations of grasscloth, imbuing spaces with texture, warmth, and a distinct South Florida character.

For all its tropical undercurrents, the house still had to be dignified enough to suit an academic's lifestyle. And it had to reflect Shalala's well-travelled life and Mediterranean roots. Taylor achieved this by layering period furniture, family heirlooms, museum- quality art, and unusual tribal objects.

In the living room, for instance, a 19th century British library cabinet houses a 52-inch television. In front of the cabinet is a seating arrangement that is generous enough to accommodate a crowd, yet intimate enough for one. "You can be alone in here and not ever feel overwhelmed by the scale of the room," Shalala says.

The living room also houses items of personal significance to Shalala. There is a 15th century tray table from Srinagar, Kashmir that she brought during a trip to the Himalaya; a Bhutanese textile that was given to her by a member of Bhutan's royal family ; and a sketch of her likeness, rendered by Susan Kapilow, the artist who painted Shalala's portrait for the White House.

Beyond the living room is a porch that helps handle the overflow during large parties. In front of a glass wall that overlooks the pool and lawn, guests can relax in Mediterranean- style comfort in overstuffed rattan seating or a Spanish Colonial daybed. The porch can also be converted into a dining anteroom when the circumstances dictate. Shalala and Taylor purposefully kept the furniture arrangement simple and flexible.

" With some simple maneuvers, the porch can accommodate another round table for dining," says Shalala. "It was very important to me to not have to move anything on this floor. The crew used to have to go up and down the stairs with furniture every time there was a party."
In the dining room, an enormous table with three bases comes apart handily to create different dining arrangements. Each of the bases can be topped with a round, creating three tables of eight. Or the table can remain intact for a formal banquet.

While dining, guests can also feast their eyes on such extraordinary objects as a Pesian samovar Shalala bought while serving in the Peace Corps in Iran; an 18th century French sideboard; various gifts from ministers and heads of states, and a collection of Oriental art from the university's Lowe Art Museum.

Shalalas's collected treasures range from the priceless to the amusing. Pieces like an antique Syrian desk, inlaid with mother-of-pearl, and authentic tribal rugs co-exist with Clinton-era political cartoons and Shalala's milk moustache photograph, shot by Annie Liebowitz for the Got Milk" campaign.

Adding to the eclecticisms are various junk- shop finds, like a vanity stool, which Taylor refinished for the Powder Room and a of twin beds, which she dressed up with a canopy made of bamboo blinds. That layered, collected look is an important facet of the design of this house. "It's really not a created image, "Taylor explains. " Building layers does take a bit longer, but it always gives a house a sense of home. It was important to me that donna accepted this as her home."

And Shalala does . "This is a wonderful, viable place, thanks to Phyllis," she says. "She kept working at it and refining it until it was right. For me, everything is in the final polish. Refining is what makes it extraordinary."