Michele "Cozy" Salazar approaches each project with a level of creativity and enthusiasm that’s hard to match. Her overarching desire for clients to fall in love with their home and the process makes the project enjoyable rather than overwhelming.
Photo Credit: Cozy Salazar Interiors
Cozy Salazar Interiors is based and accomplishes plenty of work in the historic and charming Coral Gables area of Miami. Haute Design recently inquired about the tight-rope act of elevating and innovating design in such a historic area.
Haute Design: Working in Coral Gables, how do you maintain the look/feel of a home within the Gables vibe while making it unique as well?
Cozy Salazar: The houses in Coral Gables are all special in their own way! We love working on renovations, specifically in Coral Gables, that restore the charming aspects of a home to its former glory rather than trying to make them look like new construction. Whether that be preserving an old mantle, decorative ceiling, exterior arches etc. There is so much history here and we love playing into that. If we are working on a renovation with French or Spanish architecture and influence, we try to pay homage to that in the interior and respect the intention the original owners had for the space.
Photo Credit: Cozy Salazar Interiors
We do this in several ways by adding millwork that correlates with the style of the home, sourcing specific wallpapers for that space, leaning into furniture and decor that feels relevant, or, when working on the exterior, adding natural stone, updating front doors and windows, redesigning the pool, and/or investing in great landscaping. It saddens me a little to see a charming Coral Gables home renovated either too modern or in a contradicting style to its bones. Paying respect to what is already in place during a renovation is important in maintaining the “City Beautiful’s” rich history and charm.
Photo Credit: Cozy Salazar Interiors
