Today we’d like to introduce you to Bea Pila.
Bea, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I grew up in a family of Cuban immigrant entrepreneurs. My family owned a framing shop with a glass & mirror fabrication in the back. From elementary school I spent all my after school time in the shop with my parents, and grandparents exposed to the art and bustling activities of running a business. Little did I know that this would plant the first seeds of a future career.
By the time I was a young teenager I was obsessed with decorating and used my own room and home as my own personal laboratory. My mom was a natural at it and always kept a beautiful home even though she did it with garage and thrift shop buys. I know this exposure influenced my taste and I was very clear of my desire to be an interior designer by the time I entered college. Even marrying my high school sweetheart at 18 and having a son by 19 couldn’t keep me from entering my career simultaneously.
The firm I began in was also owned by a self-made Cuban woman that was so busy marketing that I was allowed the freedom to grow into Senior Designer in 4 years, and create all matter of systems and processes that up to now had not existed in her business. On the 5th year I partnered with my direct supervisor at this firm to establish our own company. By this time my marriage was deeply on the rocks and I wound up with a divorce and a new start up at the same time. My deep entrepreneurial work ethic kicked in and our firm quickly grew with a huge diversity of projects. We did everything from Hotels and Restaurants to Retail and High end Residential homes from the ground up. This is where I honed my skills in creating a system for creating working drawings for residential projects using my contract work knowledge as a foundation. This way of doing residential work became our signature and the bread and butter of our business.
After 10 years together, my partner and I went our separate ways, a transition that was worse than my first marital divorce. I quickly realized that I had gleaned all of the experience needed to run my business completely on my own and didn’t look back. As a natural risk taker, I decided to purchase a building and set up a showroom to counteract economic downturn of 2008 and the growth of online accessibility.
By this time, my second husband, an architect and general contractor, had joined forces with me in a perfect synergy of services. We literally were running 5 businesses under one roof. Aside from Interior Design and the furniture showroom, we explored Design Build for Speculation as well as created for turnkey services for private Clients.
When our daughter Gabriela Noelle, graduated from Parson’s in Design Management, yes the apple does not fall far from the tree, I decided to entice her into the business by creating a furniture collection of our own and we launched it in the most coveted spot in the High Point furniture market, Interhall. This step in my life satisfied a deep yearning to create a legacy project for myself and her. After 5 years, she grew to her own notoriety as a fine artist and the acrylic medium we chose as our signature became her unique art form.
During this time a deep shift occurred for me with an Aha moment stemming from a business retreat that made me ponder the questions of my purpose. You see, I had always felt deeply fulfilled by my role as a creator, but realized that there was much more to my purpose than creating beautiful interiors. It is at this moment that my true purpose became clear, and inspired my book, Sacred Spaces for Inspired Living, a guide to Design Enlightenment. This book has become my brand and my mission to bring soul to style through interior design. Today I am pioneering The Design Enlightenment Movement expanding this awareness through my method to inspire others to come from authentic alignment when creating their spaces. As I look back, all roads and experiences have prepared me for this greater purpose. This truly is my Legacy project.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
They say that hindsight is 20/20 vision, so as I look back at my journey I have the wisdom to recognize how beautifully orchestrated everything has been, “Smooth” would not be the word I would use to describe the major transitions that occurred in the process.
Some of the most significant, of course were the 2 “divorces” that I experienced. The first from my ex-husband and the second from my first partner, but both were a necessity as catalysts to get me to the next phase of my expansion and Development.
I was simultaneously motivated to be the best I could be as a mother, wife and successful entrepreneur and these struggles are a common yet personal story for most women today.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
After 32 years as an interior designer, I have come to a very unique place in my personal and professional journey. For years I felt incongruent with my purpose as a designer, especially being a Miami native. Today I am happy to say that I have truly aligned my passion with my calling. My business of interior design specializes in creating Sacred Spaces so that people and companies can lead truly inspired lives and this mission has been infused into the soul of my business.
I am very proud to call myself a spiritual healer disguised as an interior designer offering design therapy every day.
What were you like growing up?
Very outspoken, definitely an extrovert. I have always loved to dance (classical ballet) and sing and speak in public. You could say I love the stage. I also enjoy cooking and entertaining.
Contact Info:
- Address: 3030 sw 28 st Miami, Fl 33133
- Website: www.bpiladesign.com
- Phone: 305-856-7916
- Email: bea@bpiladesign.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/bpiladesign
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/bpiladesign
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/BPilaDesign
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