A Spanish Colonial Revival Paradise Emerges from Los Angeles Interior Designer Sophie Goineau’s Re-envisioning of Porta Via in Calabasas
It takes a unique talent to design a space that viscerally transports visitors to an evoked place, time or sensory experience. Stepping inside the newly designed Porta Via, a Mediterranean restaurant in Calabasas, it’s clear that Los Angeles based interior designer Sophie Goineau has once again done so to perfection, attracting the notice of much press. A recent writeup in hospitalitydesign.com describes the revised, more open space as channeling “the romance of Mexico and the Mediterranean,” highlighting Goineau’s brilliant synthesis of the two regions. (Airy, Artful Style Abounds at Porta Via in Calabasas). To deliver the effect, Goineau used materials like macrame and organic clay and cement tiling, to reinvent the space through her intuitive blending of Southern California’s coastal style and “the artisanal traditions of both Mexico and the Mediterranean,” re-envisioning a uniquely inviting new space.
“Following the onset of the pandemic, Goineau adjusted the initial plan for the space,” the article mentions, bringing her trademark indoor-outdoor flow into play by widening the interior arches, and creating a coastal, airy feel. Goineau also worked to give the interior a more welcoming, cozy vibe, while bringing it current. This thoughtful balance called for “softening sharp edges, and applying custom plaster finishes to walls”. As in other Goineau projects, the interior designer worked thoughtfully and artistically to reveal and bring to life the original architectural style of the space. In this case, “the iconic motifs and murals found in the Casa Maoritze villa designed by Mexican architect and artist Marco Aldaco were replicated,” lending authenticity and air of high quality to the overall decor.
Goineau, whose star is on the rise in the LA interior design world, has created a small but weighty Spanish Colonial Revival-style destination in this little slice of Calabasas. Her vivid layering of geometric motifs throughout the bar area will make you pause to relish in the blend of her mixed finishings. The organic clay tiles Goineau had inlaid in a reverse chevron pattern “to evoke a traditional Mexican folklore motif,” are a look that local designers will be stealing for years to come, and are singularly worth the visit. They provide an artistic yet simple black and white backdrop to the textural and geometric layers Goineau subtley integrates, like the vertical millwork of the honey-stained bar, quiet cylindrical pendants that whisper modernity within the diversely curated space, and the thematic parallel lines one observes, from the bar to the ceiling beams to the bespoke, arced wine rack. “Beyond white macrame pendants from London and Italian rope chairs, nearly all of Porta Via’ bespoke furnishings are locally sourced. Bespoke honey-toned walnut banquettes are rounded to fit interior alcoves, while deep scarlet leather wraps barstools accented with bronze”.
The effect of the space is memorable. One imagines Mick and Bianca Jagger lounging on the banquettes; perhaps a few A-listers seated at the bar, surrounded by a menagerie of current-day Calabasas hipsters, and a designer-clad upscale set sipping artisanal mojitos indoors amid the worldly-luxe, jet-set, boho-meets-refined-Spanish-Colonial and Mediterranean environs.
“Outside, the palazzo terrace is illuminated by Mexican rattan pendants after sunset,” a nod to beachside Careyes, Mexico. “There is a sensitivity of being close to the environment and cherishing it,” says Goineau. “We have the opportunity to redefine contemporary living in philosophical, technological and sustainable ways.”