Step Inside Polo Champion Nacho Figueras’s Chic Florida Retreat
Sitting in their airy living room, champion polo player Ignacio “Nacho” Figueras—one of the world’s most recognized athletes, thanks both to his superlative skills on the pitch and to his 20-year career as a Ralph Lauren model—and his wife, photographer Delfina Blaquier, are the picture of breezy graciousness. Massive windows overlook a man-made lake; blue herons stride around its grassy rim. Such a mythical scene could imply a remote setting, but in fact, it’s the middle of Wellington, Florida, the “winter circuit” horse capital of the world.
Blaquier is happy to be back from having spent weeks in Argentina, where the couple’s 13-year-old son, Artemio, was competing in a tournament. Figueras and their older son, Hilario, spend winters playing polo professionally in Florida. The couple’s younger daughter, Alba, divides her time between polo and show jumping, while their older daughter, Aurora, studies industrial design in Buenos Aires. “We’re always going in different directions—it’s the life of a horse family,” says Blaquier. “The nice thing is, when you travel a lot, every time you return, you see your surroundings with fresh eyes.”
Until two years ago, the family’s Florida base was a nearby three-bedroom condominium, more of a place to eat and sleep than a sanctuary. When Figueras, a design devotee with an eye for real estate, heard this house was coming on the market, he and Blaquier purchased it without hesitation. “It’s the best lot in the development because it’s on a corner and surrounded by water,” Figueras says.
Although its unadorned Moorish façade appealed to the couple, its opulent interiors—replete with mustard-colored walls, dated millwork, and an ornate staircase—left a lot to be desired. “It was like a Scottish castle, which doesn’t fit this landscape,” says Figueras, who calls himself a frustrated architect and credits fellow polo player Peter Brant with turning him on to the transformative power of art and design over 20 years ago. “At Peter’s we’d have lunch with artists Jeff Koons, Richard Prince, and Julian Schnabel. When you hear their way of thinking, you can’t help but look at things differently,” he says.
While traveling the globe for polo matches, the couple began taking side trips to explore museums and visit historic houses, making mental notes for the day they would create a forever home. A visit to Casa Luis Barragán, an iconic example of modern architecture in Mexico City’s Miguel Hidalgo borough, was an eye-opening experience. “The lines and the simplicity of the house and the way it fit into its environment really moved us,” says Figueras. It was Barragán’s vision, along with the work of Mies van der Rohe and Tadao Ando—particularly the barn Ando designed for Cerro Pelon, Tom Ford’s Sante Fe ranch—that Blaquier, Figueras, and architect Juan Ignacio Ramos had in mind when designing the family’s striking Argentinean horse facility, complete with a grass-covered roof (AD, April 2017). (The curvilinear architecture of the stables actually inspired the bottles for the family’s Ignacio Figueras perfume and cologne line.)
Referencing Ando’s theory of “critical regionalism,” the couple’s goal for their Florida home was to emphasize a connection to the outdoors. They called upon interior and product designer Sarah Sherman Samuel, known for creating textural spaces that include a deft mix of modern and vintage pieces. “We had an immediate connection, which is important because they are very hands-on and collaborative,” says Samuel.
Removing a roofed porch, relocating the fireplace, and replacing the standard sliding glass doors with soaring arched windows transformed the once cavernous living room into a pavilion. “Living here is about the light,” says Blaquier, who is now completing her degree in interior and garden design, as is evidenced by a nearby drafting table piled high with architectural plans and fabric swatches.
Next, the tone for a cleaner, unified look was set by coating walls with limewash—an understated finish that simultaneously reduces daytime glare and produces a warm glow at night. “It’s also more reminiscent of plaster, which a Moorish house might have,” says Samuel. The fireplace was given a subtly sculptural surround that reaches to the ceiling, a gesture that, along with the newly heightened windows, emphasizes the room’s volume.
Designer and client were both considerate of not being wasteful, prompting restoration over replacement wherever possible. Brown shellacked tile floors were stripped and restored to their original matte terra-cotta finish, while dreary dark-wood floors were sanded and bleached.
When it came to furnishings, client and designer were in complete alignment. “I sent them lots of samples of various brands of sofas and rugs, but Delfina asked to use my pieces,” says Samuel, referring to her namesake furniture and rug line with Lulu and Georgia. A creamy slipcovered daybed and the Irregular Grid Rug have place of pride in the living room. “It’s so nice when a client is as excited as you are by the things you design.”
For vintage pieces, including cocktail tables, chairs, and decorative objects, Samuel and Blaquier scoured 1stDibs, specifically selecting items available in South Florida, which Blaquier picked up herself in a rented U-Haul. “Sometimes it’s easier to grab the bull by the horns rather than organize deliveries. I took my youngest son, and we spent a day driving to antiques dealers and loading docks.”
The couple continues to indulge their love of design through Figueras Design Group (FDG), a development company they formed with the Buenos Aires–based architecture firm Estudio Ramos, focused on equestrian communities. Blaquier has more than a few projects in the works; most immediately she plans to create an outdoor dining room and garden near the kitchen. “A friend told me she thinks I suffer from multi-project disorder,” she says with a laugh. “But I feel that what you learn being a horseman can be applied to pursuing design, or really to anything in life. You must be responsible, aware, dedicated, and passionate, otherwise it doesn’t work. Even the beautiful lines of a horse can teach you a lot about design.”
This story appears in AD’s June 2023 issue. To see Nacho Figueras’s home in print, subscribe to AD.
1/11The house’s mediterranean-style façade.
2/11A Lulu and Georgia table and stool stand in the entry.
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3/11The living room’s daybed, sectional, and rug are all by Sarah Sherman Samuel for Lulu and Georgia. Vintage Coastal cerused pencil reed scroll cocktail table; 1980s Italian travertine console.
4/11The powder room features a custom stone sink with Kallista fittings and Dedalus marble counters. Ignacio Figueras eau de parfum bottles.
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5/11Bold calacatta viola marble makes a statement in the kitchen. Clemente sconces by Aerin.
6/11Dining chairs by Sarah Sherman Samuel for Lulu and Georgia surround a table by MOD in the dining room. Wicker hanging light from Design Mix Furniture; 1970s bamboo console; vintage plaster palm tree torchère.
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8/11In the primary bath, the mirror and stool are by Sarah Sherman Samuel for Lulu and Georgia. The sconces are by Lulu and Georgia as well.
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9/11One of the kid’s rooms features a bed and nightstands by Sarah Sherman Samuel for West Elm.
10/11Another kid’s room is furnished with a mix of vintage pieces. The rug and mirror are by Sarah Sherman Samuel for Lulu and Georgia.
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11/11Chaise longues with Sunbrella cushions from CB2 and a Serena & Lily umbrella stand poolside.
