When it comes to television, we need to see more Latinas in all of our facets, doing all the mundane, interesting, dull, and watchable things we’ve been seeing white women do on reality TV for decades. It’s good to see ourselves reflected on that small screen, especially when it’s showing other Latinas that we are successful, entrepreneurial, and powerful. This leads me to the Netflix show Designing Miami. The palm-tree-lined, neon, tropical city instantly brings to mind superficial aesthetics luxury everything, and an emphasis on keeping up with Joneses (or would it be the Lopezes?). But it is a city of immigrants. A city of hustlers. Those who don’t take for granted the opportunities previous generations have given them.
On Designing Miami, we meet Latinx interior design power couple Eilyn and Ray Jimenez. She is Cuban, and he is Dominican, and I quickly became invested in their story. Here is why I know you’ll also want to click play on this series.
It’s an Equal Jefe and Jefa Situation
What I love about Designing Miami is that you get two powerhouse interior designers who just so happen to be married to each other. Eilyn is the jefa behind Sire Design, while Ray is runs Raymond Nicolas. She is a self-proclaimed minimalist, while he believes more is more. They don’t feel the need to work under one company, instead leaning into their strengths and goals and letting each other shine in the process. In fact, they’re competitors in South Florida’s high-demand, high-stakes, and very expensive interior design market, and it doesn’t hinder their marriage (because it shouldn’t!).
It’s All Latinxs, All Day, Everyday
Another thing I love about Designing Miami is that the gorgeous results you see on each episode are from two companies that are not just helmed by Latinxs, but mostly staffed by Latinxs as well. It’s a wondrous mix of orgullo Latino, women uplifting and supporting other women, and an opportunity for us to see Latinx excellence in action. Eilyn gives her employees their props, saying that they are instrumental to Sire Design’s success while also driving the point home that, “Latinas have such a strong will to prove themselves,” which these ladies definitely have.
It’s so Relatable
I felt it when Sire Design Junior Designer Camila shares her story of immigrating to the U.S. from Peru at the age of five. She tears up when recalling how her mother provided for their family by cleaning houses, while her father worked at Burger King. In college, Camila remembers how “the other interiors, they wouldn’t really see me as someone who was gonna work in interiors.” Her response was to ask “Why not? I always try my best.” And Camila proved them all wrong, working on her first big design project in that same episode (which also fell on her birthday!).
And Then There’s The Interior Design Itself
Sure, there are glamorous and successful Latinxs on Designing Miami, but the focus of the show, and a star of it, is the interior design itself. We are talking about striking decor, luxe materials, innovative solutions, and homes that reflect both design styles of Eilyn and Ray, respectively, but more importantly, those of their clients. Miami is a go-big-or-go-home city, and both Sire Designs and Raymond Nicolas deliver.
It Shows That Our Culture is in Everything
Designing Miami isn’t just a treat for those who love interior design, real estate, and decor. It’s a look at a Latinx couple who are balancing success with their marriage. It’s Eilyn and Ray having the discussion about when to have kids, and creating a united front since his family is giving that very-Latinx nudge for them to have to have the then ahora. It’s the family, laughter, love, warmth, comida, and culture that we recognize in our own home, and in those of so many Latinxs, infusing the whole show.
