This Exotic Los Angeles Villa Feels Like a Tropical Escape

A passionate traveler and founder of Remarkable Places (a travel agency that develops personalized digital itineraries for its clients) Angelique Velez (above) had a distinct international theme in mind when she purchased her home. Technically the midcentury property was in Encino, California — but she and her partner, musician and writer Alexander Nimier, decided to reimagine it as a Balinese paradise.

“The vision had always been to create a home that was heavily influenced by travels in Bali, so we imported materials, furniture and home decor from Bali to Los Angeles,” Angelique says. “When the pandemic hit and my work came to a complete stop — thankfully we had received our shipment just in time — I had a lot of time on my hands to focus on turning our fixer-upper into a dream home.”

Angelique hit the ground running. “I’ve been going to Bali since 2013, so I’m very familiar with the layout of the land and what each village and region is known for,” she explains. “Some villages are known for their art, some for their woodwork, some for stonework, etc.” She also knew just how to combine her finds to create dazzling tableaus that would be useful in her work. “My background is in the social media space, working with influencers on branded campaigns where content is a huge focus. I have a good idea of what makes for a great photo; something that people would post, and which would grab attention.”

Since November 2020, Angelique and Alex have made this stunning property available as a guest villa — and their business venture, Nimbali Design, offers bespoke versions of some of the pieces they initially created for themselves. “The response has been pretty overwhelming,” Angelique says. Act fast if you want to claim one of their rare vacancies — and read on to learn how to cultivate paradise wherever you are.

It’s far simpler to talk about what Angelique didn’t change than it would be to enumerate every upgrade she and Alex made to their home. “Honestly, the entire house was transformed,” she says. Structural beams opened up the living space, a skylight and atrium replaced an old fireplace, the galley kitchen disappeared, a luxurious master suite added a new wing to the building, a handsome deck and bamboo fencing sprouted in the back yard … you get the idea. “There is quite literally not one single wall we did not touch. Seeing the villa now compared to when we originally bought it is really fun!”

This feature wall is one of the villa’s most striking spaces — and if Angelique’s plans had unfolded as she expected, it wouldn’t exist at all. Its spectacular carving is “a love Lotus, which invites loving energy and calm into the home. Originally, I was going to put a circle mirror in this location but when the mirror arrived from Bali, it was completely destroyed. I decided to experiment with this piece, and it worked really well.”

Look closely and you’ll see a well-hidden closet door to the left of the love Lotus. “I struggled with the look of the piece and the door sharing the same wall,” Angelique says. “I also struggled with having too many white walls when you walked in. So, I decided I was going to try and hide the door using paneling and paint it black.” Thanks to paneling left over from another project and a bit of ingenuity, a onetime design dilemma is now a standout.