The opportunity to redesign Lani Po after Dorian, the devastating 2019 hurricane that destroyed almost everything on Abaco and the Abaco Cays in the Bahamas, is really a tale of the “two Ivanas.”

Ivana M contacted me from London via Instagram about five years ago. She had admired a few things in my home collection and arranged to buy them. She then spontaneously said, “When you are in London, I will take you to Oswald’s for lunch.” We immediately became great friends.

To say that Ivana M is the epitome of original chicness and style is a great understatement. Her homes, her tables, her look, and her generosity are internationally renowned. During our lunch at Oswald’s, she said, “You must meet my friend Ivana B. She needs you! Her house was destroyed in the hurricane.”

Ivana B is also a world-class beauty, tastemaker, and joy to be with. When we met in the Abacos to see the house in its nascent rebuilding stage, we dreamed up a modern scheme to go along with the modern language of the original house. Like so many of the houses in Baker’s Bay, on Great Guana Cay in the Abacos, the house had an open-plan kitchen and living area. Ivana B already had a few fun pieces, including a Dolphins and Sharks chair, a modern chair upholstered entirely in dolphin and shark stuffed animals. That was the starting point.