By Omar Reyes Benítez | Photos by Viktor Budnik
At one point, not too long ago, home to Dr. Albert Marrero was a three-acre piece of land in Ojai, with a beautiful garden that captured the attention of multiple media outlets. Today, Marrero is a resident of the Ventura Marina Community, where home has become a cozy manufactured model. While he may no longer have an abundance of space, he has made no sacrifice to his style.
After fleeing Cuba at the age of 13, Marrero followed in his father’s footsteps, pursuing a career in the medical field. While living in Ojai, he worked at Ventura County Medical Center, where he served as a psychiatrist for over 40 years. After a lifetime of serving his patients, he is now enjoying retirement in his new community, where he’s been living for nearly five years.
Marrero has the ability and time for a larger home, to which he had become accustomed, but at the time of moving into his new home, his heart ultimately took him in a different direction. After a thorough research of the housing market, he found he craved something simpler and concise.
“The minute I walked in, I could tell this is my place,” said Marrero. “I looked at, in total, 18 to 22 homes between Ventura and Carpinteria and then I found this one by hapchance.”
The Ventura Marina Community provides housing for applicants age 55 and over, located in Ventura and only a few minutes walking distance from the ocean. The community is host to plenty of lovely homes, but Marrero’s is a true standout.
The home makes quite the impression from the outside alone, boasting what Marrero calls a “bayou-inspired” scenery. Two silver sheen trees stand tall front and center, with bright bunches of purple iresine, cattleya orchids and draped live-air moss.
The entrance to the home is tucked behind the front porch garden, where a serene, yet simple, patio lounge can be found. The patio was originally an open and exposed space, but after filling out the garden and installing an overhang with bamboo detailing, Marrero was able to gain some privacy for his morning cup of tea.
The house opens up quite dramatically once inside, compared to the deceivingly dense impression given by the front of the home. The living room is, appropriately, the centerpiece, with every detail carrying a story and representing the worldliness Marrero has acquired across his many travels. Marrero has visited Mexico, Venezuela, Brazil, Thailand and many other countries. The room includes a beige sofa from India with intricately stitched Turkish pillows, shimmering Moroccan lamps and Pakistani rugs. In many ways, Marrero’s entire home is a composition of the things he finds fascinating, but it is most concentrated in the heart of the home.
“I wanted the whole house to flow with the use of my furniture from all these different countries,” said Marrero. “I decided I wanted it to be eclectic but that everything still works together.”
A firm believer that televisions have no business in a living room, Marrero has turned an adjoining room into a study nook with a bookshelf, electric piano and small sofa set, where he does his reading and news-watching.
Also connected to the living room is a surprisingly spacious kitchen. The space has a wooden island and yellow accent paint that adds a refreshingly retro touch.
Despite drawing from influences across the globe, Marrero manages to keep a dignified and united aesthetic. Every element highlights each other to create a very homely look that isn’t overpowered by a single piece of furniture or art. This theme of cohesion is consistent, if not stronger, once exiting to the backyard garden.
The garden is limited to a narrow space behind the home, but Marrero has taken full advantage of the vertical space surrounding the perimeter. The eye-catching passage floor is made out of stone slabs from Arizona, separated sporadically to create a path surrounded by pebbles.
The real attraction, however, is undoubtedly the plants themselves, wrapping the home in a forestry environment and adding a breath of fresh air to the neighborhood setting. The garden consists of more orchids, yellow datoras, chiles, pineapple guava trees, plum trees and even two variants of banana trees. As a final touch, and a personal favorite of Marrero’s, the garden hosts two bird baths and a bench, which Marrero frequents with a bird call in hand.
Marrero has always had a strong relationship with his homes and a love for design. As time has gone on, he has always viewed the home as an ever-changing entity that develops and transforms with its owner.
“I have a lot of energy so I’m always moving things, changing things,” said Marrero. “As I always change, I’m always reinventing the place, in the same ways I reinvent myself.”
