Meet Eva Fernandez-Villegas | Principal at The BAU Group

We had the good fortune of connecting with Eva Fernandez-Villegas and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Eva, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?

While working for a large corporate architecture firm and moving through the hierarchy; My partners and I came to a professional crossroads when we realized that we had the knowledge, experience and soft skills to lead projects and teams on our own.

The office environment at that time did not align with our basic values and that gave us the push we needed to start The BAU Group, a client focus architecture firm.

Although we had all the ingredients to deliver successful architecture projects, we worried about where clients would come from…. much to our surprised our first clients where referrals from design colleagues, who trusted us to deliver projects that they couldn’t take on.

What should our readers know about your business?

The BAU Group is a Women owned boutique Architecture firm specializing in Residential, Retail, and Workplace design. Our mission is to infuse projects with purpose and use our expertise in design to enhance living and working environments.

Today we are keeping our team small and limiting the quantity of projects we deliver; in an effort to enjoy the design process, provide work/life balance and deliver client tailor services.

The world should know we are passionate about design and pride ourselves on loving what we do.
We see our clients as Co-creators and a source of project inspiration.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
The Pérez Art Museum in downtown Miami is one of my favorite spots to take out of town guests. The Galleries are small enough to enjoy without felling overwhelmed, it has a delicious restaurant with breathtaking water views where you can enjoyed Vinho Verde and gourmet dishes. Next to the Museum is a park where you can take a stroll and enjoy the rest of the afternoon. For dinner make a reservation at Peacock Garden in Coconut Grove; this Miami landmark has a beautiful outdoor courtyard full of greenery and delicious food.

For day two head over to Key Biscayne, you can ride bikes along the causeway. Go paddle boarding at Virginia key or rent a beach cabana for the day at Crandon park. I recommend you take a picnic basket and drinks to have lunch on the beach. For happy hour head to Dune Oceanfront Burger Lounge inside The Ritz Carlton where you can enjoyed hand crafted cocktails.

On day three head to Wynwood, walk around the streets full of murals, street arts and small shops, eat lunch at KYU or The Taco Stand. In the afternoon move a little north to the design district where you can shop in luxury stores and refresh your eyes with cool architecture.

If time allows check out Little Habana, try the mojitos at Ball and Chain and eat a Cuban sandwich at Sanguich! Stroll over to Top Cigars to meet Chris the owner and have him recommend the best place for croquetas.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Our Mom Vera Villegas planted confidence in us from an early age, provided the love and encouragement we needed to be fearless as we developed into the professionals we are today.

Also our sister Adriana who besides being an amazing designer is a kick ass contractor that helps us brainstorm and review our work to find unexpected solutions.

Website: thebaugroup.com