The Birdcage: Inside an entertainment executive's filmic home in Florida

HOUSE TOUR | ROOMS & GARDENS | WORLD OF CABANA

For LA-based Brian Robinson, an exciting job in Florida presented an opportunity to start a new life with his young family – and design a filmic new home. Working with interior designer Deidre Webster, Brian and his husband, Adam Larson, created a home based on one of their favorite movies: the boundary-breaking 1996 comedy, The Birdcage. Taylor Hall O'Brien takes a tour. 

BY TAYLOR HALL O'BRIEN | ROOMS & GARDENS | 23 DECEMBER 2025

For most of us, the idea of home is fairly simple: to create a space that is comfortable, to facilitate meaningful gatherings with family and friends, and to foster an environment that allows us to live as our fully authentic selves. While these intentions seem relatively straightforward, they can sometimes be difficult to achieve. Whether we are designing a space ourselves, or enlisting the help of an interior designer or decorator, creating a house that truly feels like home is an art.

Shortly after Brian Robinson and Adam Larson had completed designing their historic Hollywood craftsman in Los Angeles, with Deidre Webster of Studio Day, Brian received a job offer he couldn’t refuse: Chief Creative Officer of Universal Creative. Difficult as it was to uproot their entire life, Brian accepted and the couple hopped on a plane from LA to Orlando to meet Deidre at a property that piqued their interest. The trio toured the space, a 2014 build that was mostly grey and uninspiring but which offered much of what the family was looking for in a home for this new chapter.

In its blend of large open spaces, they saw potential for hosting friends and parenting their twin eight-year-olds, as well as quiet moments in the sheltered courtyard, a cozy breakfast nook, and a private office for Brian. French doors from the living room to a large veranda offered perfect indoor-outdoor entertaining space and the pool sealed the deal. They were sold, but there was a lot of work ahead. 

Brian and Adam originally came across Studio Day on Instagram and immediately fell in love. Studio Day spaces are highly personal—taking initial inspiration from the property or setting, before placing the people at the center of the design concept and process. Deidre loves mixing unexpected patterns and color, but more important than motifs or treatments, she strives to create homes that feel warm. As a designer, it is rare to be given unbridled freedom to express a creative vision, but that is exactly what Brian and Adam offered; they loved her work and asked that she just, “do her thing.”

At their first design meeting, Deidre trusted her instincts and presented a daring design concept, based entirely on the 1996 film The Birdcage, a take on the 1973 French play La Cage aux Folles by Jean Poiret. Deidre explains, “I love the film for its color scheme, set design, and cinematography, but what I love most is the way the film makes you feel. If I could create a home that made Brian and Adam feel the way I did after watching The Birdcage, I knew I would feel an immense amount of pride.” Little did she know, the film was formative for Brian and Adam, and the perfect launch point for the exciting, and very personal, design process that followed over the next two years.

Upon entering you're taken by the whimsical use of color and pattern, while simultaneously an incredible sense of calm. Deidre explains, “We used tension a lot when designing the project, as there is a lot of tension in the film as well, the relationship between the relaxed (Armand) and the anxious partner (Albert), the embellished eclectic parents meeting the conservative and uptight parents. There are moments that blast you in the face, in the film and in this project, and there are calmer, quieter moments that balance it out.” Limewash walls in blue-green and a life-size tiger candelabra are a wink of cheeky frivolity, while terracotta floors ground the space in an earthy warmth.

Arched openings, a nod to the home's Mediterranean-inspired architectural lines, frame dynamic vignettes that keep curiosity pulling you from room to room. In one of the most dramatic spaces, the dining room, a massive hand-painted theater backdrop is flanked by Italian glass sconces. On the wall opposite, an antique gilded mirror reflects the backdrop and happenings in between, where dinner guests unknowingly become actors in a scene they never once rehearsed.

In the kitchen and living room, custom built-in bookshelves mimic the arched openings throughout and are a nod to classic 1930s design. A vintage Kegan sofa recovered in Scalamandre’s Bouse de Chene, balances a strong form with a timeless pattern. In a secluded corner of the home, the primary is enveloped in Imogen Heath’s Sarah wallpaper in sage, while soaring ceilings, exposed beams, a plaster ceiling medallion, and a mix of vintage and custom furniture pieces give the bedroom a collected feel.

In the bathrooms, Deidre leaned into two of her favorite design elements – tile and wallpaper. Working with American Restoration Tile, she created custom mosaic patterns in butter yellows, rich reds, pale pinks, and soft blues. At the front of the home, the family room was designed with creativity and togetherness. A custom yellow sofa, Paulistano armchair and Noguchi coffee table, are paired with window treatments in an embroidered bird motif by Kravet. A delicate floral pink and green chandelier and post-modern sconces add a feminine touch to balance the the mid-century pieces.

The other half is a designated arts and crafts space. A large shelf is teeming with design books and art supplies while a large roll of craft paper is permanently hung on the wall, encouraging creativity, without restraint, whenever inspiration strikes. Similarly, in Brian’s office a brainstorming wall is covered in a pattern of colorful pieces of tape—remnants of thousands of ideas, taped up and then torn down to be replaced by new ones. The twins’ bedrooms are equally exuberant; it's clear that each space was designed with a family-first mentality, where self-expression is at the center of daily life. 

After photographing the home we sat on the veranda, overlooking the pool for drinks, snacks, and conversation. The outdoor furniture and umbrellas were inspired by the fabulous bathing suits in the film. I sat there hoping, more than anything, that Mrs. Coleman would burst through the door and join us for a glass of red, with the tannins.

If you haven’t watched The Birdcage, I implore you to do so. Not only to see the inspiration behind the design of this joyful home, but also because it is sublime. The film is campy, colorful, and all things queer pride, but also universal in its themes of family, love, integrity, compassion, and acceptance. In Deidre’s favorite scene, both visually and emotionally, Armand and Albert are sitting at a South Beach bus stop. Armand turns to Albert and says, “There is only one place I call home, and it’s because you are there.”