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Letter to the editor

When 'burbs bore, spice is nice

The historic melting pot of this neighborhood suits an artist and his creative wife, who don't speak "cookie cutter."

By ELIZABETH BETTENDORF Times Correspondent
Published September 28, 2007

The living room of the two-story cottage at 1938 W Spruce St. includes two paintings by Edgar Sanchez Cumbas. He walks two blocks to his art studio. His wife, Sophia, a Realtor, has a six-minute drive to Hyde Park.
	[Ken Helle | Times]

ADVERTISEMENT [Ken Helle | Times] Edgar Sanchez Cumbas and Sophia Nakis have made their mark in the Tampa arts community.

Artist Edgar Sanchez Cumbas and his wife, Sophia Nakis, have done the Atlanta thing.

Long commutes. Lots of time in the car.

"I lived and worked in Buckhead, and it used to take me an hour to get home from work," Nakis, a Realtor, recalls.

The couple, who had been living in an art-filled 600-square-foot historic bungalow they restored in Seminole Heights, recently made an interesting decision about where to live next.

In their quest for more space, they didn't move out to the suburbs, but deeper into the heart of Tampa.

In April, they bought a designed-to-look-old new home along Spruce Street in West Tampa. Edgar can walk two blocks to his studio in the old Bustillo y Diaz cigar factory. Sophia drives just six minutes to her job in Hyde Park.

"It's a different feel here. You come here and it's like living right in a city, and West Tampa was the original downtown Tampa," Edgar says.

Their two-story, 1,455-square-foot "Camel Back" cottage was designed by a friend, architect Franklin Sebastian, and built by In-Town Homes, which is working to redevelop West Tampa.

"Even when we lived in Seminole Heights, we used to joke that Sligh Avenue was the farthest point we would move north," Sophia says. "We just like not having to commute. We're helping the environment, and the time we save we can use to be more involved in our community."

The couple moved to Tampa from Atlanta nearly a decade ago with the intention of staying briefly and helping renovate the Davis Islands house that Sophia's father, architect Emmanuel "E.J." Nakis, designed in the 1960s.

Months turned into years as they settled into Tampa's emerging and energetic young art scene. They were among the core group that founded Gala Corina, an annual local art event. And Edgar, along with artist Guillermo Portieles, is at work on a mural in MacFarlane Park depicting historical figures from West Tampa. Sophia started a neighborhood blog - www.west-tampa.com - and christened it "West Side Stories." It's filled with links to local artists and businesses; several writers who live in the neighborhood contribute stories.

Edgar, who was born in Puerto Rico and moved to North Tampa as a child by way of the Bronx, likes living in West Tampa "because of the variety, flavor and history," he says. "It's reminiscent of where I used to live. Here, Cubans, whites, blacks, Colombians all come together. As an artist, I like to see people walking by and meeting them. I like to see how the neighborhood works."

The couple joke that they've decorated the interior of the house in a Tampa style they call "cigar chic."

Sophia, who studied film and set design in art school, also has a strong background in interior design. She painted the living room walls a soulful, calming blue

"I was trying to match the exact same color as they have in the Lotus Room Yoga Studio," she says.

She filled the three-bedroom, 21/2-bath house with a collection of well-chosen family heirlooms - including her grandmother's 1960s chair - and mixed them with contemporary pieces like a white leather sofa.

They filled the walls with the works of local artists and Edgar's acrylics and oils on large wooden panels - fantastic, tension-filled narratives that tell a story about man's relationship to land.

Sophia chose a deep orange color for the guest bathroom, filled the pedestal sink with river rocks yes, the water drains straight through and hung a beautiful still-life painting that she bought for $5 at the Wagon Wheel Flea Market.

Outside, a bright yellow wooden bench and a small weathered Buddha by the front door set the stage for Sophia's decorating philosophy.

She hates "cookie cutter" and adores individuality. "That's what makes a house a home," she says, "collecting things over time that you really love."

They admit they traded exterior space for a roomier house. Their bungalow in Seminole Heights - which won a coveted "Preserved" banner from Tampa Preservation Inc. - was flanked by a lush garden and koi pond. But they do have plans to transform a small backyard plot off their master bedroom.

For now, they enjoy being close to everything, including some excellent neighborhood restaurants.

"My brother was at International Mall and wanted to meet me for lunch," Edgar recalls. "Spruce Street goes straight to the mall and I said, 'Meet me halfway. There's a restaurant where we can have really good Spanish food.' "

Elizabeth Bettendorf can be reached at ebettendorf@hotmail.com.

[Last modified September 27, 2007, 08:26:42]