The Most Meaningful Piece In This Founder’s Home Is Her Roland Kiyola Piano
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What makes a purchase “worth it”? The answer is different for everybody, so we’re asking some of the coolest, most shopping-savvy people we know—from small-business owners to designers, artists, and actors—to tell us the story behind one of their most prized possessions.
Who?
Jhoanna Marissa Flores is the founder of Willa Creative, a design and development studio based in Venice Beach, California. The agency specializes in developing and relaunching brands, working with DTC brands like Dedcool, Brightland, and Facile’s TheSkin, to name a few. Jhoanna’s next venture, essio, is a digital shopping platform for forward-thinking and underrepresented businesses that are minority-owned and carbon neutral. When she’s not disrupting the beauty and wellness space, Jhoanna can be found cooking fresh foods and relaxing in her charming Topanga, California, home. And sometimes, relaxing looks like playing the piano.
What?
Growing up, Jhoanna took piano lessons after daycare from a beloved teacher. After moving into her home in Topanga, she thought it might be time to revive her childhood hobby. “There are very few activities where time just stops existing. And playing the piano is one of those things for me,” Jhoanna says. After mindlessly DM’ing her husband a link to this Roland Kiyola Piano, she never expected it to be set up in their new home one afternoon when she came back from work. “I was so happy, and it felt like it belonged exactly where we put it,” she adds.
When and where?
Finding items that match the CEO’s honed sense of aesthetic is no simple feat. The first rule is that there’s no clutter allowed. “I like pieces to make the space feel open and bright and airy,” she says. Pieces that “create good energy in a room for guests” are a must. And don’t expect a TV in the main sitting room. The area is for connection: “conversations, playing music, card games, reading, sitting by the fire.” In a word, new additions must feel intentional.
Before moving to Topanga in 2019, Jhoanna had a standard piano she refers to as “kind of an eyesore.” By contrast, the subtle oak of the Roland meshed easily with the other oak tones throughout the house. “It’s in our living room area across from the fireplace and right next to a window that looks out into our deck and this beautiful oak tree that creates all this shade,” she notes. The piano’s best features? Its smooth finish and dainty legs.
Why?
“It brings me back to my childhood,” Jhoanna explains when asked about the importance of the piano in her home. “I loved my piano teacher, Mrs. Nieto. She would pick me up from daycare, and her house was so beautiful, with this really pretty garden. She would have us both pick spearmint leaves to eat before class.” In 2020, the piano proved to be more than a beautiful piece of furniture—it became like therapy for Jhoanna. “I definitely played the most I had played in a very long time and picked back up songs I hadn’t played for so long,” she adds.
As a meditative outlet, the piano serves both form and function. It’s also a conversation piece between generations of music lovers. “I love when my eight-year-old sister comes over, and I can teach her some simple songs on the piano,” Jhoanna shares. As for guests, sometimes the best compliment is a request for a link as they’re on their way out. “I’ve had so many friends ask me to send them a link to that piano so they could buy it or have it remade for their home,” she says. B
But when they ask for a performance? While Jhoanna’s a little more hesitant, it’s nothing a few glasses of wine can’t fix. Despite her best efforts, “not many people want to hear ‘Moonlight Sonata’ or ‘Rêverie’ at 9 p.m. at a party.”
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