Casey Abby Blog's: $15M Florida Mansion Has an Other-Worldly Backyard Inspired by ‘Avatar’

The highest-grossing film of all time inspired the sellers of a Florida estate to create a lighted paradise in their backyard.

Villa Florentyna, which takes its cues from the director James Cameron’s “Avatar,” sits on 5 acres on Pondwood Rd in Boca Raton, FL. The name of the home is based on the word for “blooming” in Latin, and this property is in full flower.

“It definitely is one of the most unique houses that I’ve ever had the pleasure of listing. It’s something that can’t be compared to anything else—especially in South Florida,” says Chad Carroll, who is listing the home with Matthew Dugow. Both agents are with Compass.

“When I first saw this, I had to ask myself where I was, because I couldn’t really see something like this in South Florida. I felt like I was in an amusement park,” Carroll says. “I was blown away by the attention to detail.”

Once you enter the gates, you are in a tropical garden with an array of trees, fountains, ponds, and sculptures, including a bear, velociraptor, rhino, and Buddha. It’s a project that was decades in the making.

“Everywhere you look, there’s just some unique feature that was specifically thought out and created by this seller over 20 years,” Carroll says. “This isn’t a property that could be replicated, and even if somebody tried, it’s something that is unique and one of a kind.”

Exterior of home in Boca Raton, FL
The Carroll Group

Inside the gates, two white lions guard the entrance to the bright-green, 11,000-square-foot home.

Inside, you’ll find six bedrooms, seven full bathrooms, a winding staircase, and plenty more. For additional guests, there’s also a separate, one-bedroom guesthouse.

Florida’s climate creates the perfect setting for the lush gardens.

“The exterior, with wooden architecture and natural materials—that really gives it a distinct vibe, like a rainforest sanctuary,” Carroll explains.

While the indoor space is dazzling, the outdoor areas truly shine, and as Carroll says, have the feel of a resort.

“It has a spectacular pool off the back of the house that overlooks a gorgeous pond and waterfall,” he says. “It’s not just a swimming pool where you go in and take a dip. It’s more of a tropical oasis.”

On one side is a koi pond and on the other a massive pond with wildlife and a waterfall.

The 2009 epic about the lush planet of Pandora gave the owners the idea of creating experiential illumination effects to transform the space at night.

“It feels like you’re not on this planet when you’re there at nighttime,” Carroll explains. “You have lights throughout the entire property, thousands of lights that light up every little inch and tree.”

The property is also enlivened by an abundance of sculptures, on all the paths leading around the property, including around the tennis court.

“They will come with a property, and they are a big part of the character of this property,” the agent says. “They were strategically designed and curated for this property.”

Although the estate sits right in the heart of Boca, it still offers plenty of seclusion and privacy.

Carroll says he sees the perfect buyer as somebody looking for the ultimate in estate living, as well as extreme privacy.

“You are on 5 acres and are fully enclosed. You feel like there’s nobody else around you,” he says, noting that this seclusion is extremely rare in South Florida, and particularly in this area. “Usually, you see and hear your neighbors. This is a type of property where you are your only neighbors.”