Build me a villa that thinks it’s a yacht,” the owner said to his architect—and as one wanders around the resulting seven-bedroom, 10,700-square-foot property Noam Bora Bora, it’s clear he got what he wanted. It feels like the ocean is everywhere. The property, designed and decorated by Ora Architecte and Patrick Raffeneau Design, sits on a lagoon, as if moored, with a stepped infinity pool reaching out to the island’s lagoon. A private swimming hole allows for snorkeling (skinny-dipping optional). But the most jaw-dropping feature is half-hidden. When you arrive, it seems there are two square ponds, teeming with fish, one on either side of the entrance. It’s only after descending to the basement that you realize the “ponds” are actually glimpses into a massive aquarium that runs the entire span of the structure’s lower level, flooding the rooms with blue-tinged light, and connects directly to the lagoon to allow smaller fish to..
