Top design visionary Kelly Wearstler took on a spacious apartment in Austin, Texas, and turned it into a dramatically expressive celebration of colour and style
Whitney Casey and Nav Sooch have a photo of interior designer Kelly Wearstler lying on the floor of their apartment in Austin, Texas. It was taken during the building work in the midst of both scaffolding and dust. ‘The construction guys were like, “What’s going on? This beautiful woman lying flat in the middle of the sitting room!”’ recalls Whitney with amusement. ‘She was demonstrating how much space would be needed for a sofa you could sleep on.’
The apartment in question is on the top floor of one of the tallest buildings downtown. Several things attracted the couple to it. One was the eight-metre-high ceilings, another the mind-blowing view over Lady Bird Lake towards the rolling hills in the distance. ‘There are just such magnificent sunsets here,’ says Whitney. Then there was the central location. ‘I’m a big-city girl and wanted to live where it’s a little more gritty, a little edgy,’ she says. ‘There’s actually a dry cleaner and a deli you can walk to.’
The 370m² space, however, was initially ‘lifeless’ and ‘sterile’. There were white walls, concrete floors and little in terms of character. Today it could hardly be more dramatic. There are perforated brass doors and a vertiginous fireplace wall made from Nero Marquina marble, both skilfully installed by a local contractor. And then there are also chairs adorned with graffiti and zebra-skin motifs, and crazy handpainted wallpapers. The one in the master bedroom features a criss-cross pattern of bold lines in different shades of blue. ‘It’s really wild,’ says Wearstler. ‘Whitney loves things that feel artistic and are a little more avant-garde.’ At 50, Wearstler is very much the queen bee of
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At The Breakfast Table With Jonty Rhodes And Family
Recently renovated, the historic Cape Town home of Jonty and Melanie Rhodes is an adaptable base for an active, clean-eating clan of six
LUNCH IN THE GARDEN with siblings Bronwyn and Jonathan Cane
Alfresco gatherings are the order of the day at this updated century-old semi – the home of a design-centric sister and brother in Brixton, Joburg
IN THE KITCHEN with Karen Dudley and family
For Karen Dudley, food informs the family dynamic and her home is as multilayered and as delicious a delight as her colourful personality and cooking style
THE TRADITIONAL KITCHEN
The perfect piece to pull together a country-style kitchen is a beautiful wooden table that will age with time and hold its place in the memories made around it.
IN THE FRAME
'The history of architecture is the history of the struggle for light.’
DRINKS AT THE TABLE with David Cope and Donné Bullivant
A dream kitchen renovation meant wine lovers Dave Cope and Donné Bullivant could finally settle down in their wondrously moody City Bowl apartment
THE MODULAR KITCHEN
DECOR TIP Modular elements like these USM Haller systems are a great way to create interesting, non-permanent storage that can be customised to your needs.
SUPPER IN THE BARN with the Thatenhorst family
Munich-based interior designer Stephanie Thatenhorst transformed the barn at her parents’ farm in Bavaria into an eclectic family retreat
BREAKING BREAD
The pendulum has swung back for this nutritious, crusty staple of flour, yeast, water and time – the much-beloved artisanal loaf
SNACKS ON THE TERRACE with sisters Vicky Crease and Maira Koutsoudakis
The traditional Cycladic home of dynamic sisters Vicky Crease and Maira Koutsoudakis on the island of Serifos is a reminder of what it means to be a part of a close-knit family
