A favorite-things-only approach results in elegant rooms that showcase creativity.
With help from designer Nestor Santa-Cruz, an Austin, Texas, artist pares down her favorite things, resulting in elegant rooms that showcase her creativity.
“The decor was chic but needed breathing space,” says Washington, D.C., interior designer Nestor Santa-Cruz, who was hired by a couple in Austin, Texas, to finish the home they had begun decorating themselves. The vintage bergère is French, and the bronze coffee table is by Philip & Kelvin LaVerne. Midcentury Turkish rug, Timothy PaulHome. Artwork over mantel, Caio Fonseca.
When Santa-Cruz spotted a vintage Fornasetti-style screen on 1stdibs and proposed it to his client for her living room, he was surprised to learn that she had already seen it at the source, Jon Vacarri Design in New Orleans. “We really share a design sensibility,” he says. The 1970s sofa is in a Larsen fabric, with throw pillows in Missoni patterns. The hide rug is one of a group that belonged to the clients. “I saw that she had one draped over her headboard so I carried that theme over to the living room and family room."
Light, bright and varied textures make this family room the ultimate place to sit back and relax, while taking in the intricate artwork. The Mattaliano sofa and the curtains’ Great Plains fabric are both from Holly Hunt.
In the family room, a mixed-media work by the homeowner, Diana Greenberg, was inspired by an antique kimono.
In a home packed with art, consider skipping one room.In this dining space, the chinoiserie wallpaper and the vintage kimono trim on the curtains provide plenty of visual interest. In the dining room, a re-edition of Poul Kjaerholm’s PK54 dining table is paired with vintage Maison Jansen chairs. “The table’s cube base talks to the square backs of the chairs,” notes Santa-Cruz. Circa-1940s Maison Jansen chandelier, Côté Jardin Antiques. Wallpaper, Gracie.
“The foyer has a minimal elegance and that great curving stair,” Santa-Cruz says. “But it needed more layers. I wanted it to hint at the styles we see throughout the house.” The antique stool and lantern were already there; he added the vintage Willy Rizzo console from the Antique Swan and a 1940s Chinese wine vessel, used as a vase. Walls, Benjamin Moore’s Moonlight White.
When it’s not illuminating a dark room at night, an overhead light doesn’t—poof!—magically disappear. Make sure it’s gorgeous during the daytime too, like this pagoda-shaped silk pendant. Panels of Zuber grisaille wallpaper and a custom silk Fortuny pendant bring depth and texture to the master bedroom. The headboard of the Century Furniture bed is topped with a hide rug. Shams, Matouk. Belgian-linen curtains, RH, Restoration Hardware.
Producer, Doretta Sperduto.
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This story originally appeared in the November 2017 issue of House Beautiful.
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