Karen Walker in her happy place
Fashion designer Karen Walker’s home is every bit as stylish as you’d expect it to be. Colleen O’hanlon reports.
Fashion designer Karen Walker lives in an art-filled Ponsonby villa that she describes as ‘‘chic meets eccentric’’.
Walker started her eponymous brand 30 years ago and it has since grown into a global success, boasting runway shows at London and New York Fashion Weeks and celebrity fans including Meghan Markle, Michelle Obama, Rihanna, Lorde, Lady Gaga and Adele.
The designer described her home, which she has owned for the past 10 years, as her ‘‘happy place’’.
On the domestic front, she finds cooking a joy but is quite happy to leave picking up after Laika the dog.
Where is your home and who lives there with you?
I’m in Ponsonby, Auckland, and I live here with my husband, Mikhail, my daughter, Valentina, and my dog, Laika.
Tell us about your home:
My home is my happy place. Once that front door’s shut I’m more relaxed than anywhere else in the world. It’s been my retreat for around a decade now.
Describe your home style in three words:
Chic meets eccentric.
What is your favourite room/area in your home, and why?
My sitting room. It’s cosy and warm and my favourite art is in that room, though, in winter, nothing beats sitting by the fire.
‘‘Once someone came to my door and…’’
Told me their grandma had been my home’s first owner and her family had lived there for more than 60 years, since 1893. It was fascinating to hear stories about the house’s history.
Is there anything in your home you’d get rid of if you could? Is your home exactly as you want it?
If I could I’d pick it up and rotate it 180 degrees so the backyard would be north-facing. Apart from that, it’s perfect.
Is there a decor trend you’d like to see come back?
OTT Chinoiserie.
You’re an art fan, how do you choose pieces for your collection?
I ask myself does it make me stop? Does it surprise me? Does it make me smile?
What’s the worst home decor decision you’ve ever made?
I don’t know if I have any decorating regrets, actually. Maybe a few things I’ve bought because I was impatient and didn’t want to wait for the perfect item. With interiors it’s best to be patient.
Could you share the title of a book, film or television show that best describes the mood in your home...
The Karen, Mikhail, Valentina and Laika Show.
Worst thing that’s ever gone wrong while entertaining?
One Christmas Eve I badly burnt my right hand on a frying pan’s handle after taking my tomato tarte tatin out of the oven. Christmas Eve was spent in the local emergency room and Christmas Day was spent on the couch, fully bandaged and in a sling in that happy place peculiar to Tramadol chased by half a glass of Champagne (naughty, I know) followed by another visit to the emergency room for redressing. The tarte tatin was delicious, though.
Have you ever got rid of an item then regretted parting ways with it?
No, I don’t think I have. I make decisions quickly and seldom change my mind.
Do you have a favourite piece of furniture?
My Chinoiserie cabinet and my Eames walnut stools because they’re perfectly designed objects that have form and function, that clash and match one another and that make me happy.
Which home habit annoys you the most in people you live with?
Open cupboards.
What is one domestic duty/task that you enjoy?
Cooking, of course, though I don’t know if that’s a duty or task – more of a joy, really. I do like those tasks that have a clear beginning, middle and end – especially doing the laundry and loading the dishwasher.
Which is your most loathed task?
I’m not a huge fan of dog poop duties.
Best tip for someone considering a room makeover?
Just change one thing and then everything else will need changing.
I recently got a new cabinet for my sitting room and, wouldn’t you know it? The art had to be rehung and the walls had to change colour and now the couches are wrong and the lighting needs review.
The annoying thing is that I hadn’t even wanted a new cabinet! It was something my interior designer, Katie Lockhart, had delivered just for me to have a look at.