Inside Kelly Barnhart's Joy-Infused Houston Home

Rip & Tan: Let’s talk vision—what were your hopes for yourself in this home?

Kelly Barnhart: This house was all about coziness and a scale that my young daughter and I could equally enjoy together.

Rip & Tan: As you began the process of bringing your dream space to life, what took priority? What were some things you may have let go of?

Kelly Barnhart: The design brief was “marshmello”, as dictated and directed by my daughter.  The priority was bringing marshmallows to an oversized scale with a bent of sophistication. 

As for what I ended up letting go of, I had originally imagined having more of a Katz vibe with the art, but the house ended up only accepting oversized mirrors and John Zurrier monoliths.  Ironically and unexpectedly bringing a hint of Icelandic energy to a house in the middle of Houston.  

Rip & Tan: How would you describe your interior style? What kind of spaces do you gravitate toward?

Kelly Barnhart: I love homes that feel effortless and easy, but super smart and impeccably edited.  I like a sense of historical iconography with light-hearted ease and balanced asymmetry.  Most of all, originality and soul are key for me.

Rip & Tan: There’s an element of whimsy to your space—how did you achieve a sense of fun and authenticity in the frame of a generally elevated and refined home? 

Kelly Barnhart: At the heart of the project was the fact that the core of my life is casually hanging out at home with Lila and our two mini long-haired dachshunds.  Every design decision was with that at the heart.  But I have studied the history of decorative arts for so long and am inherently a designer above anything else, so even relaxed casual for me is filtered through a very rigorous and intrinsic design lens.

Rip & Tan: In what ways does your home inspire you? Any particular corners feel most inspirational?

Kelly Barnhart: My monastic monolithic stone bathroom is most inspiring to me.  Its design comes from a core “What would Donald Judd do?” metric within me.  It is in that bathtub where I feel most aesthetically satisfied, and therefore, relaxed enough to go deeply inward in self-healing work and meditation.

Rip & Tan: What does home mean to you?

Kelly Barnhart: At its best, home is an external materialization of who you are internally–an opportunity to rest in the alignment of the outer and inner worlds. Therefore always evolving, and opportunity to play within that ever changing evolution.

Rip & Tan: Whether it’s a specific finish or beloved piece, can you walk us through a few of your favorite design and décor details?

Kelly Barnhart: After a recent meditation where I explored the beauty and nuance of my grandmother who recently passed, I added many of the treasures she collected over a lifetime to my tabletops– which were almost bare before this exercise in reverence.  Beautiful antique tortoise shell boxes, amazing silver objects, and carved crystal.  It softened my formerly austere decor sense.