Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1546676
On the antique hall table, late American artist John Wesley's Paradise Lamp, 1967 (interior of lampshade and base). Barthelme Frank worked with the artist during her Manhattan chapter. Background, Damien Hirst's Universal Love, 2001. In powder room, brass mirror by Brandon Fontenot. Faucet and fittings Waterworks. Chinese Deco wool rug, 1920s. Opposite page: Art spills into the kitchen. Above the Eliel Saarinen model Hannes chair, George Condo's Cubist Rodrigo, 2008. Antique farm table found in Round Top. Chairs from Belgian arts-and-antiques gallerist Axel Vervoordt. Pendant lights Alvar Aalto, Finland, 1950. In the expansive downstairs hall, antique table from Upper Kirby Consignment. Inherited antique mahogany chair. 1940s-era collages The Pet Bird and Framina by Nathan Gluck, one of Warhol's early studio assistants, from Luis De Jesus Los Angeles. On stairway, Guy Richards Smit's Better As Jpegs, 2024, A Hug From The Art World, New York. house, distinguished by clean lines and a classical spirit, more Schindler and Neutra than Mies. An uncanny current of Surrealism runs through the interiors shared by the couple and toddler daughter Leonara (Lennie), a note sounded by the painting and sculpture that reside within. The Barthelme Frank residence timeline flows like this: house purchase and renovations begin, 2021; move-in, 2022; wedding, 2023; baby, 2024. Today their expansive home holds an intriguing and thoughtful art collection that defies an easy read and eschews the expected in favor of a deeper dive into affinities, connections, and through lines. Katharine keeps the memory of her childhood front and center when thinking about how she wants her home to function and welcome the outside world. "I grew up surrounded by writers and artists, which I loved, and it's something that I really want to maintain for my daughter, Lennie, because it was such a special part of my upbringing," she says. "Even through osmosis, absorbing these interesting ways of thinking … To have these relationships was wonderful." Design Tête-à-Tête A considered conversation between art, design, and architecture came together over time. "I met Brandon [Fontenot] through mutual friends ages ago, and we've been working together for almost six years," Katharine says. The process evolved gradually, from one object in a single room to a bigger idea. "I had always admired Brandon's work. I saw a mirror he had made that I desperately wanted. It's a beautiful circular object suspended from the ceiling with Egyptian tassels. That mirror began our working relationship." Katharine admits that she is not an easy client. "I have strong opinions, and I wanted our home to feel unmistakably our own," she says. "I also love antiquing and am a certified 1stDibs junkie. Brandon understood exactly what I needed from an interior designer: someone who could bat ideas around with me, learn what I liked, suggest and source objects, and genuinely collaborate." Trust was key: "I leaned on his expertise, and the way we work together ended up mirroring the way I work with my own clients. You learn a person's interests and aesthetics. Then you draw on industry knowledge, resources, and access to put the right piece in front of the right person." On design decisions that Fontenot brought to the collaboration, Katharine says, "Brandon made fundamental changes. He's brilliant with ambiance, lighting, finishes, fabrics — all the