At home, Miller Farrell says, she likes to keep things light and bright, “which is very much the South African style. The walls in my living room are more of a neutral with pops of color.” The zebra rug used as an accent here isn’t authentic. “What really stayed with me was the safari and understanding the habits of animals,” says Miller Farrell. “Watching a mother elephant with her babies and spotting a giraffe eating leaves a half-mile away was not something I anticipated.”
Alise O'Brien
At home, Miller Farrell says, she likes to keep things light and bright, “which is very much the South African style. The walls in my living room are more of a neutral with pops of color.” The zebra rug used as an accent here isn’t authentic. “What really stayed with me was the safari and understanding the habits of animals,” says Miller Farrell. “Watching a mother elephant with her babies and spotting a giraffe eating leaves a half-mile away was not something I anticipated.”
GroblerduPreez Getty Images/iStockphoto
“Franschhoek is a little gem,” Miller Farrell says, smiling at the memory. “There’s a beautiful main street with antiques stores…and, of course, wonderful wine and a French restaurant.” The B&B the couple stayed in felt as if it could have been in the south of France, she says, because it incorporated elements of buffalo check and toile. “But that’s sort of South Africa,” the designer says. “There are so many influences because it’s so multiethnic.” Miller Farrell sneaks in a hint of the same buffalo check on the cushion of a side chair in her living room.
vanderje Getty Images/iStockphoto
Farrell took cues from South African vistas and hues from a watercolor that her aunt painted to design her new fabric collection, Cape Town.
Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
Miller Farrell traveled to South Africa in June, which is autumn there. “It still had the deep greens and oranges and fall foliage you’d imagine set against these incredible blue skies,” she says. “The land is an orangey clay, so the sun hits it and creates vibrant colors.” It’s hard not to be inspired by the land, Miller Farrell says, and you can see it reflected in her new fabric line. “Even in the city, you see Table Mountain rising. The sky reflects the sea. It’s just wide open, blue, and the sunsets…there’s no other place as brilliant.”
Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
Miller Farrell also took inspiration from Nate Berkus when decorating the room: “Everything in your house should tell your story,” she says. “I dedicated my family room to displaying items from this trip, like coffee-table books with South African themes and photo albums.” Artisans from Senegal sold these trinkets—hand-carved bowls and a rhino—at the same street market where Miller Farrell also purchased a wood giraffe. “These were simple little pieces that, at the time, you couldn’t find anywhere else,” she says. “It’s changed as things have become more global.”
Overlay
At home, Miller Farrell says, she likes to keep things light and bright, “which is very much the South African style. The walls in my living room are more of a neutral with pops of color.” The zebra rug used as an accent here isn’t authentic. “What really stayed with me was the safari and understanding the habits of animals,” says Miller Farrell. “Watching a mother elephant with her babies and spotting a giraffe eating leaves a half-mile away was not something I anticipated.” Alise O'Brien
“Franschhoek is a little gem,” Miller Farrell says, smiling at the memory. “There’s a beautiful main street with antiques stores…and, of course, wonderful wine and a French restaurant.” The B&B the couple stayed in felt as if it could have been in the south of France, she says, because it incorporated elements of buffalo check and toile. “But that’s sort of South Africa,” the designer says. “There are so many influences because it’s so multiethnic.” Miller Farrell sneaks in a hint of the same buffalo check on the cushion of a side chair in her living room. GroblerduPreez Getty Images/iStockphoto
Farrell took cues from South African vistas and hues from a watercolor that her aunt painted to design her new fabric collection, Cape Town.vanderje Getty Images/iStockphoto
Miller Farrell traveled to South Africa in June, which is autumn there. “It still had the deep greens and oranges and fall foliage you’d imagine set against these incredible blue skies,” she says. “The land is an orangey clay, so the sun hits it and creates vibrant colors.” It’s hard not to be inspired by the land, Miller Farrell says, and you can see it reflected in her new fabric line. “Even in the city, you see Table Mountain rising. The sky reflects the sea. It’s just wide open, blue, and the sunsets…there’s no other place as brilliant.”Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
Miller Farrell also took inspiration from Nate Berkus when decorating the room: “Everything in your house should tell your story,” she says. “I dedicated my family room to displaying items from this trip, like coffee-table books with South African themes and photo albums.” Artisans from Senegal sold these trinkets—hand-carved bowls and a rhino—at the same street market where Miller Farrell also purchased a wood giraffe. “These were simple little pieces that, at the time, you couldn’t find anywhere else,” she says. “It’s changed as things have become more global.”Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
For their 2004 honeymoon, Suzanne Miller Farrell, founder of textiles purveyor The Storied House, traveled with her husband to French- and Dutch-influenced South Africa. The couple were planning to stay one night in Franschhoek, about 50 miles from Cape Town—but ended up staying four. “When people hear ‘Africa,’ they think the stereotypical scene, back then especially,” she says. “I didn’t know what to expect, but South Africa feels very European in some ways.” Miller Farrell took cues from the vistas there, and pulled hues from a watercolor that her aunt, who died recently, painted, to design her new fabric collection, Cape Town.
Next destination: Senegal, recommended to her by local artist Sofi Seck
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