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Petra Rupp Creates Dream Homes Inspired By Travel

The Austin-based interior designer makes living spaces that are inviting and full of personality

Petra Rupp of Collected Interiors believes in bringing ‘vacation mode’ into everyday life. The Austin-based interior designer creates living spaces inspired by travel and recreation. Her design philosophy stems from her background as an artist as well as her journeys to over 45 countries and nearly every U.S. state.

I’ve traveled through Scandinavia several times over, and the confluence of sleek design with the concept of hygge–the comforts of home–comes through in my work,” says Rupp. “The fabulous palettes of Mexico and the patterns of Morocco inspire my more colorful interiors, while the faded glory and talented artisans of Cuba find their way into several of my projects.”

Her latest work can be found in Austin’s Cherrywood neighborhood, where she completed two interior design projects called Lady Cherrywood and Sir Cherrywood. While the names sound similar, Rupp says the homes have been transformed into two entirely different living spaces, based on the personalities of her clients and their ideas of vacation.

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Sir Cherrywood was designed for a tech entrepreneur who recently moved to Austin after living in the Bay Area, New York and Los Angeles. Rupp says the client, who enjoys hosting game nights and large gatherings, was looking for a sleek and modern aesthetic in his new home, and wanted to fully utilize the abundance of space after years of apartment living.

Lady Cherrywood was created for a notable ex-New York City chef who now appreciated a slower pace of life, with quiet time and intimate dinner parties to fuel her creativity in the kitchen. The chef’s desire for coziness led Rupp to amplify the interior of her home with sumptuous textiles and a joyful color palette.

For hosting parties, Rupp outfitted Sir Cherrywood with a variety of seating options and chose a monochromatic color palette for the space. The tech entrepreneur was an avid art collector, so Rupp’s decision to keep furniture and textiles neutral allowed the art to serve as the color splash. Conversation pieces such as a “marshmallow chair” and a vintage archery target were placed throughout the home to complement his already impressive art collections. The eye-catching decor was chosen to reflect his personality and tell a story about the various places he’s lived and traveled to.

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For Lady Cherrywood, Rupp focused on infusing the whole home with radiant colors, locally sourced art from ATX Gals, and an abundance of plants. The client’s background as a chef led Rupp to revamp the kitchen and add personality to the room with key-lime green lower cabinetry. The extra bedroom upstairs was also converted into a movie room, leaving the first floor entirely focused on the client’s hobbies: cooking, gardening, reading, and relaxing.

With each of her projects Rupp chases certain feelings: the feeling of treating yourself, of doing exactly what you want with your day, of feeling like you are making special memories. Introducing this to her clients is what makes the job worthwhile, Rupp says. “I used to get so sad to come home from trips—and made it a point to carry that vacation mindset into my life, and into my client’s homes.”