By: Jacqueline Gonzalez Photosbrby: Brandi Grahl
brbr
Somebrpeople are born with a feeling of wanderlust. Dr. Macy Kinzel is one of thosebrpeople. She brings her world citizenbrpersonality into her home with decor from all over the globe, allowing anyonebrwho enters her home to indulge in the feeling of international travel.
brbr
Abrmonumental blue and black striped sailfish, encased in a black and white stripedbrcrate from Puerto Vallarta, greets visitors when they enter the home. Photographsbrtaken by Dr. Kinzel during her trip to the Amazon line the walls. She took thebrphotos from a close angle, and each captures a personal moment. Statues frombrGuatemala and Haiti grace a chest of drawers, adding to the museumesque themebrof Dr. Kinzel’s home.
brbr
Dr.brKinzel’s den and dining areas display gems from England. A pew from WestminsterbrAbbey, dating from the 70s, sits proportionate to the fish, giving guests thebrperfect place to sit and contemplate the intensely sentimental meaning behindbrthe home’s decor.
brbr
Thebrdining room also houses antiques that are equally valuable and sentimental. The dining room table, from England in thebr1920s, once belonged to her grandmother. To complete the dining room set, Dr.brKinzel adds another family heirloom – chairs from the 1970s. A Norman Young painting from Belize hangs onbrthe wall, adding a decorative touch. Since Norman Young is also responsible forbrthe creation of the Brazilian dollar, the artwork prompts the perfect story tobrtell over dinner.
brbr
Thebrkitchen in Dr. Kinzel’s home displays a more traditional setting with graybrcabinetry and granite countertops. To add pizzazz, Dr. Kinzel replaced thebrregular windows in the kitchen with gorgeous stained glass, which allows beamsbrof color into the living room when sunlight hits the window. Sitting on thebrkitchen bar is a treasured gift from her daughter – a colorful Moroccan bowl usedbrto hold fruit.
brbr
Manybrof the furniture pieces in Dr. Kinzel’s living room are savvy purchases made atbrgarage sales. Together with interior decorator Kelly Gale Amen, Dr. Kinzelbrturned these purchases into unique, travel-themed pieces. One of the famousbrpieces created by Kelly is the “poof,” a small, multi-purpose ottoman coveredbrin a combination of fabrics. The poof can be used as an ottoman, a floorbrpillow, or a pet bed.
brbr
Thebrliving room shelves hold a myriad of decorative objects collected from Africa,brNicaragua, and Israel. The bonds made with people she met and the memories shebrbrought back home will always offer a distinctive touch to her home. Trackbrlighting adorns the ceiling, offering the living room area a modern yetbrspectacular flair.
brbr
Nobrhome is complete without artistic accents. For Dr. Kinzel, art is a wonderfulbraddition to any home. She proudly displays renderings from famous artists likebrPablo Picasso and Salvador Dali. In fact, the inlaid wood frame that caught herbreye as a highly valuable piece, led her to a painting of Picasso’s “Two Ladiesbron a Beach.” The artwork comes with an official Pablo Picasso seal, making it abrone of a kind treasure.
brbr
Redesignedbrvintage trunks, collected from as far as Costa Rica, offer practical functionbras well as beauty while enhancing the travel theme. The showstopper of thebrliving room is a bright, colorful rug that once belonged to her aunt. Not onlybrdoes the rug have sentimental value, it also has historical significance. Herbraunt was one of the original suffragettes, and the rug was used during thatbrtime period.
brbr
Dr.brKinzel’s unique style continues into each bedroom with an array of room-accentingbrcolors. The computer room has whimsical styles in shades of teal that enhancebrthe room’s visual interest. Sitting gracefully in a corner is a vintage 1900sbrSinger treadle sewing machine that belonged to her mother. The bright colorsbrlend a playful vibe, while the vintage pieces from Jerusalem and Nicaraguabrbring her travels to the forefront.
brbr
Thebrmaster bedroom showcases more artifacts mixed with DIY techniques. A chandelierbrfrom an old San Antonio theater was transformed into a lamp. The walls arebrdivided by two different colors with an overlay of white paint “splotched” on withbra plastic grocery bag, giving the walls a unique faux texture. In an effort tobrmaximize space, a wall in her room was knocked down and replaced with a slidingbrdoor, leading straight to the pool. The dock bottom pool, a personal addition,bradds a serene vibe to the home with water sprockets that create a cascade ofbrwater over the pool. Sitting alongside the pool is a small shed, which was oncebrused as an art studio. Dr. Kinzel turned the shed into a pool house and added abrkitchenette, making it a perfect guesthouse.
brbr
Whetherbryou are bitten by wanderlust or simply love museums and cultural artifacts, Dr.brKinzel’s home proves that travel-themed decorative objects offer practicalbrfunction as well as beauty.
