We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.
Name: Mumi Mihanovich and Agustin Caffarena, with three children (6, 3, and 1 years old)
Location: Recoleta — Buenos Aires, Argentina
Size: 2314 square feet
Type of home: Apartment
Years lived in: 1 year, owned
“We bought this apartment during the lockdown, so it was very difficult to visit it! The previous owner is Spanish and couldn’t travel to Argentina either, but in photos I saw the windows, the high roofs, and the style and date it was built and I knew it was the one! We were able to see it just when the sale was about to materialize… and I confirmed it is a very special apartment,” explains Mumi Mihanovich.
For more content like this follow
“I am married and we have three young children, so our lives are pretty intense,” she continues. “I am the creative director of Jazmin Chebar, which is one of the most important high-fashion labels here in Argentina. Decoration is part of my aesthetic taste and view. I love fashion, spaces, and objects, and to generate creatively nice things that I like to live with.”
My style: I am quite eclectic… my style emerges in an spontaneous way. Sometimes things and objects just get together and integrate like in a puzzle. There is a part that I can plan and imagine, but the other part just appears in a mix of new and old stuff, and in mistakes too.
Inspiration: My guide is the colors. I compose in that base. I use the inspiration I find in my work in fashion. For example, I was inspired to choose the colors of the carpet in the living room by a woolen scarf I loved. For me it is easier to begin with the color, and then the forms and textures.
Favorite element: What I love most about my house are the windows. And the most special and risky object I bought is the living room carpet. I designed and produced it especially for this space and it went terrific.
The artworks are very special too, because each has a story, and refer back to some moment of our life as a family. These are the only things I will take in every move no matter what.
Biggest challenge: The biggest challenge was to unblock the layout of the living room and kitchen. The floor plan was super odd. The kitchen was enclosed and dark, and it felt out of the way in the circulation of the house. So the architects proposed to move it to a central and open position, integrated to the house and the family dynamics, and everything changed completely.
Proudest DIY: I had some velvet scraps so I made some pillows with squares, stripes, and diamonds, mixing all the colors (they were sewn by a very patient and dedicated upholsterer).
Is there something unique about your home or the way you use it? The most original thing is the kitchen located in the central part. It is a cube in wood in the middle of the living room, and everything happens around it. This gives the apartment a very dynamic circulation and helps us to use all the spaces. We live in every part of the house every day.
Please describe any helpful, inspiring, brilliant, or just plain useful small space maximizing and/or organizing tips you have: For me, the most important thing is that houses adapt to the real use their inhabitants give to them. There is no point in having a living room only for guests and all the family is relegated to a TV room. A house is for living in it, in a real and daily way. The dining room is for eating every day — not for receiving guests.
Finally, what’s your absolute best home secret or decorating advice? Dare to go beyond the rules. Support and buy local design and art. Find young people designing furniture. Encourage artisans to do new things. Choose young and creative architects with original ideas. In this way you can have a different house from all the others and make your own distinctive and special mix.
