A place of my own: Designer flair in Sant Gervasi
Originally from Columbus, Ohio, interior designer Donna Kelley moved to Spain in 1971, with her husband Julio Velázquez, whom she met whilst studying for her undergraduate degree at Ohio State University. After a four-year stint in Valencia, the pair moved to Barcelona in 1975, and settled in the city amidst the turmoil of Franco’s death and the end of the dictatorship.Yet despite these somewhat inauspicious beginnings, Donna and Julio have lived in the city ever since. “From day one, I felt at home in Barcelona,” explained Donna. “The climate is obviously a huge positive, but I also love that the city really does have something for everyone.”
After a number of years spent living in a modern rental apartment, Donna began looking for a place that she and Julio could make their own. “I found a beautiful flat while my husband was away on business. He arrived back while I was out and I’d left him a note saying ‘I’ve found our future apartment’.” Donna was right—almost 40 years later the couple still call that very same apartment in Sant Gervasi home.
The design project that Donna took on when they bought the apartment in 1980 would turn out to be the first of many. Discovering she had a flair for decor, in 1989, after many years spent working as a teacher, Donna returned to university to study for a degree in interior design. Since then, her design studio Kelley Interior Design has worked on an impressive list of projects, including hotels, a bookshop and many residential redesigns. “Clients always ask about my personal style, but I tell them that that isn’t important,” she said. “I love the challenge of working to create someone else’s vision.”
In her own home however, Donna’s unique sense of style shines through. On the top two floors of a luxury block of apartments, Donna and Julio’s place is both refined and full of character, blending an eclectic collection of contemporary touches with a few well-chosen antique pieces. “I don’t like things to be too matchy-matchy,” said Donna. “I love incorporating unexpected items to make my home feel more personal.” And as for Julio’s input? Donna jokes that her husband’s laidback approach to their home is what has kept them happily married for 46 years.
The first thing that Donna fell in love with when she looked around the flat was the spacious terrace. She has made the most of the calming space by filling it with leafy potted plants and an elegant set of wrought iron garden chairs. Glass doors leading to the terrace from the sitting room create a seamless transition between indoors and outdoors, filling the living area with natural light. Inside, classic architectural features such as a white stone fireplace and cornice moulding on the ceiling are offset by Donna’s other passion—art. A triptych by the Barcelona-based artist Gabriele Fettolini brings a touch of muted colour to the wall above the sofa, and elsewhere in the apartment Donna incorporates works by artists that she has developed a relationship with during her years working as an interior designer.
Upstairs, in what was once the porter’s accommodation, Donna has created an area which functions as both her office and a guest bedroom. “I always try to make the most of a space,” she explained. “I like to live in all of the areas of my home—after all, a home is supposed to be lived in.” Here, the focal point is a large smudged painting by Carmen Bueno, while a stylish grey sofa can be pulled out into a bed.
Asked about her favourite room in the apartment, Donna doesn’t hesitate. “My favourite colour is red, so it would have to be the reading room,” she revealed. “I love to sit in that room and read a book or watch TV, and at Christmas time it’s where we put the tree, so it always brings back positive memories for me.” Looking at the apartment as a whole, it’s clear that Donna has achieved her goal of creating an elegant, inviting home. No wonder then that she has been so successful in turning her passion into a career.