“I do everything from here,” begins Sebastian Cuadrado Andreau of his 968-square-foot apartment in Buenos Aires, which acts as his home and the office and showroom of his brand Sixta, an online store for eclectic and timeless objects. “Sixta was the name of my grandmother and my great-grandmother, who was born in 1874 in Corrientes. As a kid, I visited her lands in the Iberá estuaries. She had a big house on a hill, built at the beginning of XIX century, with wide galleries and checkerboard floors from where you could see a huge lagoon, filled with birds, animals, and exceptionally colorful vegetation. As there was no electricity, at night candles were always lit!” Sebastian describes.

“The big framed photograph in my living room author is Jose Pereyra Lucena, and it is called ‘At tea time’, and it shows a typical Corrientes nap in the Ibera estuaries. This photograph automatically transports me to the images of my childhood.”

Always interested in architecture and design, Sebastian spent years as a fashion designer at a local luxury brand, bringing the aesthetic skills he learned in that business to Sixta. And his childhood and family have had a huge effect on his home’s look. “I feel my house is like a little ‘Corrientes jungle’ in the middle of Buenos Aires City. Corrientes is the province where my family history comes from, and where I was born, 900 kilometers from here,” Sebastian writes. Though tied to his past, he explains his apartment is also constantly evolving. “It is a living testimony of how my decoration label changes and grows. It represents what makes me feel good and gives me home feelings. I love having lots of plants and vintage objects that tell stories, some of them are inherited from my family, others bought in flea markets from many cities, and others are handmade by Argentinian artisans with noble materials.”

My Style: Jungalow style, eclectic

Favorite Element: One of the things I love the most is having the possibility of filling up every space with plants. I put them in every spot that is suitable for them growing, they all love the windows!

And some of my favorite objects are the Art Deco glassware pieces that belonged to my great-grandmother Sixta Díaz Colodrero, which my grandmother gave to me.

Biggest Challenge: I constantly try to improve the apartment, respecting the original materials, so I never did a complete transformation. I do it all step by step, as I am able to, with a low budget.

The bathrooms still have the original tiles (from 50 years ago). The wooden floors were treated to recover their original color. I only completely transformed the kitchen, but that was 20 years ago!

Proudest DIY: The pinstripe wall! And all the plants that are reproduced and grown by myself. I never buy one! I get the cuttings from my mother’s garden (and from any garden!), from the street and even from the trash cans.

Is there something unique about your home or the way you use it? This was a three-bedroom apartment in which originally I lived with my brothers, when we came to the city to study in university. What used to be my bedroom now is the living room. I knocked down a wall and got more light… it was really a huge transformation!

For me the illumination is very important. I love table lamps and candles, and at night light MUST be tenuous! So every single lamp in my house is dimmed (even in the kitchen and bathroom!) At night electrical lights can be equated in power to the candles… and get the cozy and glamorous atmosphere I love.

Please describe any helpful, inspiring, brilliant, or just plain useful small space maximizing and/or organizing tips you have: I love wide spaces so I think it is very important to avoid unnecessary walls and open everything that can be open. Optimize storage spaces and don’t keep useless objects. Renovate and give life to the house with continuous changes. And, of course, put the most plants you can! They beautify everything!

Finally, what’s your absolute best home secret or decorating advice? I really enjoy the continued process of finding objects and furniture for my house. Behind every object there is a story to tell, and that is what makes me feel at home. So, my best advice is to learn to enjoy the process and not to hurry trying to have everything at the same time.

• Sofa — Amparo Be
• Coffee table — Present from my family
• Artwork — Photograph by José Pereyra Lucena, “A la hora del té” (photo of Esteros del Iberá)
• Armchairs — Bought online and restored
• Side table — San Telmo’s antique fair (it is a famous fair in the historical neighborhood of Buenos Aires)
• Cushions — Sixta and CB2
• Carpet — Sixta
• Vintage Lamp — Sixta
• Pineapple lamp — Sixta
• Glass and metal side table — Auction
• Candlestick — Sixta
• Octopus — West Elm
• Plant pots — Sixta
• Snake candlestick — Zara Home
• Peacock — CB2

• Desk — San Telmo’s antique fair
• Chair — Auction
• Rug — Sixta
• Plant pots — Sixta
• Lamp — Salvation Army
• Frame — Antique fair

• Table — Found in San Telmo´s antique fair and then restored
• Chairs — Family inheritance
• Ceiling lamps — Sixta
• Frames — Sixta
• Bar cart — Sixta
• Black desk lamp (next to the pinstripe wall) — Flea market in Berlin Big
• Frame — Antiques fair
• Plant pots — Sixta
• Rug — Sixta
• Pineapple icebox — Urban Outfitters
• Decoupage coasters — Sixta

• Bed headrest — Sixta
• Bed linen — CB2
• Lamp — Sixta
• Bedside table — Auction
• Cushions — Sixta
• Frame — Sixta
• Rugs — Sixta
• Woolen blanket — Sixta

• Bandeja dorada — West Elm
• Florero dorado — Sixta
• Vajilla — Inherited from my great-grandmother Sixta

• Lamp — Antique fair in the Netherlands
• Frames — Sixta
• Table — Flea Market
• Glass vases — Sixta
• Golden vases — Sixta
• Carpet — Sixta

Thanks Sebastian!

This tour’s responses and photos were edited for length/size and clarity.
Share Your Style: House Tour & House Call Submission Form