Pad Peek: Micalea’s Southwest Sanctuary

The Jungalow Style hashtag has proven to be one of our best ideas, if only because of all the beautiful homes it brings our way every day. Micaela Clouse’s is one that often catches our eye as we scroll through the feed, so we were delighted she was down for giving us a full peek into her pad!

Micaela, an Austin, TX native, has been living in her 620 square foot home, along with her rescue pug- June Carter Cash, for going on three years. “It’s a day by day process of re-decorating based on the new purchases I make and the treasures I find, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I very fortunately come from a family of antiquers and treasure hunters. My grandmother and mother both love to antique, decorate, and style spaces. This was passed on to me at an early age”. Micaela’s work as an assistant to a designer in Austin “has been an amazing source of inspiration and information for my growth as a designer”, Micaela says. That has pushed her to start her own interior design group, housebyclouse. “It has been the most fun and challenging experience. I am looking forward to what the future holds”!

“My favorite space in my home is my living room. All of my nearest and dearest pieces are in that room. Also, the fireplace is killer! It was definitely a selling point for me. I cherish my cozy vintage navy velvet Henderon sofa, the cactus silk pillows, my grandmother’s paintings, and the wall of windows that looks out to trees in that room”. With both her mother and grandmother leading the way with their green thumbs, Micaela enjoys caring for the many plants in her apartment and letting the inspiration of the desert landscape around her guide her decor style. “I love to incorporate plants and succulents, along with layers of global textiles. I’m inspired by Moroccan, Indian, and South American cultures. I use a lot of natural wood elements,  crystals, metallic pieces, and plush textures in my home”.

“I live a very fast-paced lifestyle, so my home is my sanctuary. I want my home to exude comfort and be inviting to guests. I try to make it as cozy as possible. There are blankets and pillows galore, lots of plants to purify the air, and various sources of lighting to set the mood. There is usually a Willie Nelson record playing in the background, a candle and Nag Champa burning, and tea brewing”.

Photo by Molly Winters

Adopt An Idea: Follow Micaela’s grandmother’s lead- think outside the rectangle when it comes to your coffee table. “My coffee table, originally a Turkish fire pit, was gifted to me by my grandmother, and is one of my most prized possessions. She had it shipped back from Turkey when she visited in the 80’s and decided it would be most functional in her home as a coffee table. She had a piece of glass cut to fit the top of it. It is a big, beautiful, and solid brass piece that draws instant attention”.

With her free time, in addition to caring for plants and writing, Micaela enjoys working with natural dyes, cooking, and baking. “I am inspired by a plethora of things: my grandma, my mother, my friends, the city I was born and raised in, the small west Texas town my grandparents live in near Marfa, TX. By natural beauty: crystals, geodes, plants, succulents, flowers, wood, scents like cedar and lemongrass. But mostly I’m inspired by the landscape of the desert and the cultures of India, Asia, and Africa. Give me a kantha quilt, mudcloth pillow, big ol’ cactus, incense, and a painting of the Grand Canyon and I’m a happy girl”!

“If I had to choose one spirit animal it would be a deer. I believe I am a combination of gentleness juxtaposed with strength and determination. I am a very sensitive, emotionally in-tune person with a strong intuition”.

Thanks for the peek into your pad, Micaela! If you love her global southwest sanctuary as much as we do, be sure to follow Micaela on Instagram.

Want to see your home featured in a Pad Peek? Send an email to submissions(at)thejungalow(dot)com. Include 3 low-res photos of your space, and a little bit about yourself.

Photos by Joanna Mccray, unless otherwise noted. 

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