Heidi Lender is an American living on 80 acres of land in Pueblo Garzón, Uruguay and what she has created in South America is remarkable. She founded CAMPO, an artist colony that has been called the next Marfa. “I pledged to create a nonprofit organization on 30 acres of my land to develop a place where art, writing and food ideas would flourish as well as inspire my community. I see CAMPO as a thriving must-go place for generations of creatives to come.” When you see her home, you’ll think you’ve walked into a magazine shoot. It’s stunning.
HOMEWORTHY: How do you describe your interior design style?
HEIDI LENDER: My decor style seems to be a visual representation of my crazy brain. Let’s say it’s something like gypsy-eclectic and boho-spirited with a mid-century modern and vintage twist. I’ve done a lot of traveling and living abroad, worked in fashion, studied yoga and soaked up different cultures with my pen and camera, all the while textile hunting and collecting nomadic treasures.
HOMEWORTHY: What are your favorite things in your home?
HL: My antique wood dining table from Belgium: Not only do I find the incredibly detailed woodwork gorgeous, and it opens up and seats 14, but it was found by a dear friend who hunted it down for me at Brimfield Market. We made the deal over the phone with passed photos and haggling. And my O’Keefe and Merritt stove: I love a lot of my furniture picked up around the world, but I feel blessed to have a slice of old Americana with me in Uruguay. A few weeks before filling a container to send down, we bought this baby off eBay for $700.
HL: Aunt Sally’s chair (see below: zebra print): Maybe it’s not the most beautiful piece in my house — in fact many think I should dump it — but I salvaged my great Aunt Sally’s arm chair after she passed away (and I moved into her Upper West Side apartment). It was 1989, and I remember scouring the lower east side for animal print fabric and landed on this faux suede zebra.This chair has gone from NYC to Paris to Aspen to San Francisco and now lives Uruguay. Oh the stories it can tell.
HOMEWORTHY: Any sneaky decorating tips?
HL: My design philosophy hands down: Don’t worry about matchy matchy. Buy what you love, trust in what you love, the pieces will flow and go no matter what. They’re an expression of you.
HOMEWORTHY: What is your go-to hostess gift?
HL: A copy of my photography book Grassland (by H. Lee, a pseudonym), a signed photo print especially if I have an image of their home or family, a wild and raw bunch of flowers from my garden and always a bottle of Bodega Garzon wine, Single Vineyard Tannat my favorite.
*All photos taken by Heidi Lender
