Artist and art therapist Katharina Kowoll on Milo Baughman, Verner Panton, and the quiet courage of decorating without fear.
Small, artistic, creative. These are the three words Katharina Kowoll uses to describe her home — and they are, it turns out, precisely right. Across 61 square metres, a colourful, vibrant interior universe unfolds: one that inspires, surprises, and feels unmistakably alive. Known through her Instagram account @61squares, Katharina shares glimpses into a space that is equal parts creative playground and private refuge. The name of the account? A tribute to the square footage of her apartment — or, as she notes with a smile, perhaps it should really be "55.5 Squares," once you subtract the balcony.
The path to her current style was a process, not a plan. Where her previous apartment was dominated by black and white, her home today reflects her personality with genuine boldness: a harmonious mix of new and old, vintage finds from the 1950s and 70s, Bauhaus elements, and a generous measure of Space Age. "I wanted something that looked more like me — and less like the fear of getting something wrong," she says of her stylistic reorientation. There was no finished concept, only an organic growth in which each room gradually developed its own handwriting over time.
A glance at Katharina's Instagram feed makes one thing immediately clear: every detail is considered. That behind the seemingly effortless harmony lies considerable planning is something she freely admits. As a self-described perfectionist, she works with feed planners and produces content in advance, crafting a compelling mix of perspectives, close-up details, and full-room views. Inspiration comes from Pinterest, from design icons such as Verner Panton, and from the clean lines of the Bauhaus tradition. And yet Katharina remains honest with herself: "When I compare my Pinterest with my apartment, I often notice how little the two have to do with each other — and have to laugh at myself."
Her home is a living stage: colourful, playful, and in a state of constant evolution. Favourite pieces — among them her Milo Baughman coffee table, an eBay find with a story of its own — accompany her through daily life. Her approach to interiors is intuitive and deeply emotional. "It is more the feeling of a place that you create for yourself," she says. Her home is less a fixed location than a mirror of her personality — adaptable, alive, and full of creative energy. Her love of travel feeds the spaces too: the colours and light moods of places like Iceland and Venice find their way, subtly, into her interior.
As an artist and art therapist, Katharina brings a particular sensitivity to colour, form, and atmosphere. Where her work in art therapy is defined by patience and mindfulness, her private creative life expresses the spontaneous, sometimes impatient side of that same impulse. "I can barely wait for changes sometimes," she admits. Art therapy, she describes as a wonderful complement to her artistic practice: "In therapy, art is a means of communication — and sometimes paper aeroplanes or action paintings open doors that words keep closed."
Katharina remains in motion — in life as in her apartment. Changes are on the horizon: a fresh coat of paint for the kitchen, perhaps a reimagining of the long-neglected balcony. Her vision for a dream home? Either a minimalist structure by Mies van der Rohe set deep in greenery, or a charming old building with creaking floorboards and draughty windows. Both, somehow, feel entirely in character.
And while she continues to reimagine her home again and again, one thing remains constant: her fine instinct for art, aesthetics, and the small stories that bring spaces to life.