Tucked into the Paarl countryside, interior designer Liam Mooney transforms a modest converted barn into a soulful, eclectic sanctuary where heritage, humour and personal storytelling shape every corner.
Inside Liam Mooney’s Eclectic Mountain Studio in the Paarl Hills
In the foothills of the Paarl mountains, where boulders rise like ancient sculptures and the landscape shifts with every hour of light, interior designer Liam Mooney has carved out a retreat that feels both unexpected and deeply personal. From the outside, the structure appears modest, a simple converted barn.. Step inside, however, and the space unfolds with wit, warmth and a collector’s instinct for pieces that tell their own stories.
Mooney’s home and studio sit side by side, blurring the boundaries between where he works and where he unwinds. The result is a layered interior that gently refuses categorisation, part rustic retreat, part design laboratory, and entirely reflective of its owner.
The palette is grounded in natural textures: chalky plaster walls, sun-softened timber, worn leather, handmade ceramics. Modern silhouettes meet vintage finds, while sculptural lighting casts shifting shadows across the barn’s generous volumes. Each area feels like a quiet vignette, anchored by objects that carry personal significance. Together they form a kind of autobiographical tapestry.
What makes the space compelling is not its formality, but its freedom. Mooney mixes eras and finishes with ease.
The studio area, where he sketches and experiments, opens directly onto a view of the mountains – a constant reminder of the landscape that shapes the home’s rhythm and calm. Large doors slide open to bring in the breeze, creating a dialogue between interior stillness and the raw energy outdoors.
Despite its eclecticism, the space remains cohesive. There’s a through-line of curiosity, a lightness of touch, and a sense of humour that tempers the seriousness of design. A playful object here, a bold fabric there, Mooney understands that homes, like people, shouldn’t be too polished.
In this converted barn, every piece earns its place not through trend, but through meaning. It is a home that welcomes, surprises, and gently reveals itself, an intimate portrait of a designer whose instinct for character and comfort is as natural as the mountain backdrop that frames it.
