Venus Williams Aces Interior Design
The tennis legend brings her winning ways to designing fabulous spaces.
The grass court season is here, and it’s hard to imagine the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club without five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams.
Venus will miss Wimbledon this year. She hasn’t played in a WTA tournament since the Miami Open. However, Venus keeps winning — at interior design.
Venus is serious about interior design. Yeah, I know. You’ve seen many celebrities promote furniture lines or launch home decorating brands. Venus’ venture into interior design goes far beyond lending her fame to furniture stores.
Venus is for real. She founded V Starr, an award-winning full-service commercial and residential design firm with a portfolio that includes hospitality, multi-family residential, and luxury projects, including renovations and new building properties throughout North America and the Caribbean.
Earlier this year, Venus launched Palazzo.ai, an interior design app powered by artificial intelligence. Palazzo.ai puts the power of design at your fingertips — a couple of clicks away.
In a Q&A for the Palazzo launch, Williams explained what drew her to design.
“The reason I love design is because I wanted to do something off of the court that was similar to tennis. Tennis captured my attention because it's always changing. Every point is different. Every opponent is different. The wind could be blowing, or the conditions could be tough. You could be having the worst day, and it's just never a dull moment.
It’s the same with design - there's never a dull moment. Every design solution is different, and you have the opportunity to continuously re-invent yourself.”
“I have always loved the arts. It's my place outside of the court.” — Venus Williams.
The living room designs pictured below were generated using Vinci, Palazzo’s interior design assistant. Using the same photo, Vinci offers several looks.
When I heard about Palazzo, I had to try it. I took the Palazzo quiz designed to capture my style. Then, I took a photo of my kitchen and uploaded it to Palazzo.ai.
In less than a minute, Vinci revealed images of my redesigned kitchen. I was surprised that Vinci produced a kitchen with butcherblock countertops because I didn’t specify a counter type in the quiz. However, I’d recently talked to my sister about my desire for butcherblock counters.
Had Vinci read my mind? Yes!
The answers I provided in the quiz gave Vinci a window into my style, favorite colors, materials, and textures. Wow. Artificial intelligence fueled by design dreams yields impressive results.
Venus describes the Palazzo.ai experience in the promotional video below.
Interior Design is Personal, for Me and You
I grew up in a creative home. My mother’s framed chalk drawings hung on the wall, and she always reupholstered sofas and chairs.
I took design courses in high school and college, including drafting. I wanted to be an architect before I became a writer.
Despite a career covering sports, I never lost interest in interior design. However, I didn’t write about design until 2009, when I freelanced for the Washington (D.C.) Examiner.
I’d written a few real estate articles for the Examiner when the editor asked if I could write something about the renovated Lithuanian Embassy.
She loved my story so much that she asked me to write more design pieces. Soon, I became a weekly contributor to the Examiner’s Home section.
I’ve written home design stories for HGTV.com, Montage, Capitol File, Apartment Therapy, AARP, and Costco Connections (UK and Canadian editions).
While touring homes and interviewing architects and interior designers, I discovered that there is no best design style. The most important style is yours. Find a style that works for you and curate accordingly. Palazzo makes that easier. Give Palazzo.ai a try.
Cold Brew Mocktail: Lemon Coffee Tonic
Summer hasn’t arrived, but Central Florida's temperatures are in the high 90s every day. A cold brew mocktail is perfect for the sweltering summer heat.
This lemon coffee tonic is easy to make, refreshing, and delicious. I drank three over the weekend.
What You’ll Need:
One lemon slice
Honey
Crushed ice
Sparkling water
Cold brew
Mint spring (optional)
Popular Power Couple Win Titles on Same Day
Katie Boulter, Britain’s No. 1 ranked WTA player, and Alex de Minaur, Australia’s top-ranked ATP player, started dating in March 2022. They’ve become one of the most popular couples in tennis.
On Sunday, Boulter and de Minaur won titles on the same day. Boulter defeated Karolina Pliskovia 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 in Nottingham, England, and de Minaur beat American Sebastian Korda 6-2, 6-4 to take the title in 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands.
In March, de Minaur won a tournament in Acapulco, hopped on a plane, and arrived in San Diego in time to watch Boulter win a title there.
After Boulter’s win, the couple exchanged comments via the social media site X.
Wimbledon Preview: Grasscourt Greatness
Coffee Corner: How to make a Flat White and the best water for brewing coffee.