As she succinctly puts it: "Life is simply too abundant to be a minimalist."
Nowhere is her philosophy more evident than in her Melville apartment, and in her shop, situated conveniently beneath her home.
Both spaces brim with curiosities strange and eclectic: a stuffed buffalo head here, a rusted bed frame there; on busy walls artworks, embroidery, old photos and found pieces jostle for space. And on any available surface, books tower in piles, many lying open at an interesting picture.
Such an overwhelming profusion of, well, stuff, might suggest that things are displayed randomly wherever there's room. But not so: each piece is placed very specifically according to Butler's mood and exacting eye.
A visitor could get lost for hours in these enumerable still lifes, exploring - as Butler does - the inherent beauty in the sometimes odd, sometimes ugly, but always fascinating.
What does it feel like to live surrounded by so many things?
I'm a visual person. I like to look at things. So I put them out in specific arrangements that please my eye, until I change them again. I move things around a lot. People sometimes ask me how I can sleep in such a busy bedroom, and I say: "I just close my eyes."
Where do you find all your pieces?
Johannesburg's charity and second-hand shops, antique stores, and all the shops in Newlands, Johannesburg. I like odd, ugly, imperfect things, things that make me laugh. Sleazy, kitsch and beautiful things, too.
I also love walking and looking for original things in nature - for example, you'll find lots of stones from the Eastern Cape's Wild Coast in my home.
What would you never bring into your home?
Something sophisticated, uncomfortable, slick or over-designed.
Best-loved piece?
That's hard. Probably the chairs I inherited from my grandparents. Either way, I hope I have enough time when a fire starts to get a lot of things out.
What was the last object that you brought home?
Luckily I have enough furniture. The last piece I bought was the bed in my living room from JAB Louw Antiques. But as odd objects and books keep amusing me, I always find more. It's not easy to find space for them, but in the end I do.
We have to ask: how do you dust?
Quentin Crisp [English writer, raconteur and 1970s gay icon] was against dusting. He said dust settles after a while. As I change arrangements I dust, or every once in a while I pack things up and clean.
What do you love about living in Johannesburg?
Johannesburg is diverse and intense, with lots of energy and stimuli. The "edge" is quite close, which is a great tension to live and create against.
- Superella: corner 9th Street and 7th Avenue, Melville, Johannesburg. Call 082-845-5551. This article appears in the February/March issue of Elle Decoration. Now on sale
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