Need we introduce Kelly Wearstler? The interior designer is one of the biggest contemporary names in the field, putting her signature warm and soulful stamp on everything from high-end residential spaces to premium hotels (she's designed for the likes of Proper and Four Seasons).
Not content with just interior design, she's also turned her hand to furniture, developing pieces under her eponymous studio and collaborating with everyone from Ann Sacks and Farrow & Ball to Visual Comfort and even piano brand, Edelweiss. With each, she creates luxurious yet instantly usable pieces that add personality to a home.
Currently in Milan launching her new collection with H&M Home, I recently caught up with Kelly Wearstler to talk all things smart thrifting, designing for good vibes, and her quintessential West Coast aesthetic.
What Is Resonating With You Design-Wise Right Now?
The foundations of how I work have never changed — I’ve always loved vintage pieces, classic things that have a history, that are soulful, often imperfect. But I also love pieces that are new and energetic, that create a sense of tension with the antiques.
Because I’ve always used vintage pieces, it’s harder to timestamp my work — I look at some of my earlier projects and wonder when they were created. Because of social media, everyone is so trend-driven now, but what’s hot today dates quickly. Look in auction houses and antique stores for pieces you love instead.
How Do You Find the Treasure Among the Trash?
That’s the fun part! Sifting through the garbage and finding the needle in the haystack — it’s so rewarding when you spot something amazing in an old, smelly store.
And actually, if something gives you the feeling, it will give other people the feeling too, when they see it in your home. It’s those one-of-a-kinds that give a home character.
I’ve Stayed at the Santa Monica Proper. It Was Relaxed Yet Sumptuous, and Filled With Good Vibes. What Do You Put That Down to?
It’s about being in a unique space. My job is to make people happy — I’ve always been in the service industry, from waiting tables as a teen to now — and curating places can do that.
So dig deep, sift the thrift stores, find items on your travels, display them with care, light them wonderfully — the good vibes will follow, I promise.
Your Line of Lamps With Visual Comfort & Co. Is So Beloved. How Are You Approaching Lighting Right Now?
Well, I don’t like too much downlighting. I’d never use it if I could avoid it in a public space, and the same rule applies to home. Imagine if you came to one of my hotels and sat on a couch under a harsh light, and it gave you raccoon eyes!
And because you didn’t feel you looked amazing, you stopped feeling amazing. So keep overhead to a minimum, and very soft when it’s there — otherwise it all needs to be sconces, floor lights, and interesting forms and shades. I’m obsessed with natural daylight.
Of Which You Get a Lot More in LA Than We Do in the UK!
Yes, but there are tricks to enhance what you do get. Keep the window treatments unfussy. I love a scrim blind or a sheer, something that creates shadow. These can be so interesting in a room, and softening on everything in your space.
Can You Share What You'll Be Doing at Milan Design Week?
I’m so excited to be collaborating with H&M Home on a collection born from the idea of daily rituals and modularity — the things we do from day to day, sometimes subconsciously, that inform our lives through design.
Modularity is a key thread — a step toward democratized design that makes the range more accessible and able to respond to a broader spectrum of environments and needs.
Brilliantly, this is H&M Home’s first venture into larger furniture with a designer collaborator, alongside smaller items of home decor. I can’t wait for you to see it!
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