Kelly Wearslter, an American designer, is someone I admire a lot. She created her own design firm, Kelly Wearstler Interior Design in the mid-1990s and skyrocketed from there. She became somewhat of a household name after her amazing work in various hotel chains, specifically in California. Her reputation was solidified after The New Yorker dubbed her, “the presiding grande dame of West Coast interior design.” This newfound fame landed her clients such as Gwen Stefani and Cameron Diaz and also allowed her to be on Bravo’s Top Design show as a judge.

Kelly has described her design work as romantic in style which can be seen through her sophisticated and beautiful spaces. Although her style has shifted a bit and according to the New Yorker, “her style has evolved from mid-century modern to glammed-up Hollywood Regency to an ornate, layered look inspired in part by the late Hollywood set decorator and interior designer Tony Duquette. She uses intense colors, David Hicks-like graphic patterning, and contrasting textures (lacquer, parchment, shagreen).” In many of her design projects you see almost a Gatsby element, whether it be through the tiles or mix of brass and copper with lots of gold. She receives a small, simple room and can elevate to it a level of class and elegance, her work is gorgeous.

She found influence in Modernism and old Hollywood glamour as created by Dorothy Draper and William Haines. Dorothy Draper was known to use bright colors and mix them with sophisticated spaces to create a jaw dropping room. She was known as “anti-minimalist” which Kelly Wearstler has said to agree with as she brought back the term, “minimalism” in interior design. For a long time, even now too, less is more was the phrase that many repeated to themselves when it came to decorating but I agree with Wearstler that in some cases more is less and more is beautiful!

Wearstler is well renowned and has not gone unnoticed. She received recognition from Vogue, Elle Decor, Architectural Digest, and even Time Magazine. She has also received awards such as, Top 100 Architects and Designers, A-List Designers, and Top 20 Interior Designers.

I want to finalize this by including one of my favorite designs by Kelly Wearstler and explaining why I love it so much! The picture I included is a hotel restaurant and bar, a venue that she frequently works on as I mentioned earlier. I admire this space so much because of the elegance and dramatics of the room, the dark blue clashing with the gold bar and patterned chairs as well as the dark wood tables continued throughout makes the space tie together. Another thing I like is the contrast between the almost black geometric ceiling with the dainty white feathery lights that hang from it.