As an interior designer, Kelly Wearstler draws inspiration from Aldo Rossi’s architecture as well as the works of Dorothy Draper, William Haines, and modernism. Her aesthetic has been compared to Hollywood maximalism and regency. She is recognized with helping to “bring the florid and the decorative back to interior design,” along with Miles Redd and Jonathan Adler. View her projects right here!
Hillcrest Residence
The interiors of the historic house have changed over time as Wearstler has used her home as a creative laboratory to experiment with recently discovered vintage and contemporary designs and to curate a global collection of special and significant furniture, furnishings, and works of art that she has amassed during her travels. The two-story 1934 James Dolena architectural masterpiece is still filled with exquisite original elements, including solid, boiserie paneled doors and elaborate Georgian, neoclassical, and regency moldings. An interior courtyard that is surrounded by the house is visible from practically every room in the house.
Madison Avenue
The magnificent front of a 1901 beaux-arts limestone home in Central Park reveals a rich architectural history. With this significant clue as her main inspiration, Kelly Wearstler completely gut-renovated the interior, adding big gestures and exquisite details in rich materials that reference the structure’s past. Through an extraordinarily sophisticated mash-up of styles that includes contemporary rising artists who are both inspired and immensely welcome, Chinese art deco, European mid-century masters, and more, a modern sensibility mindfully resides within.
Westfield
The design and architecture of the iconic retail destination Westfield Century City, which reflects Kelly Wearstler’s renowned West Coast aesthetic, captures the essence of southern California’s effortless elegance and casual luxury as well as the distinctive legacy and lifestyle of Los Angeles. Natural, artisanal materials in muted tones, outdoor home settings covered in handcrafted tiles, natural woods, a variety of furnishings, and lush landscaping all combine to create a singularly immersive experience using components typically incorporated into bespoke hospitality locations. Wearstler’s design, which places a strong emphasis on materiality and attention to detail, makes extensive use of white and smokey grey metals, custom-made solid teak furniture, linear and flowing architecture, as well as lattices that serve to shade and dapple the plentiful sunlight. The property’s gardens contain a series of intimate spaces and seating areas, shaded by wood-screened trellises, olive trees, and aloe plants.
Santa Monica Proper
The Kelly Wearstler-designed Santa Monica Proper Hotel is a chic beachfront resort with a laid-back attitude. The design identity of the property and its underlying storytelling were inspired by the climatic conditions, history, and iconography of its namesake city. The reception contains a hand-carved desk with linework evocative of a shell and a sand-infused gesso canvas behind it. The space is punctuated throughout with artistic renditions of classic coastal elements. While a bronze white-wash patina chain link sculpture with neon light piercings is 9 feet tall, the reclaimed oak hardwood floor has a detailed octagonal pattern inspired by a bird’s-eye view of a beach umbrella. The expansive rooftop deck and pool exemplify the contemporary indoor/outdoor California lifestyle, enhanced with strong patterns and forms and a color scheme inspired by nature. The rooms’ interaction and a lingering-oriented ambience are established by architectural components, ambient lighting, and potted flora.
Wooster Residence
The breathtaking views from this three-story, two-bedroom penthouse property, perched high above Soho’s cobblestone streets, were where the romance for the client’s NYC pied-à-terre redesign started. The inside was completely redone to accommodate Kelly Wearstler’s idea of an open, opulently eclectic jewel box residence. The home speaks to the beauty of the unexpected by incorporating distinctive materiality, vibrant colors, handcrafted furnishings, rugs and wallcoverings, and one-of-a-kind finds from around the globe. Key items include a vibrant bespoke stacked enamel cabinet by Peter Shire that serves as the focal point of the living room, a vintage 1970s wood-painted figural sculpture at the second floor doorway, and a custom console table and custom enamel brass cabinet. Hand-picked furnishings by Gio Ponti, Paul Evans, and Jacques Jarrige are thoughtfully arranged throughout the home.
Harper Avenue Residence
This West Hollywood villa in the bright Californian Spanish style provided an outstanding blank canvas for its decor. Kelly Wearstler infused the expansive open layout with a self-assured design that is incredibly unique with an infusion of contemporary and vintage art, furniture, and sculpture by well-known and well-known emerging artists in order to create a home that celebrated the clients’ personal love of art, color, and sculpture. The home’s vibrant, lively yet elegant color scheme, which was inspired by the client’s own paintings, highlights the new energy and artistic, joyful atmosphere present throughout. Every area contains dynamic Memphis artwork, including works by Gary Knox Bennett and Ettore Sottsass from the past as well as more recent projects. One of the important components giving each living room a unique personality is a leafy gesso cabinet created by Katie Stout, a bendable chandelier sculpture by Misha Kahn, a resin-coated credenza by Matthew Morgan, and a custom bar cabinet made by Peter Shire.
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Dean Armchair
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This leather-upholstered accent chair was designed to resemble James Dean, a cultural figure, and features curving arms and a slim, boxy appearance. It has a distinctly lounge chair-like structure constructed of lacquered wood and polished brass in a traditional design. The Dean Chair is right here!
