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Kelly Wearstler -
The Kelly Wearstler interiors of the Dahlia cocktail lounge at Downtown LA Proper Hotel. -
Vintage Pianura armchairs by Mario Bellini in the main bedroom of the Brentwood bungalow in California. -
A statement stone dresser in the Brentwood project. -
The bungalow’s dusty-pink office with a teak-and-resin work table by Ross Hansen Design. -
The living room at the Brentwood home. -
Zuma tableware in Sienna for Serax. -
Custom bed and bedside table by Kelly Wearstler in the pine-clad main bedroom; Echo long bench in Ivory Gesso. -
Main en suite bathroom with custom bathtub and wall finishes in Ceppo Beige stone in the Brentwood home. -
The home’s shower is entirely finished in Ceppo Beige – down to the stool.
In this instalment of our series on the new wave of international designers, we look at the super-talented Kelly Wearstler’s distinct style and seemingly infinite creativity.
WORDS Dumisani Mnisi PHOTOS Joyce Park (Kelly); Supplied (Echo Collections, Serax); The Ingalls; Supplied
For Kelly Wearstler, luxury is more of a feeling than a specific tangible quality. It requires good storytelling and considered curation, while honouring history, location and architecture. Celebrated for her boldness in mixing vintage items and antiques with contemporary pieces, the American designer is all about creating inimitable spaces. “I am obsessed with nuance, and I view design as boundless and undefined,” she says.
Her distinctive eye for design was inspired by her mother – an antiques dealer whom Kelly described as a big thrifter. As a young girl, she found herself at yard sales, antique shows and thrift stores, unaware at the time that she was training her eye and developing a design language. Her interests in graphic design, architecture and fashion were also sparked by her love for vintage magazines from the 1970s and ’80s (For more on mixing vintage and modern, check out our guide to luxury design trends for 2024). With a degree from Massachusetts College of Art and Design in graphic and interior design, Kelly has found a way to fuse all of those passions into a successful career path.
The Kelly Wearstler design studio opened its doors in 1995, with its first project being the Avalon Hotel in Beverly Hills. Kelly’s eclectic way of combining old with new, and bringing history and character into spaces, inspired a new language for boutique hotels around the world. Twenty-nine years later, she’s internationally renowned, and has featured on Architectural Digest’s AD100, TIME magazine’s Design 100 and Wallpaper’s Top 20 Designers. She’s collaborated with luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton and Maison Margiela, and has also written six books – her latest, Synchronicity, is a resource that explores her most recent vivid interiors.
Synchronicity
R1 515 | exclusivebooks.co.za
Kelly’s strength lies in her ability to infuse her client’s character into an interior – which is exactly what she did when she redesigned a classic 1940s California bungalow in Brentwood. Acting as both interior architect and interior designer, she successfully incorporated the client’s extensive contemporary art collection into the space. Each room has a life of its own: the lounge, for example, features custom armchairs, sofas, and a stone side table by Kelly herself, tied together with custom rugs by Christopher Farr. Another highlight is a dusty-pink office with a custom resin table by Ross Hansen Design and painted cabinetry by Kelly’s studio. But the stars of the home are definitely the monochromatic bathroom with Ceppo Beige stone and the main bedroom’s pine-clad walls – because, Kelly says, “I don’t really like doing something twice.”
She has also mastered the art of collaboration, allowing herself to experiment with new ideas. One of those ideas resulted in her tableware range for Belgian design brand Serax. Exploring the conversation between the past and the present with two collections – Zuma, which touches on modern and historical technology; and Dune, which plays with the forms of the natural world – the range consists of flatware, glassware, cutlery, cake stands and bowls. Each piece is a bold work of art, designed to elevate the eating experience.
Most recently, the A-list designer launched a studio range of furniture. Inspired by the rich organic landscape of California, the Echo Collection consists of sculptural benches, stools and tables, with each handcrafted piece carefully carved from wood by experienced artisans. In a world where minimalism is the latest lauded trend, Kelly constantly demonstrates that you can bring character and life to a space without overpowering or cluttering it – and whether it’s a boutique hotel or a furniture range, she’s determined to continue creating luxurious experiences that sit beautifully between the past and the future. | kellywearstler.com
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