There are many interior designers whose work I admire. If it takes a village to raise a child, then it takes an army to help beautify American homes. But my favorite designers are the ones who approach interior decoration like a cullinary experiment, combining spices and ingredients that most people would never think to combine...
So someone recently asked me if I had a favorite designer. It took about a nano-second for me to respond: KELLY WEARSTLER! You may know her from her TV turn as one of the judges on Bravo's Top Design. Her sometimes outrageous hair and clothes became the subject of many designer blog fodder last year. Yet underneath all of the over-the-top glamour lies an exceptionally talented designer. Who creates over-the-top designs. But over-the-top alone does not make a great designer. Kelly has the natural instinct for pairing unusual objects, and really understands the subtle techniques of layering texture and color. They don't teach you those things in design school. You either possess it or you don't. Kelly Wearstler has it in spades.
Kelly's first pictorial book "Modern Glamour: The Art of Unexpected Style" [2004, Regan Books] focused mainly on her work in hospitality [hotels and resorts]. In these works, her designs are bold, colorful, and decidedly Hollywood Regency Style. In short, VERY glamorous.
So someone recently asked me if I had a favorite designer. It took about a nano-second for me to respond: KELLY WEARSTLER! You may know her from her TV turn as one of the judges on Bravo's Top Design. Her sometimes outrageous hair and clothes became the subject of many designer blog fodder last year. Yet underneath all of the over-the-top glamour lies an exceptionally talented designer. Who creates over-the-top designs. But over-the-top alone does not make a great designer. Kelly has the natural instinct for pairing unusual objects, and really understands the subtle techniques of layering texture and color. They don't teach you those things in design school. You either possess it or you don't. Kelly Wearstler has it in spades.
Kelly's first pictorial book "Modern Glamour: The Art of Unexpected Style" [2004, Regan Books] focused mainly on her work in hospitality [hotels and resorts]. In these works, her designs are bold, colorful, and decidedly Hollywood Regency Style. In short, VERY glamorous.
Kelly's second book "Domicilium Decoratus" [2006, Regan Books] is where she really hooked me. It's another pictorial, this time of her own Hillcrest Estate in Beverly Hills. It's every bit as glamorous as her high-end boutique hotel work, but very homey at the same time. Again, her knack for juxtaposing genres of design, mixed periods of antiques, and layer upon layer of texture and color is breathtaking. How much do I love this house? This designer could move right in, turn-key, and not change a thing. Endorsementus Maximus.
Her latest book entiltled "Hue" with editor Steve Crist hits shelves in November 2009...I can't wait to see what delicious feast for the eyes Kelly dishes up next! To shop for Kelly's books, follow the Amazon link below:
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