For more than two decades, Kelly Wearstler has been rewriting the language of American interiors. Her aesthetic — maximal yet disciplined, glamorous yet grounded — has defined a generation of design. From boutique hotels to celebrity homes, furniture lines to Instagram feeds, Wearstler has built a career that is at once wildly eclectic and meticulously controlled, a balancing act that has made her one of the most influential designers of the 21st century.
Early Years and Emergence
Born in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, in 1967, Wearstler studied graphic and interior design at the Massachusetts College of Art and later at the New England School of Art & Design. She began her career in Hollywood with set design, but her first breakout came in the late 1990s when she reimagined interiors for the Avalon Hotel in Beverly Hills. Her mix of vintage furniture, bold color, and playful geometry redefined the hotel experience and announced the arrival of a singular vision.
The Boutique Hotel Revolution
Wearstler’s collaboration with hotelier Brad Korzen (later her husband) and the Kor Group produced some of the most iconic boutique hotels of the early 2000s. The Avalon, the Viceroy in Santa Monica, and the Maison 140 in Beverly Hills were not just places to stay but immersive design experiences. They embodied a new era in hospitality, where design became as important as service.
In these projects, Wearstler perfected her blend of mid-century references, graphic patterning, and Hollywood glamour. Guests encountered lacquered furniture, bold prints, sculptural lighting, and unexpected textures — an exuberance that pushed back against the minimalism of the 1990s.
A Residential Force
Wearstler’s residential projects for clients ranging from Cameron Diaz to Gwen Stefani further cemented her reputation. She has described her approach as “curated layers,” an accumulation of history, art, and objects that together form a lived-in yet luxurious narrative. A Wearstler interior is never sterile; it is dynamic, filled with juxtapositions of scale, material, and style.
Objects and Collections
Beyond interiors, Wearstler has built an empire of objects. Her furniture and lighting collections showcase her sculptural sensibility, often merging brutalist weight with organic form. Marble, brass, wood, and stone are manipulated into pieces that feel both ancient and futuristic. Textiles and wallpapers extend her vocabulary of bold pattern and color, making her aesthetic accessible beyond bespoke projects.
The Social Media Era
If Wearstler was once known primarily within design circles, Instagram catapulted her into global visibility. Her feed — an endless scroll of saturated palettes, sculptural furniture, and personal style — has attracted millions, turning her into a cultural influencer beyond interiors. Collaborations with brands like Bergdorf Goodman, The Rug Company, and Georg Jensen only amplified her reach.
The Signature Style
Wearstler’s style has been called “maximalist,” but the term only partly captures it. She is as comfortable with muted stone palettes as she is with candy-colored lacquer. What defines her work is a tension between excess and restraint: curved against angular, polished against rough, monumental against delicate. She cites both California’s light and landscape and her own curiosity as endless inspirations.
Recent Projects
Wearstler’s work on the Proper Hotels — in San Francisco, Santa Monica, Austin, and most recently Downtown L.A. — shows her maturity as a designer. These projects are layered with vintage and contemporary pieces, site-specific art, and local references, proving her ability to evolve her vocabulary while staying recognizably herself. The Santa Monica Proper (properhotel.com/hotels/santa-monica) is a study in coastal warmth, balancing modernist rigor with tactile softness; the Austin Proper (properhotel.com/hotels/austin) channels the city’s eclectic, bohemian energy with bold color and texture.
Legacy and Impact
Kelly Wearstler’s influence is visible across today’s design world. The Instagram-driven appetite for “statement” interiors owes much to her boldness; the willingness to embrace pattern, texture, and eclectic sourcing reflects her example. She has built a brand that spans interiors, products, fashion, and media — proving that design can be a cultural force as much as an aesthetic practice.
Selected Projects
- Avalon Hotel, Beverly Hills – The project that launched Wearstler’s career, blending mid-century lines with Hollywood glamour.
Visit: http://www.avalon-hotel.com/beverly-hills - Viceroy, Santa Monica – A boutique hotel that became a benchmark for bold, glamorous interiors.
Visit: http://www.viceroyhotelsandresorts.com/santa-monica - Maison 140, Beverly Hills – A French-Asian fantasy in lacquer, silk, and bold graphics.
Visit: http://www.maison140beverlyhills.com - Santa Monica Proper Hotel – A study in California modernism, layered with site-specific art.
Visit: http://www.properhotel.com/hotels/santa-monica - Austin Proper Hotel – Eclectic, vibrant interiors reflecting the city’s artistic spirit.
Visit: http://www.properhotel.com/hotels/austin - Downtown L.A. Proper – A historic landmark reimagined through Wearstler’s bold, contemporary lens.
Visit: http://www.properhotel.com/hotels/los-angeles
TL;DR
Kelly Wearstler is more than a decorator; she is a cultural figure who has reshaped the way Americans live with design. Her career maps the evolution of interiors from boutique hotels to social media, from private residences to global hospitality. What makes her remarkable is not simply her eye but her capacity to orchestrate contradiction into harmony — a maximalist who is never chaotic, a modernist who is never cold.
Her interiors feel like California itself: sun-drenched, glamorous, and always just a little larger than life.
Learn more: https://www.kellywearstler.com/
My World of Interiors 