Working with Style

There are some designers who say they have little to no time to devote to their own homes, and others who treat their abodes as opportunities to make statements. Just think about how Miles Redd's home (and most especially that David Adler bathroom) helped to build his glamorous reputation. Well, one could say that a design office is yet another opportunity to show potential clients that you know what you're doing and that you mean business.

Take, for example, Kelly Wearstler. That's the Kelly Wearstler Studio boardroom featured at top. Yes, the chandelier is glam, the painting bold, and the wallpaper striking. But for me it's all about the Kelly Wearstler folders arranged neatly on the boardroom table. The next time the Peak of Chic holds her annual meeting, she just might have to follow suit.


This yummy room is the Materials Library at Wearstler's Hillcrest Estate. OK, so technically it's not an office, but wouldn't you love to spend a few hours rifling through all of that fabric?


Back in 1934, the decorating firm Beverly & Valentine had "foyer trouble" in their Chicago office. They installed a niche and placed painted mirror within it; a basket of greenery was placed at the base. The chicest thing about this space are the walls painted to resemble venetian blinds. Love that detail!


The former office of Heather Hoyt and Alison Levasseur (photographed in 2002) makes me want to rethink my own office. And keep in mind that this was early on in the coral craze, so it looked really fresh at the time.


Sybil Colefax had a studio at 29 Bruton Street which was really more of a showroom rather than office. Still, it must have been heaven to have worked here on a daily basis. Be sure to check out the radiator covers, some of the most stylish I've seen. (Photo c. 1940)


(Top Wearstler photo from Hue, Grey Crawford photographer; 2nd Wearstler photo from Hue, Francois Halard photographer. 1934 photo from House Beautiful. Hoyt/Levasseur office from House Beautiful, 10/02, Buff Strickland photographer. Colefax photo from John Fowler: Prince of Decorators by Martin Wood.)