sign in sign up
<<
Home , Hotel design, Kelly Wearstler

THE RADAR

GLAMOUR QUEEN Clockwise from left: Kaleidoscope sculptures ($1,395-$2,395) from the boutique. Kelly Wearstler loves wearing yellow and designing with it, as she did in The Viceroy BY TRAVIS NEIGHBOR WARD Santa Monica Library. Draped marble finial ($1,495) from the Kelly Wearstler Boutique. BG .

B IS FOR BERGDORF Kelly Wearstler, the world’s “it” girl, has opened shop. No one epitomizes glam décor like Kelly Wearstler, the only interior What are you looking out for these days? Whatever I see and I’m taken aback by. It’s all designer able to mix brass elephants with bold geometric rugs and still have over, it varies. It could be glass, metal, marble or parchment. It’s really the it look sexy. But while some Wearstler fans content themselves by poring form and the material, and the color that excites me. And that’s one of the over her books (Domicilium Decoratus and Modern Glamour) and watching reasons I’m doing the shop in . reruns of her on Bravo TV’s reality show , others are gearing up for a pilgrimage to her latest venture: The Kelly Wearstler Boutique, a 250- Do you ever shop on eBay? I’ve never been on eBay, believe it or not. Unfortunately square-foot chic shopping mecca on the seventh floor of Bergdorf I don’t have time because I know there’s, like, so much stuff. But I do shop Goodman in New York. The shop opened a few weeks ago and is on 1stdibs.com. Because it’s all great quality and you don’t have to Wearstler’s first boutique, and a happy addition to the BG Restaurant, sift through so much. I do a ton of shopping via auction catalog, and I do which she also designed in the same building. Between that, her things on absentee bid. I get a ton of furniture through that. When we travel eponymous firm, her residential and design projects, and second with my family, we go where I can take two days and go shopping. Because retail rug collection that debuts early next year with The Rug Company, we’re designing these and spaces, and it takes so much time that the Wearstler’s plate is full. We caught up with her on the road to get the low- furniture part of it is just like the last thing. down on her style, projects and family time. R. Are there any colors you don’t like designing with? I love every color. E TL The Atlantan: What are you working on now? Kelly Wearstler: We’re doing The Tides S Y WEAR

Hotel in South Beach, in Miami, which will be done in November or You and your husband [hotelier Brad Korzen] have two sons, ages 3 and 5. How do you achieve your L L E

December. The Viceroy Icon Brickell in Miami and The Viceroy glam look at home and still make it low-maintenance? They’re well-trained. Food and F K

Anguilla. [The latter is] going to be modern but very accessible and drinks stay in the . Period. They jump on the sofa and they jump Y O RTES

organic, five stars. There’s a 15,000-square-foot spa and restaurant. Also on the bed and stuff. But you know, you’ve got to let them be kids. U O

two hotels in Mexico, in the Mayan Riviera [the Tides Playa del Carmen They’re more precious than the furniture. So, if something’s damaged I OS C T O H

and the Viceroy Mayakoba]. And that’s enough. don’t freak out, I just fix it. CONTINUED... P

68 > NOVEMBER 2007

Wearstler mixed classical and modern for the cabanas at the Viceroy Santa Monica.

...CONTINUED In your book Domicilium Decoratus, you’re lounging in couture gowns a lot at home. Do you really do that? Or is that a message to readers? The message is have fun! It was really more of a spoof because I’m so casual. I work like there’s no tomorrow, I have two boys and I’m constantly busy and running around… You can’t get too serious about it.

What do you do when you’re not working? I’m with my family. We go hiking together and bike riding. We love going to Mexico, because it’s totally a great place to go and just relax. And we also love taking adventures. We went to South America, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile. We’ve been to Japan, France, Turkey, Morocco. Everywhere.

You’ve mentioned the late designer as inspiration. What inspires you about her work? I think her stuff was modern, but there was a sense of tradition. And for her era she was such a risk-taker, and I think that’s the most important thing. She was unbelievable for her generation.

What other past inspire you? David Hicks and California designer Michael Taylor. His work was very simple, modern and really powerful.

What do you think about mixing styles in a home? We just bought a Georgian house from 1926. There’s so much paneling that’s classical and if I put a bunch of period furniture in it, it would look like my grandparents live there. There has to R.

be a contrast. It’s like if you buy all your clothes at the same store: It ends E TL up looking a little boring and serious. But I think if you mix different S Y WEAR

periods and materials, and create these interesting dialogues with the L L E

furniture, it creates a much more beautiful product in the end. And if you F K

find a great period chair, don’t put a heavy tapestry on it. Put a great leather Y O RTES

in a great color, and make it feel a little more fresh. A U WWearstlerearstler saw red at the home of Stacey Snider, O OS C T

chairwoman of Universal Pictures. O H

The Kelly Wearstler Boutique, 800.558.1855 or www.kellywearstler.com. P

70 > NOVEMBER 2007