Kelly Wearstler

Kelly Wearstler is an American interior designer and founder of Kelly Wearstler Interior Design (KWID), established in the mid-1990s. Initially serving the hotel industry, her firm designs across high-end residential, commercial, retail, and hospitality spaces. She is widely recognized for her influential designs for the Viceroy hotel chain in the early 2000s and her bold, maximalist approach. Over her career, she has designed properties for notable private clients, established a luxury lifestyle brand, published several books, and appeared on television.

Born on November 21, 1967, in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Wearstler was raised by her father, an engineer, and her mother, an antique dealer. Her mother's passion for design influenced Wearstler from a young age through frequent room repainting and trips to thrift shops, auctions, and flea markets. After collecting vintage clothing as a teenager, she attended the Massachusetts College of Art in Boston, taking architecture classes and earning a bachelor's degree in interior and graphic design. During college, she waitressed and held internships at Cambridge Seven Associates and Milton Glaser.

Wearstler moved to Los Angeles in her mid-twenties aiming to work as a film set decorator, working as a production assistant on HouseSitter in 1992 and an uncredited assistant art director on So I Married an Axe Murderer in 1993. After stepping away from film, her movie set contacts led to an interior design commission. In 1994, she was featured as the September Playboy Playmate of the Month under the name Kelly Gallagher, using her earnings to pay off student loans and fund her design business.

In 1995, Wearstler established KWID. She was soon hired by real estate developer Brad Korzen to design properties for Kor Realty Group, including the Avalon hotel in Beverly Hills, which re-opened in 1999 to acclaim for its mid-century style. This success led to her designing boutique properties for the Viceroy Hotels and Resorts chain in Palm Springs, Santa Monica, Miami, and Anguilla. She later became the design partner for the Proper Hotel Group, designing properties in cities including Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Austin.

Wearstler expanded into product design, launching furniture, lighting, home accessories, and textiles under her eponymous lifestyle brand, sold through her Los Angeles flagship store, website, and major retailers. She has authored five books, including Modern Glamour in 2004, Domicilium Decoratus in 2006, Hue in 2010, Rhapsody in 2012, and Synchronicity in 2023. On television, she served as a judge on all twenty episodes of Bravo's Top Design from 2007 to 2008. Additionally, she was the first interior designer featured in the MasterClass Series and the first outside partner for Farrow & Ball.

Wearstler has earned numerous industry accolades. She was named to Time's Style & Design 100 in 2007 and has frequently appeared on Architectural Digest's AD100 list, culminating in her induction into the AD100 Hall of Fame in 2021. Elle Decor named her to its A-List, honoring her as an A-List Titan in 2021 and an A-List Legend in 2026. Her design for the Downtown L.A. Proper Hotel won Hotel and short-stay interior of the year at the 2022 Dezeen Awards.