Eclectic and experiential, Kelly Wearstler’s style helped redefine modern American design and influenced the rise of designer hotels. Now the award-winning designer takes you behind the scenes to demystify interior design. Make any space feel larger, and choose colors, materials, and textures with confidence. Curate collections of art and objects, cultivate your own distinct style, and create spaces that tell a story.
Overview
Syllabus
- Meet Your Instructor: Kelly Wearstler
- World-renowned interior designer Kelly Wearstler believes good design helps us live and feel better. She lays out what she will cover in the class, including how to confidently make creative choices for your home.
- Sources of Inspiration
- Design ideas are everywhere. To show you how to look for your own inspiration, Kelly shares how a bracelet became the basis for a sconce and a vintage dress informed the design of the Villon restaurant at the San Francisco Proper Hotel.
- Starting a Project
- Kelly teaches you how to ask the right initial questions that will get you started on your new project.
- Working With Space
- Kelly reveals how to design your space like a boat, make a small space feel larger, and engage with existing architectural features to give your space a new spirit.
- Field Trip: Working With Space
- Go behind the scenes with Kelly as she walks you through the yet-to-open Downtown L.A. Proper Hotel. She shows you how she works with existing architectural features when starting a new design.
- Materiality in Design
- Wood, stone, tile, and metal are some of Kelly’s favorite materials. Discover how to create what she calls a “vibe tray” to play with materials and keep your project fluid.
- Living With Color
- According to Kelly, living without color is like living without love. Find out some easy, creative ways to invite colors into your home that make you feel good.
- Field Trip: Experimenting With Color
- Kelly returns to the Downtown L.A. Proper Hotel to experiment with paint colors. You’ll learn how to apply paint and what to consider when testing colors.
- Discovering Texture
- See how texture adds dimension to your design as Kelly shows you how the multitextured elements in the Santa Monica Proper Hotel lobby work harmoniously together.
- Pattern: Movement and Scale
- Pattern is one of Kelly’s favorite design vehicles. Learn how to work with pattern, how it adds energy to a room, and how to choose the right pattern for your home.
- Lighting: Enhancing Your Space
- Lighting is everything. Kelly shares how to work with natural light, create a mood with dimmability, choose light bulbs, and add fun accents.
- Furnishing: Balance and Comfort
- Kelly invites you into her living room and talks about her design choices. Learn how to work with balance and symmetry to create a comfortable living room, see your furniture as sculpture, and choose the right sofa.
- Creating Experience With Art and Objects
- Kelly encourages you to let your curiosity be your guide in collecting and displaying the objects that make you feel your best at home.
- Field Trip: The Completed Story
- Kelly walks you through the various elements—color, texture, lighting, furnishing—that came together for the Santa Monica Proper Hotel.
- Design Heroes
- Kelly discusses the designers who have influenced her work, including Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Josef Hoffmann, Pierre Cardin, and Ettore Sottsass.
- Creative Journey
- Kelly talks about experiences that inspired her to become the designer she is today
- Life as an Interior Designer
- Kelly shares how she manages her time, how she faces challenges and deals with design failures, and where and how she shops when in a new city.
Taught by
Kelly Wearstler
