Gelie Beans and Sparkly Things: on kelly wearstler.

if you don't know who she is, please dismiss yourself. or wait. keep reading.

(via nytimes.com)

kelly wearstler is one, if not THE one, of the best interior designers out there. Her cutting edge, no holds barred designs are nothing short of stunning. She is the epitome of taste and the best at creating the most luxurious lifestyle designs. She hails from South Carolina (thats where she got her sweet accent) and yes, if you google her, she was in Playboy. She used the cash from posing to pay off college loans. Smart. But I'll ignore that. She received her degree from the Massachusetts college of art, moved to LA, opened her own firm, KWID, in 2005 and since then has been feverishly taking over the design world. mine included.

her work can be seen all over the world.. from Santa Monica, Palm Springs, Miami, and recently Anguilla, to the Caribbean, Mexico, and the Middle east. She recently re-designed the Avalon & Maison 140 in Beverly Hills, and the Tides in South Beach. Her clientele are nothing short of fabulous- high profile and celebrities, and of course hot spot restaurants, retail stores, and offices.

she has written a slew of must "reads" (some of her books are lacking in the word department, but have no fear, the pages are full of the most wonderful images). her debut 'Modern Glamour: The Art of Unexpected Style' is a staple in any real designers library. Her follow-up books, 'Domicilium Decoratus', and AMMO books, 'HUE' are elegantly photographed, eloquently captioned, and showcase her best work. You don't even have to read them. Hello gorgeous eye candy.

She has won numerous awards for her work and has earned recognition including 'Style Leader' by Town and Country, one of House Beautiful's Best Designers, "dubbed one of the worlds top tastemakers by House and Garden", named "Design 100"- of all elite designers by Time Style & Design; Modern Bride designated her as one of the top 25 trendsetters of the year, and has been named Best Dressed by Vogue. As well as being a fabulous designer, she also regularily contributes to fashion mags such as Harper's Bazaar, Elle, and W.

You may all recognize her as a judge from Bravo's "Top Design" (she most definitely was the one with the fabulous clothes and crazy hair. LOVE her). I recognize her from all her signature lines... from her boutique in Bergdorf Goodman, to her rug collection by The Rug Collection, her fabrics and trims from Lee Jofa, home goods from Sferra, and dinnerware from Pickard China.

her designs are modern with clean, graphic lines, and boy are they swanky and glamorous. They are modern takes on old hollywood, and infludenced by non other than designers like dorothy draper & william haines. she takes architectural and theatrical items and blends them in a way that some can only describe as 'maximalism'. her designs are hip, grand, decorative, and thrifty.