'Gwyenth Paltrow And I Had A Blast' – Brigette Romanek Opens Up About All The Creative Experiences That Have Shaped Her

Brigette Romanek’s approach to design is rooted less in formal training than in instinct, memory, and emotion. Raised by a fiercely creative mother who encouraged self-expression at every turn, she grew up in homes that were in constant flux – walls repainted overnight, murals appearing unannounced, bedrooms treated as personal worlds. That early sense of freedom continues to underpin her work today, where comfort, individuality, and a certain relaxed eclecticism take precedence over rigid rules.

Brigette Romanek came to interior design later than many of her contemporaries, almost by accident, yet her rise has been swift, propelled by a distinctive sensibility and a roster of high-profile clients. In this installment of our Layered Lives series, she reflects on the unconventional path that led her into the industry, the formative spaces that shaped her eye, and why, for her, the success of a room is measured less by how it looks than by how it makes people feel.

Homes & Gardens: Where do you think your love of design comes from?

Brigette Romanek: I’ve always been moved by, inspired by, and aware of my surroundings. I’m a Cancer, so it makes sense because, you know, you live in your shell! I do love home, I just do. Home is a place to exhale and find some reprieve, and it’s also a place to express yourself – it’s your canvas. We moved around so much when I was little, and my mom was such a creative soul who understood that I needed a place to call my own. When I was five years old, we moved to LA, and she just said, ‘Whatever you want, have it!’ She knew that I should have that sense of ownership, and getting to have that place I could call my own, with my things that I cared about and that felt familiar – that was all I needed.

Homes & Gardens: And what did those early bedrooms you designed look like?

Brigette Romanek: I had yellow walls, a yellow bed... I know yellow is very in right now! I had about 72 stuffed animals all piled up on the bed – it would look like installation art to see them all stacked up. I had posters on the wall that I’d change out depending on my latest loves. My mom let me do it all. A friend of hers made her a four-poster bed that was humongous – the diameter of each of the posts was that of a small table – and she allowed me to have a canopy bed too because I loved hers so much. She was a free spirit – she still is – and so she felt that anything that had significance to me, I could have.

Homes & Gardens: Where do you think her creativity came from?

Brigette Romanek: She’s a singer – she went into music, and it wasn’t considered a popular career choice, but she wouldn’t back down. My grandfather said to her, ‘Why don’t you deliver mail?’ but she was a creative soul, and she had a different way of looking at things. I’m so grateful to her. She would always say, ‘Yes, let’s try that,’ no matter what the idea was.

Homes & Gardens: Music has been very important in your adult life too, so it’s interesting to see it shaping your formative years.

Brigette Romanek: My mom was discovered by Quincy Jones – she was the original singer in Rufus. Chaka Khan was a friend of hers and got her the audition with Quincy.

Homes & Gardens: Are there any spaces or places you remember that caught your imagination when you were young and showed you the possibilities of good design?

Brigette Romanek: Yes, a living room in our house. We got an apartment, and my mom thought it was a little boring. I kid you not, she had some very creative friends, and I would come home and there would be a mural on the wall – she would let them do whatever they wanted. It would change constantly – I would come home and the walls were purple, or I would come home and someone had painted the Chicago downtown skyline on the wall. Without realizing it, I was immersed in a creative world, and I am so grateful for that. There was no formal design training for me, it was just a love and an understanding of how things could be.

Homes & Gardens: So when did you first start to think about design as a career, and how did you get into it?

Brigette Romanek: It wasn’t that long ago. I didn’t know it was something people did in the way I understand now – it was just something that I really enjoyed. My husband and I lived in London, which was so inspiring. I loved walking around London so much because culture was everywhere, and it was fueling me, seeing things I hadn’t seen before. That, for me, was oxygen – I love to learn and grow. So then I said that if we were moving back to LA, it had to have some culture somehow.

We moved to Hancock Park, into the only house that hadn’t been taken care of, and I could see the bones of it and what it could become. Then people would come over and say, ‘Whoa, it’s amazing,’ and I just shrugged my shoulders because all I’d done was use the tricks I had learned from my mom. Then someone came in and said they weren’t connecting with the interior designer they’d hired, and perhaps I could do it. And I got the job by just shrugging my shoulders and saying, ‘OK.’

Homes & Gardens: How has your work evolved since those early projects?

Brigette Romanek: My principles stay the same – there is always eclecticism, a level of comfort, and things and pieces that mean something to the client so the space feels familiar. But as I experience the world, as I venture out and try new things, what I’m drawn to changes. I’m also always meeting new makers, seeking them out when I want something specific for a project, and that opens my eyes to new possibilities when I see what they can do.

Homes & Gardens: Are there any early projects that stand out to you as a turning point in your career?

Brigette Romanek: My first job was really important – I stepped back and said, ‘I love this, and I think I can do this,’ and it really solidified where I belonged. It was for the Patricofs, a very influential family in LA, and a lot of people saw it, so that created more work. And then Gwyneth Paltrow’s house really brought me a lot of attention. What was so amazing about that was that it happened so organically. She was like, ‘I was going to do this myself,’ but obviously she’s a little busy, and so she asked me to help, and I said sure, and it turned into an entire house. It was one of the best jobs because she is so on it, so smart, and we had a blast.

Homes & Gardens: How do you want people to feel in your spaces at the moment, and how do you create that feeling?

Brigette Romanek: You know, you can make a pretty space, but you want it to have heart and soul, and you want it to support the people who enter it. People remember how they felt in a room longer than they remember how it looked, so I want to create spaces where there is a feeling of good energy. That can come as much from the negative space as from the pieces you put in it. If there is air and space around each item, then the whole room feels more comfortable.

Homes & Gardens: In your own home, you’ve started embracing pattern. Has this changed how your house feels?

Brigette Romanek: Yes – since covering my sofa in that Liberty floral print fabric, I have continued on my journey into pattern. I love that fabric so much because it makes me feel so good. Liberty has a special place in my heart from when I lived in London, so I recently got more fabrics from Liberty and am deciding how to use them. It’s so much fun to play around with prints.

Homes & Gardens: And being in LA, outdoor space is very important to you, isn’t it?

Brigette Romanek: Absolutely, the outdoor area is just another part of the house. In my home in Laurel Canyon, I see it as a continuation of the indoors and wanted to make it as fun and relaxing to be in as my living room. That means powder-coated furniture in bright, bold colors – shades like orange that feel fresh and inviting. Because that’s what a home should always be, and that’s how I want mine to feel.

What emerges is a designer guided by intuition and a deeply held belief in the emotional power of space. Brigette Romanek’s work resists formula, instead drawing on personal history, ongoing curiosity, and close collaboration with clients to create interiors that feel both expressive and at ease.

From her early, ever-changing childhood homes to her current projects, there is a consistent thread: a commitment to creating environments with warmth, personality, and a sense of possibility. Whether through pattern, color, or carefully considered negative space, her aim remains the same – to design homes that not only look inviting, but genuinely support the lives lived within them.

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