'Sifting Through The Garbage Is Fun' – Superstar Designer Kelly Wearstler Explains How She Always Manages To Find The Treasures in The Trash
As part of our Layered Lives series, Kelly Wearstler looks back on how her mom taught her to revere vintage stores and build schemes that have story and character
Few designers have shaped the look and feel of contemporary interiors quite like Kelly Wearstler. Known for her bold use of texture, sculptural forms, and a confident mixing of eras, Kelly has built a career that spans private residences, iconic hotels, and product design – always with a signature sense of drama balanced by livability.
Yet behind the polish lies a deeply personal creative philosophy, rooted in early experiences of thrift store treasure hunting, instinctive styling, and a lifelong fascination with objects that carry history. In this interview, part of our Layered Lives series, she reflects on the formative spaces that defined her aesthetic, from her maximalist childhood home in South Carolina to her first major breakthrough in hospitality design.
Homes & Gardens: Can you describe the first space that shaped your sense of design?
Kelly Wearstler: I grew up in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and my mom was a design enthusiast. She was 18 when she had my sister and me, and she was still so curious about everything – she loved going to yard sales, flea markets, and thrift stores, shopping for both fashion and design. I remember so clearly going to these musty shops, feeling curious myself, and looking at all these old fashion magazines.
I can still remember the scent that came from them as I opened them. It meant I was being exposed to all these aesthetic references as early as five or six years old. Aside from being a young mom, she came from a working-class family, so she learned to be creative and make money go further by wallpapering, painting, and doing all sorts of things herself.
Homes & Gardens: What was her style like? And did any of it rub off on you?
Kelly Wearstler: Her style was very country – she collected a little bit of everything, and there was stuff everywhere. Seriously, there was nowhere to put a drink down – she was very maximalist. And it made her feel great! Thanks to her, I’m drawn to things that are unusual – a chair, a scarf, or a cool belt.
Homes & Gardens: Did you ever buy anything from these vintage shops yourself?
Kelly Wearstler: Yes, and I always really wanted to. So at 12, I got a job babysitting so I could have money to buy cool things. At 13, I started working in a beach café, and I began bringing home vintage jewelry I’d bought.
Homes & Gardens: Were you decorating your own bedroom at that age, too?
Kelly Wearstler: I remember growing up, my mom would say I could pick out the wallpaper for my bedroom, and I loved wallpaper with graphic designs. I started making very bold design decisions for wall coverings, choosing multicolored patterns that looked like knitted textures with very loose weaves. They couldn’t have been more 1980s!
Homes & Gardens: Can you see any similarities between the creative processes your mom taught you and how you work now?
Kelly Wearstler: Aesthetics were different back then, but the way I thought is still the foundation of how I work now. I love vintage and classic pieces that have a history – things that are soulful and imperfect. And I also love contemporary design – pieces that feel new and energetic. I look at projects I did 20 years ago, and it’s hard to tell when they were done, since everything draws from the past. That sense of timelessness is really interesting to me.
Homes & Gardens: And looking back over those projects, can you pinpoint one that felt like a turning point?
Kelly Wearstler: Yes – it was the Avalon Hotel in Beverly Hills, my first hotel project, which I actually landed on a whim. I was working on a residential project, and the developers I was collaborating with said I could design a model room at the hotel – but if I wanted to do it, I had to find an architect to partner with. I really wanted the opportunity, so I found an architect, and it was a huge success that launched me into hospitality design.
Homes & Gardens: Having now worked on so many incredible hotels and private spaces, what keeps you interested in design?
Kelly Wearstler: The story of where things come from, how they’re made, and the ideas behind them. That’s why I still love digging around in thrift stores and asking lots of questions – you keep learning and continuing your education.
Sifting through what others might overlook is the fun part, digging through some dusty shop and finding something truly special. I get a high from it – from seeking out the unusual. That’s what design is: a love affair between you and an object.
Homes & Gardens: One of the things people respond so well to about your work is how… sumptuous yet relaxed it is. What do you think are the ingredients that bring this together?
Kelly Wearstler: Texture and form are everything. I love fabrics that are soft to the touch and using them on architectural, modern furniture, so the contrast comes from the contemporary shape.
Homes & Gardens: What turns you off about design?
Kelly Wearstler: I don’t like too much downlighting and only use it to highlight architecture or a special table or feature. I love lamps, sconces, and sculptural pendant lights that create shadow, because they’re what make people look good.
Homes & Gardens: What else are you loving in design right now?
Kelly Wearstler: I love the architecture of a window and not covering it up with too many treatments. I really like scrim shades that allow a lot of light to pass through, creating texture and shadow while softening the space around them.
Homes & Gardens: And outside of interiors, what fuels your creativity?
Kelly Wearstler: I recently saw couture shoes, and the creativity was unbelievable to me. I love the whole presentation – the fabrics and the way they move on the models. Equally, our homes are a way to express ourselves, just like fashion allows us to, so I like to take inspiration from the runway and apply that to decor.
Marble tray from the new Kelly Wearstler X H&M HOME collection
Homes & Gardens: Talking of shows, you'll be presenting your new collection with H&M HOME at Milan Design Week this month. What can we expect?
Kelly Wearstler: I am so excited to be collaborating with H&M HOME. The new collection was born from the idea of daily rituals and modularity – the things we do day to day, sometimes even subconsciously, that inform our lives through design. Modularity is a key thread throughout the collection – a natural step toward democratized design that makes the range more accessible and able to respond to a broader spectrum of environments and needs.
Our collaboration marks H&M HOME’s first venture into larger furniture pieces with a designer collaborator, alongside smaller home décor items. We will be unveiling the collection at Palazzo Acerbi, a beautiful venue that has never been opened for a Milan Design Week exhibition before.
Homes & Gardens: Congratulations! And lastly, when you think of “home,” what images or feelings come to mind?
Kelly Wearstler: It’s about surrounding yourself with things that make you feel great – things you’ve collected over time. A lot of my friends want to decorate their homes all at once, and I always say, “Don’t do that! Take your time, curate, and enjoy the process.”
At its core, Kelly’s approach is less about rules and more about curiosity – an ongoing dialogue between past and present, polish and imperfection. Whether recalling the sensory memories of childhood or describing the thrill of discovering overlooked objects, her perspective reinforces the idea that great interiors are never static or instantly complete. Instead, they are layered, lived-in, and deeply personal.
From her early experiments with wallpaper to global collaborations and hotel design, the thread remains consistent: a belief in tension, texture, and storytelling. It’s this balance – between intuition and intention – that continues to make her work both distinctive and enduring.
