STAR QUALITY

For every successful business named after its founder, there comes a period of tension when the company blossoms beyond the persona and becomes, well, a brand. Kelly Wearstler has navigated the potentially awkward evolution effortlessly; in the 27 years since she entered the interior design world, her company has grown exponentially. She has remained integral to the nuts-and-bolts decision-making across the business, keeping her hands on every project, while turning her independently-owned company into a household name – a rarity for the industry. She manages to make the whole enterprise feel personal, as though she might ring you up after you purchase a chair from her website to discuss your choice of finish, yet exudes the confidence of someone helming a global design empire.

When we speak over Zoom (at 8am on a Saturday morning no less; evidently, she rarely switches off), she is at home, at Hillcrest, a 12,000 sq ft, six-bedroom mansion in Beverly Hills, where the shoot for this issue took place. She purchased the property in 2006 from the prestigious Broccoli family, the producers of the James Bond films, and her Oscar-worthy renovation lets the house’s historic bones breathe while dressing it with a contemporary air. She lives there with her husband, two sons and two dogs. While