The most influential interior designers have a significant impact on design history and how trends have been shaped over time. Whether you realize it or not, many elements of your own home were designed based on the influence of designers from decades past. Read on to learn more about the most influential interior designers, both past and present.
Elsie de Wolfe
Elsie de Wolfe is known as America’s first interior designer. She made a name for herself beginning in the late 1920’s, when she designed anti-Victorian interiors. She incorporated whimsical murals, trompe-l’œil wallpaper and frivolity in her work.
Dorothy Draper
Dorothy Draper was an American interior decorator who established her business in the 1920s. She used bright, exuberant colors and large prints that would encompass whole walls. In addition, Draper favored playful patterns and unexpected color combinations that many designers draw inspiration from today.
Sister Parish
Sister Parish was an American interior decorator and socialite. She made a name for herself by working with Jacqueline Kennedy to decorate much of the White House under the Kennedy presidency.
Albert Hadley
Albert Hadley made a name for himself in the 1960’s and beyond and is remembered for co-founding Parish-Hadley, Associates, with Sister Parish. His roster of well-known clients includes former Vice President Gore, socialite Babe Paley, designer Oscar de la Renta, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and the Astor family members.
Mario Buatta
Maria Buatta was a design legend, called “Prince of Chintz.” He was known for his love of bright, glazed floral fabrics and English country style. He favored a more is more approach, and designed homes with ornate and antique furnishings and of course, plenty of chintz fabrics.
Kelly Wearstler
Kelly Wearstler is an American designer who founded her own firm in the mid-1990s. She creates multi-faceted, experiential residential, hospitality, commercial and retail environments and expansive collections of lifestyle product design. A multi-layered, sensory experience is at the center of her design approach. She accomplishes this through various materials, colors, forms and juxtapositions.
Jonathan Adler
Jonathan Adler is an American potter, interior decorator, and author. He launched his first ceramic collection in 1993, and later expanded into home furnishings and opened his first namesake boutique in Soho, Manhattan. In addition, he has an eponymous home interiors business, which offers design services out of his many stores.
Nate Berkus
Nate Berkus runs the Chicago Chicago interior design firm Nate Berkus Associates and was a regularly featured guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show. He believes a home should tell your story, and what you love should be collected and assembled in one place. He is included on the ELLE DÉCOR “A-List” of the world’s top designers and was named to the AD100 list in 2018.
Mark D. Sikes
Mark D. Sikes was recently selected to decorate Jill Biden’s East Wing office. Sikes made a name for himself with his affinity for blue and white and is known for his all-American sensibilities and a fresh take on classical aesthetics.
