Windsor Smith
See our interview with Windsor Smith: View Video »
Windsor Smith, founder and creator of Windsor Smith Home, Inc. and Windsor Smith Home Collection, is widely known as a design industry influencer. The award-winning designer known for her elegant interiors infused with a modern sensibility is frequently featured in shelter magazines and is a favorite of design bloggers. Smith has created beautifully layered homes for leaders in the entertainment and business worlds. Reflecting her clients’ personalities, she creates gracious silhouettes that are mindful of their demanding lifestyles. Smith’s design intuition comes not from external influences, as you hear from so many designers, but rather from an organic internal instinct and a desire to have a life filled with color, texture, style and purpose. As a frequent guest speaker on design panels across the country, she captivates varied audiences with her engaging candor and fresh approach to design.
Smith brings her unique sensibility to a signature collection of fabrics and rugs with Kravet. Following the success of their first collections, Smith and Kravet are partnering once again to launch her new outdoor fabric collection, due to launch in spring 2011. Her beautifully handcrafted line of furniture is offered exclusively through Windsor Smith Home Collection.
Smith resides in Brentwood, California, with her husband and two gorgeous tennis-playing teenage boys.
To see more from Windsor Smith, visit: windsorsmithhome.com, wshcollection.com, wsroominabox.com.
Candace Barnes
See our interview with Candace Barnes: View Video »
Candace Barnes has been in the antiques and design business for over twenty-five years. She has done design work for many high-profile clients, and opened her first antique showroom, Candace Barnes, in 2001, in the San Francisco Design District. She has also created her own furniture line, Candace Barnes Now, and is opening an additional showroom in the San Francisco Design Center in March of 2011 to showcase this collection.
Barnes has participated in the San Francisco Decorator Showcase House, where she designed the Salon, and was awarded Best Showcase Room by California Home + Design magazine.
Her design projects have appeared in Papercity magazine, Western Interiors magazine, California Home + Design magazine, 1stdibs.com, the San Francisco Chronicle, 7 x 7 magazine, LuxeLife magazine, and on Channel 7’s Dream Home with Lisa Quinn. She has also starred in many episodes of HGTV’s makeover show Curb Appeal as the designer.
Barnes attended Syracuse University and obtained a degree in interior design and architecture.
To see more from Candace Barnes, visit: candacebarnes.com.
Stephen Block
See our interview with Stephen Block: View Video »
Stephen Block’s fancy for foliage took root during his study of horticulture at the University of Florida. At the time, he owned one of the first mall kiosks in Florida selling plants and flowers. That business blossomed when Block moved to Los Angeles and opened Inner Gardens.
Block’s plant knowledge is vast and he schooled himself on all aspects of flora and foliage. Always seeking large specimens and unusual varieties, he has adopted a design approach focused on creating plantings that look as though they had been planted long ago.
In addition, Block has a love for beautiful and unique containers that can become something more when planted with a perfect plant. He believes that “the perfect plant placed lovingly into the perfect container located in the perfect setting becomes an entity in and of itself…a piece unlike any other.”
For over eighteen years, Stephen Block has fine-tuned Inner Gardens, traveling the world himself and developing a network of antiques dealers. He has gathered the finest interior and landscape designers, technicians and installation crews to perform every aspect of garden design, interior plant design, maintenance and orchid design.
As a result of Block’s guidance and dedication to consistent excellence, Inner Gardens has grown into the West Coast’s leading resource for everything garden, now with two showrooms in the Los Angeles area.
To see more from Stephen Block, visit: innergardens.com.
Martyn Lawrence Bullard
See our interview with Martyn Lawrence Bullard: View Video »
Martyn Lawrence Bullard is an illustrious and multi-award-winning interior designer known for his glamorous and worldly interiors for high-profile and celebrity clientele ranging from rock stars to royalty. His global visionary point of view — making homes luxurious sanctuaries — has made him an arbiter of taste whose larger-than-life client list includes Cher, Sir Elton John and David Furnish, Christina Aguilera, Eva Mendes, Ellen Pompeo, Kid Rock, Sharon and Ozzie Osbourne, and Tamara Mellon, founder and president of Jimmy Choo. In addition, he has worked extensively on commercial projects for Colony Palms Hotel Group, executive suites for both Paramount and Warner Bros. Studios, the Beverly Hills luxury emporium Shizue, and restaurant projects including the Purple Palm and Five Feet. Currently, he is working internationally on a diversity of projects, including America’s first Green LEED-certified estate in Malibu for the acclaimed actor/producer Keenen Ivory Wayans, a twelfth-century castle restoration in Umbria, the Jimmy Choo corporate headquarters in London and a 40,000-square-foot beachfront estate in Mexico.
Bullard’s personal approach and taste has ensured his popularity among his clients, the design community and respected peers as well as the press. Profiled in the January 2010 issue of Architectural Digest as one of the top interior designers in the world, he has been cited internationally in over 200 publications for his extraordinary attention to detail as well as his commitment to quality. His work has been included in Architectural Digest, Elle Decor, House & Garden, House Beautiful, Vogue, W, Harper’s Bazaar, Casa Vogue, VERANDA, Tatler and Hello, and multiple newspaper publications including The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times and the Financial Times.
Bullard has also developed various collections to extend his brand experience through a custom furniture line, the Martyn Lawrence-Bullard fabric and wallpaper collections, and the Martyn Lawrence-Bullard fragrance and candle collection, all of which can be seen and purchased at www.martynlawrencebullard.com, as well as at select showrooms in the United States, London, Paris, Australia and Russia. He has designed an exclusive line of rugs for The Rug Company, sold internationally through their showrooms, and he will launch an eco-friendly collection of artisanal fabrics for Schumacher in the spring of 2011. Three new collections of his own fabric line will be launched in spring and summer 2011.
In October of 2010, Bullard received the prestigious Andrew Martin International Interior Designer of the Year Award. He has been featured in over 20 design books, and is currently working on his first personal book, Live, Love & Decorate, which will be published in the fall of 2011. Also, he is filming a new design and lifestyle show for Bravo, titled Million Dollar Decorators, the latest addition to his design television career, which has included programs on CBS, The Discovery Channel, E! Entertainment, HGTV, TLC, and Style Network, as well as ITV and Channel 4 in the UK.
When Bullard is not on a plane traveling the world on behalf of his clients, he resides in Los Angeles, California.
To see more from Martyn Lawrence Bullard, visit: martynlawrencebullard.com.
Peter Dunham
See our interview with Peter Dunham: View Video »
Los Angeles-based designer Peter Dunham was born in England and spent his formative years there and in France and Spain. His design career began with an apprenticeship under David Hicks while studying international business administration.
In 1998, Dunham relocated to Los Angeles from New York and began designing homes for high-profile clients. He has also worked on many commercial projects including hotels, offices and medical facilities. In 2003, he expanded his business with the launch of his collection of hand-printed textiles, updated designs of vintage prints with Indian, Turkish and Mediterranean influences.
Dunham’s work has been recognized by the press and the design community. His style has been described by the Los Angeles Times as “Merchant Ivory Moderne” and by The Wall Street Journal as “restraint with a kick.” Dunham has been named a House Beautiful “Top 100 Designer” five years in a row; House & Garden named him a “New Tastemaker” in 2005; and Western Interiors & Design listed him on “The List” of designers and architects three years running. His work has been published in almost every design and shelter magazine in the United States and abroad, including The World of Interiors, House Beautiful, Elle Decor, Architectural Digest, VERANDA, The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, W, Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and C magazine. Additionally, Dunham has participated in seven national designer show houses. In 2009, he received the “Star of Design” award from the Pacific Design Center.
In addition to his interior design business and textile collection, Dunham also offers a signature line of furniture. In 2007, he opened Hollywood at Home, a retail outlet that provides design-savvy customers with an extraordinary collection of interior textiles, custom home furnishings and must-have vintage pieces.
To see more from Peter Dunham, visit: peterdunham.com.
Richard Hallberg
See our interview with Richard Hallberg: View Video »
Richard Hallberg is known for creating sophisticated interiors and exteriors with a strong emphasis on architectural design and detailing. His signature use of scale, proportion and color, his love of juxtaposing unusual furnishings, both antique and contemporary, and his exuberant use of accessories and fine art are apparent in all his projects, which range from classical to contemporary venues. He is also president and design director of two nationally acclaimed furniture companies, Dennis & Leen and Formations. With over 1,400 products in production and numerous product patents for lighting and furniture design, he is constantly working on products and most recently gearing up to launch an extensive exterior furniture and textile collection. Hallberg has also consulted with major corporations as their design strategist and is currently working on interior design projects locally and abroad. Because of his discerning eye and style, his work has been recognized and awarded internationally, and published in House & Garden, Architectural Digest, Elle Decor, World of Interiors, the Los Angeles Times, VERANDA and many other publications.
To see more from Richard Hallberg, visit: hallberg-wiseleydesigners.com.
Kathryn M. Ireland
See our interview with Kathryn M. Ireland: View Video »
Kathryn M. Ireland is an accomplished Los Angeles-based interior designer with a notable roster of international celebrity clients. She was born and raised in England. Ireland’s family divided their time between London and Scotland. In London, Ireland worked as an actress, clothing designer and, ultimately, owner of her own public relations company. In 1986, she moved to Los Angeles and married Saturday Night Live filmmaker Gary Weis, with whom she subsequently produced over thirty music videos.
With the arrival of her three boys, Ireland devoted herself to creating homes for her family. Her farmhouse in France and her Spanish hacienda-style home in Santa Monica share Ireland’s signature style: a mixture of English formality combined with the rustic charm of a French country house. Ireland’s designs are elegant, yet comfortable; chic, yet livable. She injects her European aesthetic with a dose of California cool, producing uniquely inviting environments that have inspired illustrious friends such as Steve Martin, David Mamet, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Lady Annabel Goldsmith to commission her to work the same magic on their own homes.
Today, Ireland oversees design projects in the Unites States and Europe. She gives lectures around the world, supervises the manufacture of her fabric line and continues to make public appearances to promote her latest book, Summers in France. Ireland’s television appearances have included an A&E House Beautiful profile; Style Network’s Shabby Chic; Food Network’s Barefoot Contessa; the Keno Brothers’ Find! on PBS; Design Wars on ITV and she is currently starring in Bravo’s Million Dollar Decorator. Ireland’s work appears frequently in prestigious shelter publications such as VERANDA, Elle Décor, House & Garden, House Beautiful, W and InStyle.
To see more from Kathryn M. Ireland, visit: kathrynireland.com.
Paul Robbins
“The idea of working with nature as an inspiration, rather than dominating it, came from working in gardens I grew up in as a child,” says Robbins. Growing up outside the city of Bath and in Sussex, Paul Robbins was surrounded by some of England”s finest gardens. After studying horticulture and garden design, he moved to Los Angeles in the 1990s.
With a dozen years of experience in California, Robbins has designed, implemented and overseen the development of countless gardens. His appreciation of California’s architecture, climate and challenging terrain, along with his passion for gardens and eye for detail, have made him widely recognized and extensively published. His sensibility and understanding of gardens has not been limited to England and California; projects have also been carried out in Colorado, New York and Maine.
With both design and horticultural skills and extensive knowledge of garden maintenance, Robbins strives to create well-balanced, stylish gardens that are in tune with their home and surrounding environment. He has worked with some of the best landscape installation and maintenance companies, architects, lighting and swimming pool designers, horticulturists and other experts in the field. In addition to giving direction in the design and development of gardens, Robbins Gardens also offers a wide range of trees, hedging and shrubs suited to our diverse landscapes.
To see more from Paul Robbins, visit: robbinsgardens.com.
Richard Shapiro
See our interview with Richard Shapiro: View Video »
Richard Shapiro, a lifelong devotee of the arts, has over the years played several intertwining roles in the pursuit of his passions. A thirty-five-year collector of iconic postwar contemporary art, he served as chairman of the drawings committee at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, where he was a trustee for many years. Shapiro is a self-taught and sought-after arbiter on matters related to decoration, architecture and garden design. He has for several years presided over his own highly respected gallery, specializing primarily in very fine and rare early-Italian furniture and works of art, as well as Studiolo, his fifty-piece collection of moderne furniture.
Shapiro’s gallery, Richard Shapiro Antiques & Works of Art, on Melrose Avenue, evokes the warmth of an elegant Italian villa, reflecting the eclectic style that has become his trademark. While his first love is Italian period furniture, his selections range across many cultural lines, and he purchases for the gallery as he would for himself — as a private collector and connoisseur, choosing only pieces he finds novel and of great artistic merit.
Shapiro has developed his gallery as a sort of salon where his talent for combining contemporary art with period pieces, antiquities and, of course, Studiolo is appreciated by his many visitors. It has become a favorite destination for designers and collectors from across the country and abroad. His clientele includes the who’s who of American and international design.
Shapiro recently opened 8905, a stunning boutique in the front section of his well-known gallery.
Featured are carefully selected items such as cashmeres, contemporary silver, Old Master drawings, books, photography, antique textiles, neckwear, leather goods, vintage objects and a variety of unique accessories. The focus is on finding a gift for “that special person.”
Richard Shapiro’s interiors, gardens and architectural design work have been prominently featured in Elle Decor, Veranda, House and Garden (UK), AD Germany, The Los Angeles Times, L.A. Times Magazine, Los Angeles Magazine, Architectural Digest (the cover), The Wall Street Journal, The Chicago Tribune, California Homes, the newly released book, The Dealer’s Choice, and many other publications and blogs focused on design.
To see more from Richard Shapiro, visit: studiolo.com.
Tara Shaw
See our interview with Tara Shaw: View Video »
From the age of 5, Tara Shaw knew that her life would be different. Raised by her maternal grandmother, she experienced constant adventure in lieu of a conventional upbringing. An otherwise boring trip to the market would quickly turn into a quest. Together her grandmother and she were shopping mavens, on the hunt for beautiful things at the best price. No victory was too small. From her grandmother, Shaw learned at an early age the value of quality, the importance of fair pricing and the merits of generosity.
Shaw’s early years in the apparel industry in New York and Texas still influence her design esthetic. Her “ah ha” moment came when she took a clandestine turn onto a street filled with European antiques while traveling in the apparel industry. She was able to envision the perfect marriage between her finely tuned negotiating skills and her love of furniture. This quickly led her back to her roots, “on the hunt for beautiful things at To-The-Trade prices.”
The city of New Orleans, steeped in French culture and bathed in the glow of gas lanterns, sparked a kinship with Shaw’s European heritage and became the home of her new business venture, “Tara Shaw Ltd., To-the-Trade.” In 1993, with $14,000 and a plane ticket to Europe, Shaw began her journey to build her new business venture. She returned from Europe with a container full of French and Italian antiques, staging every piece in a warehouse at the Port of New Orleans. Tara called every designer and antique dealer she could find, within fifteen minutes of opening the door every piece was sold. From that humble beginning, Tara Shaw Ltd., To-the-Trade has grown into a multimillion-dollar business.
Realizing that one-of-a-kind treasures from Europe were slowly disappearing, Shaw began work in 2004 on building a reproduction line, which she calls Tara Shaw Maison. Her commitment to reproduce European furniture honoring the authentic finishes and hand carving sets the Maison line apart from all the others in the marketplace. As the Tara Shaw brand continues to provide beauty in the homes it has touched, it will continue to evolve as a lifestyle provider adding new categories including textiles, lighting, accessories, tabletop, bath and bed, wall art and flooring.
Shaw’s signature style of anchoring a room with timeless Old World pieces mixed with Maison, contemporary art and upholstery open the door for her to design celebrity homes, appear on design television programs including HGTV and don the covers of international shelter magazines.
The self-taught importer, designer and manufacturer is a fixture in the landscape of the design community. Her commitment to giving back to her city and communities has helped countless numbers. Be it employing the marginalized of the city, generously contributing time and money to rebuilding New Orleans or putting a new roof on a factory in Asia, Tara knows that it is more blessed to give than to receive.
Shaw and her husband, Robby Walsh, live in the New Orleans Uptown area with their running partners, Jack, a 12-year-old whippet and her newest addition Brother Lucca, a 1 year old whippet.
To see more from Tara Shaw, visit: tarashaw.com.
