Interior design icon Kelly Wearstler, known for her distinctive "old soul, new spirit" aesthetic, has built a career around curating thoughtful objects that perfectly match her clients' tastes and purposes. Now, she's sharing her expertise on the art of gift-giving, offering insights that go beyond simple product recommendations to encompass the entire experience of giving and receiving presents.
Wearstler, who launched her design business in 1999, has become one of California's most celebrated interior designers. Her bold style and innovative approach have earned her a star-studded client roster including celebrities like Gwen Stefani and Cameron Diaz. Her breakthrough came with the transformation of the historic Avalon Hotel in Beverly Hills, which helped establish her reputation in the luxury hospitality sector.
The designer's influence extends far beyond traditional interior design. Her eponymous studio has created dreamy restaurants and cocktail bars characterized by rich textures and vibrant colors, developed her own furniture and lighting collections, and collaborated with notable partners including fashion designer Ulla Johnson for an earthy Los Angeles boutique and premium paint company Farrow & Ball. With 2.2 million Instagram followers and 33,000 subscribers to her Substack newsletter "Wearstlerworld," she has built a significant platform for sharing design inspiration and advice.
Most recently, Wearstler launched "Side Hustle," an innovative gallery concept that operates out of her pool house rather than a traditional white cube space. This flexible platform commissions artists across multiple disciplines including sculpture, design, performance, sound, and even scent to create collectible pieces. The concept emerged from her experience commissioning unique artistic objects for interior design clients over the years.
When it comes to gift-giving philosophy, Wearstler emphasizes the importance of thoughtful presentation and personalization. "I always think about the presentation and how it's wrapped," she explains. "The whole experience to me is getting a gift and seeing something so beautiful and a really thoughtful note accompanied with the gift." She believes that art makes particularly special and memorable gifts, whether it's a small ceramic catch-all dish or a print by an emerging photographer.
The designer's personal approach to gift-giving reflects her professional attention to detail and client needs. She never wants a present to become clutter, emphasizing that gifts should be attuned to the recipient's specific tastes and needs. Her own most treasured gift is a personalized necklace from her husband featuring the initials of their three sons, her husband, and herself, with a small star in the center. She wears it daily as both a good luck charm and a way to keep her family close.
For gifts she enjoys giving, Wearstler frequently turns to hand-painted ceramics from a European artist known as "The English Boys." She often presents complete sets including teapots, cups, saucers, and plates, with each family member's name hand-written on their pieces. This combination of beautiful craftsmanship and personalization exemplifies her gift-giving philosophy.
When shopping for people she doesn't know well, Wearstler recommends luxurious throws, noting that everyone loves them and they become cherished items that recipients use for snuggling and travel. For gift-giving on any budget, she advocates for handmade cards, a tradition she maintains with her family where everyone creates their own cards and envelopes for every holiday.
Wearstler's holiday traditions include hosting an annual party with her close female friends two to three weeks before Christmas. The gathering, where friends contribute their cooking skills, serves as a time for reflection on the past year and planning for the future. When it comes to holiday celebrations around the table, she emphasizes that success depends on creating a cohesive, multi-sensory experience where every element tells the same story.
"The most important part of any celebration around a table is that everything speaks the same language," Wearstler notes. "It's never just the food or flowers or a great bottle of wine – it's a full, multi-sensory experience. The menu, the tablescape, the lighting, the playlist, they all have to be in conversation with each other. You're essentially telling a story, and every element is a character that supports the narrative."
