Kelly Wearstler, founder and principal of Kelly Wearstler design studio, is an American designer creating multi-faceted, experiential residential, hospitality, commercial and retail environments as well as expansive collections of lifestyle product designs and brand collaborations. Wearstler is internationally recognized with distinctive design awards by numerous publications – including Architectural Digest’s AD 100; Elle Décor’s The A-List; Wallpaper Magazine’s Top 20 Designers; and Time Magazine’s The Design 100. A multi-layered, stimulating sensory experience is at the center of Wearstler’s design approach. Through an exploration of materiality, colour, forms and an intuitive juxtaposition of contemporary and vintage, architectural and organic, graphic and instinctual, she curates a wealth of experiences into every space. Wearstler believes that honoring history, location and architecture is imperative to pushing the boundaries and challenging the rules. One of the key forces behind the rise of the designer hotel in the early 2000s, Wearstler is currently designing for a new age of elevated residential hotel living with a distinctive vision of authentic cultural immersion and site-specific design. Wearstler received her academic training in interior, architectural and graphic design and is the author of five design books.