Celebrity Style
October 19, 2022
L.A. Designer Brigette Romanek Talks Celebrity Clients And Her Design Style
When Gwyneth Paltrow tapped interior designer Brigette Romanek to decorate her newly built Montecito, Calif., home, it was the ultimate celebrity endorsement. Though Brigette was accustomed to high-profile clients like Beyoncé and Demi Moore, it was a thrill to be working for the actor who starred in Brigette’s favorite movies. “I’m blown away by Gwyneth; she’s intelligent and wonderful,” says Brigette. The designer got her start in fashion with a collection of alligator clutches and made the move to interior design after her friend Kelly Sawyer Patricof asked for a hand on a Malibu project and insisted on paying her. Brigette realized this could be a career and she hasn’t looked back since, serving as a judge on Ellen’s Next Great Designer with Ellen DeGeneres and releasing a lighting and furniture collection with Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams. She’s having a major moment, and so is the city she’s called home since the age of six. “Culture has always been in Los Angeles, but you used to have to seek it out in these little enclaves, whereas now it’s heavily present in our everyday lives in the food, art and design,” says Brigette. “All these areas are coming together and building up the city — it’s so great.” We asked her for insights into L.A.’s design scene and her star-studded clientele’s favorite requests.
Scroll down to read our interview with Brigette!
Brigette Romanek with Rufus, her labradoodle.
House & Home: Do you have a design motto?
Brigette Romanek: Livable luxe. I don’t want to create spaces that are too precious to be enjoyed. The whole point is that your home should make your life better. When I was tiny, I remember my grandmother forbidding me to be in the living room. I said at the time, “When I’m bigger, I’m going to do it my way,” and I’ve held true to that. If someone wants all white, no problem. We’ll use performance fabrics so you can still live in an all-white room and enjoy it. My girls have a climbing wall in our house. They won’t let me get rid of it even though they’re bigger now. And now my clients want climbing walls for their kids!
Curated shelves in Gwyneth Paltrow’s Montecito, Calif., kitchen display blue and white dishware. Gwyneth wanted an open-plan space that allows her to cook while talking to her children, Apple and Moses.
H&H: Do you have a favorite design moment in Gwyneth Paltrow’s Montecito home?
BR: I love the powder room to pieces. It’s two rooms that we covered in mirror that then flows into wallpaper and then back into mirror seamlessly. It worked beautifully, and it inspired me to take more risks in those types of spaces.
In this client’s West Hollywood home, Brigette played off an impressive modern art collection, adding sculptural furniture and pops of color to give the look edge.
H&H: What’s it really like to work with such high-profile clients?
BR: In truth, I don’t view or treat clients any differently, even if they’re well-known. I have the same honest conversations with all my clients and give them my true opinions on things. I’ll never say yes to something if I don’t feel it’s right. I work to listen to them and incorporate what’s important to make their homes individualistic. The journey is an honest one, no matter who the client is.
Brigette designed this home to be as lively as its owners. “They’re a cool, full-of-life couple that favor contemporary design mixed with a bit of whimsy and fun,” she says.
H&H: Your own Laurel Canyon house was a former recording studio visited by the Beatles and Jimi Hendrix in the ’60s and ’70s. Did that history attract you to it?
BR: It’s one of those houses that people drive by every day for years and never notice — and I was in that camp. Or some say, “I used to party at that house!” I love a house with soul; you feel that history as soon as you walk in. We found a newspaper from 1929 in the walls; it just had layers of character and charm before I even put a stick of furniture in it. I wanted to enhance the light and presence while embracing the quirks and nuances that are too special to get rid of.
Brigette dubs this project “The Bu” after its Malibu location. In the sitting room, her client’s request was for a “house that was calming and serene but not shy,” she says.
H&H: Did you have a mentor to guide your own design career?
BR: I didn’t know interior design could be a job so I never sought a mentor, but I have colleagues like Jamie Bush and David Netto that I’ve grown to love; I’ve watched them do incredible work. We support each other and talk about the business.
Zellige tile in watery seafoam lines the second-floor bathroom, creating a spa-like escape in this Malibu bathroom.
In a client’s Los Feliz dining room in L.A., Brigette paired contemporary chairs with a traditional rug and Ingo Maurer chandelier.
H&H: What makes a great designer?
BR: Passion for what you’re doing, a unique and individual point of view, plus an understanding of people. Listening to my clients tells me what’s meaningful to them. There’s no formula. I always tell them, “You know, eventually I will leave!” I want them to be really happy with the results.
A sleek stand-alone tub updates a powder-puff pink vintage-style bathroom.
Keep scrolling to see some of Brigette’s essentials!
Gold Record: “I’m obsessed with my collection for Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams.”
“When I got the first light fixtures, I nervously opened the boxes, then fell in love.”
Unforgettable Color: Elephant’s Breath (229), Farrow & Ball.
Foot Loose: “Bottega Veneta’s new flats are gorgeous — stylish but still comfortable, in case I need to lift a piece of furniture.”
Guilty Pleasure: “Carney’s chili cheese fries. I wouldn’t let my kids eat them once a week, but I do, and I love it.”
French Connection: “I told my daughter that when she turns 16, I’m taking her to Paris to stay at the Ritz for a week. She said, ‘Start saving now.’ ”
Vase Phase: “I collect little white vases. I’ve been putting them all over our library and it’s such a strong statement.”
Must-see: “The Lost Daughter. Olivia Colman is phenomenal. It’s very subtle; with few words they articulated so much in the movie.”
Throwback Tune: “Ginuwine’s So Anxious. The song is old, but I think my 13-year-old daughter discovered it on TikTok.”
House & Home October 2022