12 min read
Bow down to the icons of interior design—masterminds of the spaces we want to look at again and again. Presenting the 2026 A-List Legends, in a special portfolio shot on location in New York, Milan, and Paris for ELLE Decor.
Carmen Colombo
Laura Sartori Rimini and Roberto Peregalli on the balcony of Studio Peregalli Sartori’s Milan headquarters.
Studio Peregalli Sartori
For Laura Sartori Rimini and Roberto Peregalli, the aim of each project is always the same: to make spaces that look and feel as if they have always been there. “For us that’s the best possible recognition,” Peregalli says. While the Milan-based partners’ romantic interiors are historical in spirit, they are never slavish copies of the past but rather compelling “reinterpretations” of what could have been. Before joining forces in 1992, they worked for Renzo Mongiardino, the legendary decorator for names like Agnelli and Radziwill, who was also a Peregalli family friend. The duo’s own clients have included the Etro and Zegna families. They have designed a townhouse in New York’s Gramercy Park for artists John Currin and Rachel Feinstein and are now working on a new chalet in St. Moritz, a Fifth Avenue apartment overlooking Central Park, and a flat in a Milan building designed by Piero Portaluppi. Their rooms tend to be sumptuously and meticulously appointed with layers of antiques, but the results are never too polished. For one Milanese flat they even commissioned trompe l’œil damp stains to be painted on the walls. Sartori Rimini explains, “We quite like a bit of shabbiness.” —Ian Phillips
Carmen Colombo
Inside Studio Peregalli Sartori’s Milan offices.
Carmen Colombo
Jeremy Liebman
Pamela Shamshiri in the library of a New York townhouse she designed for a client.
Studio Shamshiri
Born in Tehran and raised in Rome, Iran, and Los Angeles, Pamela Shamshiri brings to interiors an evocatively layered, worldly approach that is filtered through a lens of laid-back California cool. Now based in L.A., Shamshiri got her start as a production designer before co-founding the award-winning design firm Commune. Since leaving to open her eponymous studio in 2016 with her brother Ramin, she has worked with such clients as Paul McCartney, Anne Hathaway, and Seth Rogen and designed jeweler Irene Neuwirth’s New York City boutique. In addition to a number of residential projects, Shamshiri is currently developing a furniture collection and has ongoing partnerships with Christopher Farr and Nanz Hardware. Through it all she returns to her hometown for inspiration. “The light in L.A. is hard to ignore, but it’s really the contradictions that keep me interested,” she says. “Things are constantly being added, replaced, sometimes erased. I think that’s what I respond to most: spaces that feel like they’ve evolved, even when they’ve been very carefully designed.”—Elizabeth Angell
Jeremy Liebman
Stephen Sills in his Upper East Side office.
Jeremy Liebman
And in his fabric sample closet.
Stephen Sills Associates
When one thinks of Stephen Sills, what comes to mind are vibrantly sophisticated, eminently livable rooms highlighted by objects with heady provenance. The historically minded maestro makes the most of the rich personality imparted by pedigreed antiques and artworks, whether it’s chairs owned by Billy Baldwin or a Christian Bérard portrait that belonged to Christian Dior. But the New York–based Oklahoman always keeps things fresh through his creative juxtapositions and lively combinations of texture and pattern—all of it impeccably composed with flair informed by his far-flung travels. (A visit to the Grand Egyptian Museum is currently at the top of his must-do list.) “Inspiration for me always comes from my clients,” says Sills, whose roster includes Aerin Lauder and Ian Schrager, and, previously, Tina Turner. With projects underway in places ranging from London to Washington, DC, to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Sills is also putting together his third solo monograph. “I’ve been saving my last eight years of work for it,” he says. “It’s coming soon.”—Mitchell Owens
Victoria Hely-Hutchinson
Dimorestudio’s Emiliano Salci (left) and Britt Moran in Salci’s Milan apartment.
Dimorestudio
“We have this mantra of pushing things that are wrong, juxtapositions that at first glance don’t look like they should work,” says Britt Moran, the North Carolina–born half of the Milan-based Dimorestudio. “It makes a room feel more lived in, less perfect,” the firm’s Tuscan co-founder and creative director, Emiliano Salci, adds. Animated by twists of pattern and color, the duo’s interiors exude a seductive Italian flair with a tinge of nostalgia, drawing on influences ranging from Carlo Scarpa to Japanese design. Their high-profile projects have included the Grand Hotel et de Milan, the Dolce Vita Orient Express train, and the Fendi Palazzo Privé, an apartment for VIP guests in a Roman palace. During this year’s Milan design week, Dimorestudio unveiled a gallery in a former bank for their furniture collection, and they are overseeing several residential and hospitality projects across Europe. “Our ambition lies in continuity,” Moran says, “developing a coherent body of work that evolves organically, without repetition.” —IP
Jeremy Liebman
Charlotte Moss in the study of her Manhattan townhouse, days before moving out.
Charlotte Moss
One might fairly assume that in her 41st year in the interiors business, Charlotte Moss would be slowing down. That assumption would be wrong. The doyenne of classically elegant decorating, who launched her New York City firm after a stint on Wall Street, is a historicist at heart, always personalizing spaces based on deep relationships with her clients. In addition to her residential work, Moss is currently spearheading the redesign of the St. Regis Houston and leading the renovation of the Red Fox Inn & Tavern in Middleburg, Virginia, one of America’s oldest guesthouses. Her 13th book, Charlotte Moss: At Home in Virginia, is out in September and will showcase the country home and gardens she has created for herself in her native state. “The decorating process is a very organic one,” Moss says. “Ideas emerge without force as a result of experiences, travel, people, dogeared and time-worn clippings, and the occasional eureka ‘must do this’ moment.” She adds that the house in Virginia gave her an opportunity to experiment and, as she puts it, “loosen my collar and work with people I admire, enjoy, and love learning and laughing with.” —EA
Jeremy Liebman
Peter Marino in front of a sculpture by Richard Deacon at the Peter Marino Art Foundation in Southampton, NY.
Peter Marino
Few wear the label of design impresario as boldly as Peter Marino. Over his half-century career, the New York architect has established himself as a supreme arbiter of luxury retail environments, masterminding brand-defining boutiques for the likes of Chanel, Dior, Fendi, and Tiffany, elevating them with adventurously chic, eye-catching design and art. Marino, whose first job was for Andy Warhol, has always attracted an elite clientele, designing residences and the occasional yacht for titans of finance (Martinez, Safra, Schwarzman) and fashion (Bergé and Saint Laurent, Wertheimer, Armani, Arnault). His firm—150 employees strong—has a sprawling portfolio that encompasses hotels, offices, apartment buildings, and historic preservation projects. Obsessive about materials and craftsmanship, Marino approaches every project with a connoisseur’s eye, commissioning creations from his favorite artists, who are also in his rangy personal collection. His own trove of Tiffany silver, for example, is the subject of his latest book. On the heels of his revamp of Dior’s New York flagship, Marino is completing the brand’s Osaka flagship with a façade by Sou Fujimoto while continuing renovations at the Hotel Cipriani in Venice and working on several private residences from St. Bart’s to St.-Tropez. —Stephen Wallis
Matteo Verzini
India Mahdavi in her showroom in Paris’s 7th Arrondissement.
India Mahdavi
“Polyglot and polychrome” is how India Mahdavi describes herself. Born in Iran and raised in the U.S., Germany, and France, the -Paris-based designer has, since launching her firm in 2000, established herself as a virtuoso of sensual geometry and bright, poppy colors. Reflecting a belief that interiors should be “happy spaces,” Mahdavi’s best-known projects include a Paris apartment for the late fashion designer Alber Elbaz, two iterations of the Gallery at Sketch restaurant in London (the first in pinks, the second in radiant yellows), the Cloître hotel in Arles, France, and her redesign of the iconic -Turkish Room at the Villa Medici in Rome. Mahdavi’s product collaborations range from boots for Aigle to rugs for CC-Tapis and La Manufacture Cogolin, and her own furnishings collection features more than 100 designs, the best known being her chess piece–like Bishop stools. Always a champion of artistry and craftsmanship, -Mahdavi also runs an exhibition space in Paris to showcase the work of other designers. —IP
Jeremy Liebman
William Sofield in Studio Sofield’s Manhattan office with his dog Walter.
Studio Sofield
If there’s a word that summarizes the work of Studio Sofield, it’s -luxury. But that would be underselling the boundlessly creative spaces master-minded by the New York practice helmed by William Sofield and Emma O’Neill. The firm made its mark with boutiques for such revered fashion labels as Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent, and, as with the best couturiers, its exquisitely tailored work seduces with refined materials and fresh vision. Over four decades Sofield has devised homes for creative luminaries such as Tom Ford, Ralph Lauren, and Helen and Brice Marden, as well as hospitality projects like the Soho Grand Hotel, and upscale apartment buildings—most of it documented in the studio’s first monograph, published last fall. “I’m committed to not having a signature style,” Sofield says. “Putting the book together reinforced the breadth of our work.” Recent projects include a Fifth Avenue apartment building, residences in the Flatiron Building, and a superyacht. “The book covered the first 40 years,” he says. “We already have more for the next one.” —-Tim McKeough
Victoria Hely-Hutchinson
Vincent Van Duysen in the Palazzo Molteni, the Milan headquarters of Molteni&C, where he is creative director.
Vincent Van Duysen
The interiors created by Vincent Van Duysen are endowed with a supreme sense of calm and groundedness. A master of evocative minimalism, the Antwerp-based architect and designer favors natural materials, elemental shapes, atmospheric lighting, and spatial rigor. He aims to reduce things to their essence, as he has put it, “but not at the expense of comfort and soul.” His influences include Andrée Putman and timeless architecture, whether ancient classical structures or vernacular buildings in Asia and Africa. His many brand collaborations, designing both retail spaces and furnishings, include Zara Home, Flos, Kvadrat, Zanotta, B&B Italia, and Molteni&C, where he serves as creative director. To “unplug and recharge,” Van Duysen retreats to his home on the Portuguese coast, which he describes as “the ultimate source of serenity.” Currently on his drawing board are residences in New York, Belgium, Thailand, and Hong Kong, as well as a pair of hotels for JNcQUOI in Portugal. Look no further than Van Duysen’s third monograph, coming out this fall, for affirmation of his mantra: “Eliminating is the purest form of elegance.” —IP
Jeremy Liebman
Kelly Behun in the living room of her Manhattan home and studio in Soho. The artworks are by Floria Baudrexel; the floorlamp is a custom design by Behun.
Kelly Behun Studio
Great design and great art are inseparable. This has been Kelly Behun’s guiding principle over the two decades since she founded her New York City studio. They are not, however, interchangeable—artwork should never be just another element in an interior scheme. “Art, for me, lives in its own lane, and that is not about decorating,” Behun once told Elle Decor. It is her fluency in the languages of both worlds that has made her one of the most sought-after names for such big name collector clients as Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz. Behun got her start in Ian Schrager’s design studio, where she worked with Andrée Putman and Philippe Starck. The influence of her foundational experience designing of-the-moment hotels, like the Delano in Miami Beach and the Royalton in New York, can be seen today in her portfolio of modern, airy, elegantly edgy spaces stocked with statement-making, sculptural furniture and spirited art. Behun’s debut monograph, to be released next year, showcases the full range of a practice that has made her studio a standard-bearer. —Julia Cancilla
Jeremy Liebman
Tom Scheerer in a Fifth Avenue apartment he designed for longtime clients.
Tom Scheerer
Since opening his New York City firm in 1995, Tom Scheerer has perfected the art of mixmaster rooms that fly under the radar—casually elevated, uncannily soothing—for a discreet, patrician clientele. His interiors exude a sophisticated sunniness, even when not in seaside locales, where he has done some of his best-known work, notably for the Lyford Cay Club in the Bahamas. There are no Scheerer giveaways, unless one counts Knoll’s classic Saarinen table, a favorite modern touch he has called perfect in every way, or Quadrille’s graphic faux-bamboo trellis wallpaper, which graces numerous Scheerer interiors. He also has an affection for wicker and clean white architecture, both defining attributes of his own unfussily chic Bahamas retreat. “The resonance of great architecture is irrefutable in the way it can enhance life,” the designer says, pointing to Haussmann’s Paris, where he lives four months out of the year. Scheerer, who published his latest book, Still Decorating, in 2025, says these days he gravitates toward preservation -projects, citing his work on an Addison Mizner clubhouse in Florida. “I’ve built a reputation for getting heritage projects just right—respecting tradition but bringing them into the present.” —MO
Victoria Hely-Hutchinson
Patricia Urquiola in the Milan office of Studio Urquiola.
Studio Urquiola
Spanish-born Patricia Urquiola moved to Milan nearly 40 years ago to study architecture and design under Achille Castiglioni, and she hasn’t strayed far—from either the city or her mentor’s conviction that design should be both rigorous and alive. Today her wide–ranging practice—she and her husband Alberto Zontone oversee a team of more than 100—moves fluidly between furniture and product design, residential interiors, hotels, and retail spaces. In addition to an astonishing range of furnishings, Urquiola has created bags, shoes, clothes, and faucets, all of which bear the stamp of her playful, tactile sensibility. Since 2015 she has been the creative director of the Italian furniture behemoth Cassina, and this past April she received the iF Design Lifetime Achievement Award,
citing her “distinctive approach, which combines sensuality, material exploration, and technological innovation.” Urquiola, the accolade added, “is regarded as one of the most respected designers of our time.” —JC
Jeremy Liebman
Robert Couturier with one of his four dogs in his townhouse in Harlem, in front of a portrait by JR.
Robert Couturier
Deeply connected to France, where he grew up and studied architecture, but creatively nourished in New York, where he has been based for four decades, Robert Couturier conjures dashing, cosmopolitan interiors in which Old World sophistication feels perfectly up to date. Armed with an encyclopedic knowledge of design history, he is continually on the hunt for fresh sparks, prizing inventive contemporary creations as much as stately centuries-old portraits and ancien régime furniture. “I am particularly keen on works of art that pull from different inspirations to achieve something really new,” says Couturier, whose aesthetic adventuring never fails to produce charismatic results. He doesn’t hesitate to hang a strikingly sinuous Ingo Maurer light fixture in an English country house from 1904, blast a prewar Manhattan apartment with Hermès–orange paneling, or install a canopy bed trimmed in bright pink in his own Harlem home. Working for a distinguished roster of -clients, such as Anne Hearst, Jay McInerney, and Frédéric Fekkai, Couturier has a joie de vivre that is always unmistakable. —TM
Matthew Avignone
Luis Laplace (right) and Christophe Comoy in front of a painting by Philip Guston in their Paris office.
Laplace
For more than two decades, Luis Laplace has been a favorite designer for art world heavyweights. The Argentine-born, Paris-based architect and his French partner, Christophe Comoy, launched their firm in 2004, just as they took on their first project for the family of powerhouse art dealers Manuela and Iwan Wirth. They have since designed several Hauser & Wirth galleries around the world as well as multiple projects for the Wirths’ hospitality arm, most recently the Chesa Marchetta hotel in the Swiss alpine enclave of Sils Maria. Their studio, now a team of 60, brings an art-centric savoir-faire to understatedly luxe spaces for clients such as collector Mick Flick, dealer Emmanuel Perrotin, and artists Cindy Sherman and Rashid Johnson. Of the firm’s own 19th–century head-quarters, Laplace says, “We created a 15,000-square-foot ecosystem that houses our offices, design studios, viewing rooms, and a ceramics atelier.” Current projects include Hauser & Wirth’s new Palo Alto gallery, residences from Los Angeles to Miami to Paris, and the California Academy of Studio Arts in San Francisco. —SW
Jeremy Liebman
At home in Harlem, Sheila Bridges poses with a Roman bust she bought 30 years ago.
Sheila Bridges
Perhaps the only designer to have her work printed on Converse high-tops and included in the collections of the Victoria & Albert Museum and the Smithsonian, Sheila Bridges is a rare talent. The sensation–causing Harlem Toile de Jouy pattern she created for wallpaper and upholstery has been used on Wedgwood china and Le Creuset cookware. Bridges’s distinctive brand of playful, witty classicism has made her the designer of choice for a client roster that includes music moguls and high-profile figures like Bill Clinton, whose Harlem offices she designed, and Kamala Harris. Between frequent visits to Rome (“It’s been my go-to for inspiration for the past 40 years,” she says), Bridges splits her time between a historic apartment building in Harlem, a built-from-scratch barn in Hudson, New York, and a pied-à-terre in Reykjavík, where she goes to ride Icelandic horses and soak in the volcanic hot springs. Up next? A tabletop collection with Walmart. —EA
Victoria Hely-Hutchinson
Kelly Wearstler in Milan’s Palazzo Acerbi, where her H&M Home collection was exhibited.
Kelly Wearstler
Whether she’s crafting a statuesque birchwood piano or conjuring a cozy take on Brutalism for a bistro in the French Alps, holding back isn’t in Kelly Wearstler’s vocabulary. The Los -Angeles–based powerhouse is beloved for her punchy, offbeat interiors that meld eye-catching patterns, vintage treasures, and an exuberance that has been much copied but is impossible to replicate. She also designs bespoke furniture and serves as the creative engine behind the Proper Hotel brand. One of her enduring aesthetic touchstones is the radical simplicity of pioneering French designer Andrée Putman. “There was a graphic clarity to her approach to space and proportion that feels timeless,” Wearst-ler says. “It is rigorous, yet effortlessly elegant.” The designer also finds inspiration closer to home: “My library is a deeply personal archive of rare and out-of-print books and printed matter,” she says. “It’s a refuge for me to slow down and disconnect.” This fall will see the release of her collection of modular furniture for H&M Home as well as a new line of glassware for Belgian design label Serax.—Geoffrey Montes
The Complete A-list Legends List
Alex Papachristidis Interiors
New York City
alexpapachristidis.com
Rooted in tradition, the New York native’s richly layered rooms deliver warmth and pizzazz with the utmost rigor and refinement. The title of his 2022 tome—The Elegant Life Rooms That Welcome and Inspire—sums up his soigné approach to decor.
Simon Watson
Axel Vervoordt
Antwerp/Hong Kong
The atmospheric, patinaed interiors that the Belgian designer creates for clients including Calvin Klein and Robert De Niro remain the ne plus ultra of minimal chic, but Vervoordt’s reputation extends well beyond interiors work to his influential status as a curator and art and antiques dealer.
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Jan Liegeois
Branca
Chicago/Palm Beach
Born and raised in Italy and now based in Chicago, Alessandra Branca specializes in eminently livable, spirited takes on classic style. Her eclectic, colorful work fuses the workmanship of a couturier with practicality in all she designs.
Simon Upton
Charlotte Moss
New York City
charlottemoss.com
Having launched her career on Wall Street, Charlotte Moss is equally attuned to the principles of classic decorating and the needs of a modern household. Raised in Richmond, Virginia, the now longtime New Yorker is the author of 13 books on interiors and gardens.
Courtesy Charlotte Moss
Cullman & Kravis Associates
New York City
cullmankravis.com
Brooklyn-raised Cullman (her family owns the famous Peter Luger steakhouse) founded the storied design firm known for layered elegance. Traditional or modern, the interiors devised by Cullman and her team are bewitching interpretations of American style.
Frank Frances Studio
Darryl Carter
Washington, D.C.
darrylcarter.com
The onetime lawyer’s discerning way with art and his creative takes on modernism have made him a longtime DC favorite. His projects are filled with smart neutral fabrics, dark wood furniture, and strong silhouettes—yet as his own townhouse shows, Carter can break the rules with panache.
Jennifer Hughes
David Kleinberg Design Associates
New York City
dkda.com
A master of materials, textures, and the subtlest of details, Kleinberg crafts dashing, supremely refined interiors around the world. It’s fitting that he crafted fashion designer Thom Browne and Met Costume Institute curator Andrew Bolton’s Manhattan townhouse.
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Luke White
Deborah Nevins
New York City
This landscape designer has created gardens for architect Gil Schafer, Tommy Hilfiger, and David Geffen. Her public projects span the globe—from landscapes for the 40-acre Stavros Niarchos Cultural Center and Park in Athens to the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston.
Deborah Nevins
Dimorestudio
Milan
Emiliano Salci and Britt Moran make up the Milan-based super duo. Founded in 2003, the firm is known for its furniture designs, fashion collaborations, and, most of all, the forward-looking interiors rich with pattern and color-blocked walls.
Courtesy of Orient Express La Dolce Vita
Grenney Greig Associates
London
Veere Grenney infuses his elegantly tailored spaces with a joyful sophistication, from Knightsbridge to Mustique. The British designer, a former director at Sibyl Colefax and John Fowler, also has a fabric and furniture collection.
Simon Watson
Haynes-Roberts
New York City
haynesroberts.com
A sleek, luxurious take on downtown cool is the hallmark of Timothy Haynes and Kevin Roberts, who are partners in life and work. Their modern distillation of classic design is spare, gracious, and—like their own New York loft—accented with cutting-edge art.
Simon Upton
Hollander Design
New York City
hollanderdesign.com
Led by landscape architect Edmund Hollander, the firm has a diverse portfolio that spans Hamptons estates, public parks, and, recently, the Fall Line private resort in Georgia. Hollander, the author of The Landscape of Home, has a deep interest in sustainability.
Landino Photo
India Mahdavi
Paris
Born in Tehran and based in Paris, Mahdavi suffuses interiors and her many collaborations with humor through unexpected shapes and lively colors. She brings vibrant style to everything she designs, from restaurants to furniture and accessories.
Valérie Sadoun
Jacques Garcia
Paris
With a résumé that includes the Wynn Las Vegas and the royal apartments at Versailles, the French designer is a virtuoso of high-impact, sumptuous spaces. Among his most celebrated projects is Paris’s Hotel Costes.
Jacques Garcia
Jacques Grange
Paris
33-1-55-80-75-40
Thanks to his exquisitely curated interiors for Valentino Garavani, François Pinault, Lauren Santo Domingo, and Aerin Lauder, the Paris designer’s name is practically synonymous with good taste. His elevated style also shaped the interiors at Yves Saint Laurent’s famous Marrakech retreat, Villa Oasis.
Stephan Julliard
Jamie Drake
New York City
jamiedrake.com
Fabulous is an appropriate adjective for Michael Bloomberg’s longtime designer, who, over the course of his almost 50-year career, has crafted bold, ebullient interiors defined by sculptural furnishings and chromatic flourishes.
Simon Upton
Jayne Design Studio
New York City
jaynedesignstudio.com
An aficionado of the decorative arts, Thomas Jayne brings a passion for history to every project, whether a Soho loft or a Palm Beach mansion. His design studio creates personality-packed spaces, whether traditional or modern.
Brie Williams
Joseph Dirand
Paris
josephdirand.com
Meticulously composed and artfully detailed, Dirand’s residential, retail, and hospitality projects—from Balmain’s Paris flagship to the Surf Club in Miami—exude an irresistible restrained glamour.
Mark Anthony Fox
Juan Montoya Design
New York City
juanmontoyadesign.com
The Colombian-born, New York-based Montoya is a maestro of unforgettable, heady interiors, typically layered with far-flung references, objects, and art. He is known for paying special attention to his mix of textures, volumes, and scale.
Eric Piasecki
Kelly Behun Studio
New York City
kellybehun.com
Behun got her start in Ian Schrager’s design studio, where she worked with Andrée Putman and Philippe Starck, before starting her own firm. Known for her highly bespoke creative process, Behun works with big-name collector clients such as Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz.
Thomas Loof
Kelly Wearstler
Los Angeles
Three decades after founding her L.A. firm, Wearstler continues to rewrite the rules of modern glamour—whether envisioning hotels, designing homes for Cameron Diaz and Gwen Stefani, or creating bespoke furniture. Out this fall is her collection for H&M Home.
Adrian Gaut
Laplace
Paris
luislaplace.co
The Argentine-born, Paris-based architect Luis Laplace is a favorite of art world heavyweights. Laplace and his French partner, Christophe Comoy, launched their firm in 2004, and have since designed art galleries, hotels, and homes for clients such as collector Mick Flick, dealer Emmanuel Perrotin, and artists Cindy Sherman and Rashid Johnson.
Barbara Bernardi
Michael S. Smith
Santa Monica
michaelsmithinc.com
It’s no surprise that the Obamas chose Michael S. Smith to help with the decor when they were in residence at the White House. The California designer possesses a curator’s knowledge of history and antiques and creates a seamless blend of European classicism and American modernism. Clients such as Harrison Ford and Shonda Rhimes have trusted him with their homes.
Douglas Friedman
Olson Kundig
Seattle
olsonkundig.com
Led by co-founder Tom Kundig, the Seattle firm designs public buildings, hospitality projects, and houses. The latter favor a modern aesthetic that melds industrial and organic materials, with an emphasis on integration with nature. Among their most recent projects is Amansanu, an Aman resort in Texas Hill Country.
Aaron Leitz
Paolo Moschino Ltd.
London
paolomoschino.com
In 1995, designers Paolo Moschino and Philip Vergeylen acquired Nicholas Haslam Studio, the venerable London design firm. The studio now works on projects from Gstaad to Mustique, in addition to creating collections of fabrics, lighting, and furniture.
Isabel Parra
Peter Marino Architect
New York City
A maestro of luxury retail design (for Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Dior, and more), Marino also crafts homes from scratch, as he has in Aspen, St. Tropez, and Skorpios, Greece. A collector of contemporary art and decorative objects, he runs his own foundation in Southampton, New York.
Massimo Listri
Peter Pennoyer Architects
New York/Palm Beach/Miami
ppapc.com
Specializing in historically inspired houses and high-rises as well as preservation work, the erudite Pennoyer thoughtfully balances classic and contemporary, whether in apartments for Natalie Massenet and Jeff Koons or a Czech Cubist–style house in Ohio.
Annie Schlechter
Pierre Yovanovitch
Paris/New York City
The Paris designer devises warm, clean-lined residences and hotels outfitted with sculptural, even whimsical furnishings, often from the collections at his Paris and New York showrooms. His creative talents also extend to exhibition design and opera sets, including productions in Korea and Italy last year.
Eric Petschek
Robert Couturier
New York City
robertcouturier.com
An inimitable force, Couturier designs lavish European-influenced interiors that often feature museum-quality antiques. His own 17th-century manor in Normandy, France shows why Couturier is the designer of choice for clients like Frederic Fekkai and Anne Hearst.
Sylvie Becquet
Rockwell Group
New York City
From The Corner Store to La Tête d’Or, New York’s most coveted tables are to be found in spaces by David Rockwell. The multifaceted firm he leads conjures evocative dining and hotel spaces as well as imaginative theater sets, including this year’s Tony-nominated set for Fallen Angels. It’s Rockwell’s eighth nomination.
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Adrian Gaut
This story originally appeared in the Summer 2026 issue of Elle Decor. SUBSCRIBE