Interior design is a delicate marriage of beauty and functionality but the very best schemes push the boundaries of taste and imagination. From steel curtains to giant hands for chairs, these designers have scaled the dizzying heights of brilliance, breaking a few rules along the way.

Dorothy Draper (1889 – 1969) could be described as the great anti-minimalist. A fan of bright colours, floor-to-ceiling prints, vibrant furnishings and exotic tiling, she's considered the inventor of the 'Modern Baroque' style, with many of her favoured elements key parts of what's now known as Hollywood Regency decor.

Born to aristocratic parents, Dorothy's artistic influences were from the high society around her, helped by frequent trips to Europe and exposure to all types of art and styles. She began by decorating her own homes, gaining a reputation among other socialites, and in 1923 she set up her own interior decor company, which still exists today.

Keen to expand her Modern Baroque ideas, Dorothy wanted to design public spaces, and she got her wish with the restaurant at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, which was nicknamed 'The Dorotheum' after her dramatic 1954 concept that featured birdcage chandeliers and a skylighted canopy.

Modern designs from Dorothy Draper and Company have maintained a sense of her original touch, with huge wall prints, bright colours and interesting patterns. She remains a huge influence on aspiring designers and is beloved by anyone who loves a time warp house.

Luxury interior designer René Dekker was born in the Netherlands and schooled in Cape Town, becoming well known as an interior designer in South Africa, but ultimately compounding his reputation in London. There he works on high-end properties in Kensington, Highgate and Hampstead Heath, as well as the home counties.

René describes his own style as: “structured, considered, classical, elegant.” He compares his designs to a well-fitting Chanel suit. But while a smart, fashionable look is important to his designs, comfort is always paramount. Amongst the Venetian glass chandeliers, the parquet flooring and rich, tactile fabrics, there is a cosiness and homeliness.

Dekker plays with different styles, matching the feel of the property and its history. This glittering bathroom is in a modern apartment, and has dramatic Arabescato marble on the walls, complemented by a bespoke marble basin. The dress curtains are made of stainless steel and the UFO bath is made from agape. Talk about outer space!

In this country mansion, Dekker plays with the space, giving the traditional English home a unique, contemporary touch. He says: “I always tell anyone who will listen that you should not give a client a scheme that they could have achieved themselves – what is the point of that? Translate what they want into something that will give them complete enjoyment and then add the pizazz!”

It was Billy Baldwin (1903 - 1983) who gave the sage and much-repeated advice: “Be faithful to your own taste, because nothing you really like is ever out of style.” Baldwin described himself as a 'decorator' rather than 'designer' and during the 50s and 60s became one of the key tastemakers in the US.

Image: 'Billy Baldwin The Great American Decorator'.

He was unique in both his design and his tastes, claiming to love colour more than people, and having a passion for cotton, but hatred of satin material. His work was neat, trim and tidy, with everything tailored and polished. He often insisted on furniture being upholstered to the floor to avoid too many 'restless' naked chair legs.

Fond of art and museums, Baldwin was a fan of Henri Matisse and famously created this patterned black-and-white textile, Arbre de Matisse Reverse, to match his client’s Matisse, mounted on the wall above. Image from 'Billy Baldwin Decorates'.

Described by Forbes as 'A Master of Modern French Interiors', Jean-Louis Deniot is a highly respected Parisian interior designer. Working with his sister and business partner, Virginie Deniot, his talent is for blending the traditional and modern.

 

 

An early obsessive of interior decor, Jean-Louis was making models and experimenting with styles before he was even in his teens. And this interest in everything from colonial, art deco, French country, contemporary Californian, Indian, and Parisian all inspire his work.

The looks he creates are richly layered, taking traditional elements and giving them a contemporary twist, deftly mixing patterns and pieces from different periods and places.

Deniot describes his aesthetic as 'French Chic' and aims to create timeless interiors, but thanks to his love of vintage he likes to play with layers of time and history in the items he chooses. He told Forbes: "I’d describe my style as a little theatrical as I like drama and love interiors."

Nate Berkus has made a career creating interior designs for the rich, and advising the not-so-rich how to get the look for less. The American designer, based in Chicago, has an eclectic style, switching from sleek, urban lines to rich large spaces packed with intricate detail and collectables from all over the world. Nate's philosophy is: “I believe your home should tell your story. What you love most collected and assembled in one place.”

The home of Brian Atwood in Milan was featured in Elle Decor. It was renovated by architect Matteo Bermani and decorated by Nate Berkus. The vintage floor lamp is an Arredoluce Triennale, illuminating a Patricia Urquiola sofa for B&B Italia. The bizarre vintage hand chair was found at a Manhattan antiques shop.

This partnership of two American designers, Leo Marmol and Ron Radziner, began in 1989 and quickly became recognised as one of the great California interior and home firms. Since then it's developed to include everything from architects to metal-workers and even has its own prefab off-shoot with a focus on sustainability.

The firm's clients include Tom Ford, Flea and Anthony Kiedis, Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore, Ellen DeGeneres and Bradley Cooper.

With a much more hands-on approach to architecture than many of the others we've seen here, the pair became the go-to for midcentury-modern houses, as well as building new modernist buildings in their entirety. Their design philosophy is: “Merging architecture and nature, from the design phase through construction.”

The firm also does pro-bono work, which has been lauded as highly creative. The Inner City Arts facility in downtown LA, for example, a South-Central school and a conference centre for TreePeople Community Forestry, were all designed for free for the benefit of the community.

He's known for his preppy denim creations and fairly conventional sportswear but Tommy Hilfiger and his wife Dee didn't hold back when it came to designing the interior of their Flordia mansion.

The couple used the boldest colour combinations in stripes, chevrons and blocks to create a look that makes the eyes dance.

One of a few daring celebrities with unusual homes, the couple clash their influences from cubism to 1960s space travel in this geometric bedroom. Even the unexpected flash of lime green in the artwork above the bed comes at you from left field.

Karen Howes is one of the founders of Taylor Howes, based in West London since 1993. The company works internationally, decorating private homes, hotels and even offices, such as this one in Knightsbridge.

Mixing in bizarre and beautiful elements is a key theme of Howes' design with surrealist touches like black bowler hats, busts and lashings of lustrous gold.

Natalia Miyar is a London-based interior designer with an eye for unique furniture and sculptural pieces that sit together in extraordinary ways. No one else in the world would have paired that grey 'plasticine' recliner with a crystal-shaped side table.

Natalia moved around as a child and she references the places where she grew up in her decorating: the earthy colours of Mexico, bright blue from Miami and grey, urban tones from the UK.

She describes the fundamentals of good home decor as: "A balance of practicality and beauty. People often equate comfort with an old chintz sofa, but I believe that interiors should feel sexy as well as cosy. I don’t think the two are mutually exclusive."

Los Angeles-based designer Jeff Andrews has a long list of celebrity clients, including many of the Kardashian family. Inspired by his own Californian upbringing, he likes to blend indoor and outdoor design to create a seamless and comfortable look that flows between rooms and yards.

Kourtney Kardashian says of Jeff: “Working with Jeff has taught me so much about design. I have always been afraid of colour and Jeff has helped me get over that. When I have a crazy vision, Jeff tweaks it, adds his ideas and helps make it perfection! Working with him is so much fun and he totally gets my sense of style!”

Karim Rashid is an Egyptian designer who grew up in Canada, whose work dabbles in everything from interiors to installations. He's won over 300 awards and works all around the world. He now lives and runs a studio in New York.

Karim's designs challenge the interplay between colour and neutrals, and he himself is known for only wearing white or pink. His unique style uses modern materials and works with plastic to create both interiors and products, using unusual shapes and delicious curves. The decor in this townhouse is a great example of this.

As well as individual interiors, Karim has worked on public spaces too, saying: "For the longest time design only existed for the elite and for a small insular culture. I have worked hard for the last 20 years trying to make design a public subject.”

"It’s part of my job to recognise that notions of luxury, which used to be about marble and diamonds, have changed," he told Interior Design magazine. "Luxury is now about free time and having less. It’s about traveling with no luggage and having the most comfortable seat... it's not about 'stuff'." 

Retrouvius is an innovative and unusual interiors firm based in Kensal Green. Lead architect Maria Speake and her husband Adam Hills are dedicated to unpretentious design that uses salvaged materials and quality upcycling.

This five-storey family home in W11 was given a complete interior overhaul by the company, using items stored in their incredible London warehouse, and sourced especially. The couple's ethos is "the belief that good materials and well-made things are precious; whether quarried stone or a piece of expert joinery. These objects were hard won and have an intrinsic value that argues for them to be re-conditioned and intelligently re-used."

The pair have reclaimed parquet from schools, antiques from England's Victorian past and other incredible finds, which they match perfectly with the home and the homeowners. This fabulous antique stoneware panel above the bath is the perfect example of this in the W11 home. Loved this gallery? Discover these secrets only interior designers know.