20 Women Interior Designers You Should Know

Interior design has always been an industry that has rewarded women mavericks. Some of history's most famous designers are women, including Candace Wheeler, Dorothy Draper, Sister Parish and Elsie de Wolfe. Read on to see our list of the designers we think are some of the most talented working today. This list is my no means comprehensive, just our editors' take on some of the women designers who consistently deliver incredible ideas and inspire us.

Shown here: Iranian-born, Paris-based interior designer India Mahdavi's design for the Gallery at sketch London, called the most Instagrammed restaurant in the world.

Succulent pastels, fluid forms mixed with geometrics and an infusion of history with contemporary touches all define Iranian-born, Paris-based interior designer India Mahdavi's world-renowned work. Her "polychromatic dreamlands" as the New Yorker calls her lusciously colorful spaces, are also beloved by Instagrammers looking for an amazing shot.

An interior design rock star, Kelly Wearstler has become a household name and a style celebrity whose work is synonymous with sleek, sexy LA maximalism in a variety of boutique hotels and residential projects. European design and '30s-era Hollywood Regency glam are both big influences for the designer who has designed homes for Gwen Stefani, LeBron James and Cameron Diaz.

The woman who seemed to single-handedly make palm trees, tropical prints, rattan, houseplant jungles, festive color and a boho-chill vibe a thing with her zeitgeisty blog Jungalow, design maverick Justina Blakeney is a multi-hyphenated author, speaker, blogger and advocate for diversity in design. She has teamed with big brands like Target, Anthropologie and Pottery Barn Kids and is the author of the bestselling design books The New Bohemians: Cool and Collected Homes and The New Bohemians: Come Home to Good Vibes.

With a burgeoning business in interior design and an equally energetic practice of buying and developing real estate, Chicago-based Joy Williams is the designer and chief creative behind Joyful Designs Studio. Williams has lent her talents to multiple show houses in Atlanta and has had her work featured in Architectural Digest and HGTV Magazine, among many others.

Ethiopian-born interiors-turned-textile designer, founder and creative director of the Brooklyn-based Bolé Road Textiles brand, Hana Getachew is known for her earthy handwoven fabric designs for rugs, pillows, blankets and more and for her joyful embrace of color inspired by her childhood in Ethiopia.

Longtime HGTV talent, the glamorous interior designer Alison Victoria renovates properties in her hometown of Chicago featured in the HGTV series Windy City Rehab. Alison previously starred in HGTV's Kitchen Crashers as the first female host in the popular Crashers franchise. Alison has also appeared in the HGTV series Battle on the Beach, Rock the Block, Ty Breaker and the specials HGTV Dream Home and White House Christmas. Alison is known for creating glamorous, modern interiors with a client list that includes high-end boutiques, resorts and private residences.

Atlanta-based interior designers Monet Masters and Tavia Forbes have been featured in a variety of design and style magazines, and in show homes including Kips Bay Palm Beach. Known for incorporating global and African style into their designs, Forbes + Masters marry a sophisticated edge with earthy, meaningful details.

Tiffany Brooks is a Chicago-based designer known for her work on the HGTV Smart Home. Tiffany started her design career when she was offered an opportunity to stage model homes while working in property management. After one of her model-home designs won an award, she decided to follow her passion for interior design. She now owns Tiffany Brooks Interiors Inc. In 2013 Tiffany was crowned the winner of HGTV Design Star. She's since competed in Season 2 of Rock the Block. In 2021 Tiffany was included in Architectural Digest’s AD100 list. She has also been named one of the nation’s Top 20 African-American Interior Designers by the Black Interior Designers Network. When asked about her design style, Tiffany describes it as "classic with a twist," and she enjoys mixing traditional pieces with a little rock 'n' roll.

Designer and co-owner of the gorgeous RW Guild shop and restaurant in NYC's Soho as well as Roman and Williams Buildings and Interiors, Robin Standefer says that patina is something her customer's are increasingly wanting in the furniture and objects they bring into their homes. "There is an understanding that things can get better with age, not just by staying inert. This is true with ceramics, leather, wood," says Robin. "Our finishes deliberately age — we call them 'living finishes,' since they are meant to change with time. There's a desire now for a certain kind of 'worn in' feel." With her partner Stephen Alesch, Standefer began her career designing sets for Hollywood films. Her interior design work is rich in detail, luxurious finishes and that kind of warm, lived-in patina that has made her work so in demand.

Los Angeles-based interior designer Brigette Romanek of Romanek Design Studio has been featured in Architectural Digest’s AD 100 roundup of top designers in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 and was chosen for Elle Decor’s A List in 2020 and 2021. Her celebrity clients include Gwyneth Paltrow, Beyonce and Demi Moore.

A self-described maximalist, this Lexington, Kentucky-based designer behind Isabel Ladd Interiors is a proponent of color, happy design and a mix of patterns. Her blending of old/new, antique/modern, high/low is a signature move. In her own words: "Isabel Ladd: catapulting your home from 'blah' to 'Oh My Gawh.' Nothing beige. Everything Awesome."

Kelly Finley is the brain behind Joy Street Design, a full-service residential interior design firm based in Oakland, California. Joy Street Design creates custom, colorful and approachable interiors with an emphasis on providing unique and thoughtful solutions that reflect the client’s personal style. "Having a space that reflects your life and surrounds you with love is critical to overall happiness and self-care," says Kelly who often works with young families and enjoys working with older homes.

Kelly studied interior design and interior architecture at the University of California, Berkeley. She also holds a law degree from Stanford Law School and a business degree from Emory University.

A featured judge on Ellen's Design Challenge, Christiane Lemieux is an in-demand interior designer and creator of a number of design brands including Lemieux et Cie, The Inside, Cloth & Company, Living by Christiane Lemieux and DwellStudio. In addition to her work as an entrepreneur, Lemieux is a frequent design contributor to Architectural Digest, House Beautiful, The New York Times and MSNBC. She has published a number of successful design books including Undecorate and The Finer Things.

Working alongside her husband Bryan Mason, interior designer Jeanine Hays is on a mission to show people how to bring modern, soulful style into their homes. The husband-and-wife team founded the design company AphroChic, which started as a blog, and the brand has grown to include interior and project design, content creation, a magazine, a podcast and two books. The duo’s second book, AphroChic: Celebrating the Legacy of the Black Family Home, gives readers a unique look into the homes of prominent Black entertainers, activists and entrepreneurs.

Called "the doyenne of cozy chic" by the New York Times, Bunny Williams is one of the most celebrated interior designers in the world. Bunny is an icon of American design, a member of the Architectural Digest Hall of Fame and a successful businesswoman behind a line of high-end home goods at Bunny Williams Home and a frequent collaborator with Ballard Designs.

Known for her traditional design with a twist, Atlanta-based Suzanne Kasler specializes in high-end residential projects, although her work with Ballard Designs has brought her good taste to an even wider audience. Kasler is a firm believer in "the edit" and creating warm and inviting homes that don't overwhelm. You can see her approach to the value of editing in her Rizzoli book, Edited Style.

Specializing in historic homes, Cecilia Casagrande curates vibrant and rich designs, which awarded her the title of the 2022 HGTV Designer of the Year. “Home design to me is personal, practical and beautiful. When done well it brings a sense of wellbeing. Bringing together beautiful layers of magical lighting, quality furnishings and eclectic treasures is my passion because I have seen first-hand that design has the power to elevate the everyday and tell the story of who we are.”

Owner of the interior design company started by her father, Mark Hampton, Alexa Hampton has continued his legacy of traditional interiors or what the designer calls "elegant, practical, classically based interiors for modern living." Included in the AD100 2023 Hall of Fame and Elle Decor's A-List, Alexa is also a frequent contributing designer for the New York's Kips Bay Decorator Show House.