SCENE
STEALER
An interior designer to the stars
is full of down-to-earth advice
TRENDSETTER
ByBRIELLEM.FERREIRA
t
here’s amagic that happens in
front of the camera; an adren-
aline rush that comes from an
awareness that all eyes are
on you. But for former actress
turned interior designer Kari
Whitman, itwasn’tenough. She
didn’t want to just showup on
set; she wanted to be the one
creating it. “I alwayshad an af-
finity for design,” she says. “As
akid,when Iwent onvacations
withmyparents, theywouldgo
downtothepool,andbythetime
they returned, Iwouldhave re-
arranged the furniture in thehotel room.”With roles in
TVshowsincluding
NYPDBlue
,
NashBridges
and
Married
WithChildren
,shepickedupworkdoing interiorsforsome
ofherco-stars,whichrapidlyturned intoathrivingdesign
practicewithHollywoodclients likeEmilioEstevez,Don
Henley,KristenBellandJessicaAlba.
Howwouldyoudescribeyourdesignaesthetic?
Personally, I’d say my style is eclectic, innovative and
artistic, but I’m not always designing for myself. I think
eachperson’shomeshouldbeareflectionofhisorherown
personality,notmine. It’sabout self-expressionism,which
iswhyyou’llneverwalk intoan interiorI’veworkedonand
say,“ThisisaKariWhitmanhome.”That’snotwhatIwant.
Iwant it to look likeaVirginiaMadsenhouseoraMelanie
Griffithhouse. If anything,my design ethos isn’t somuch
aboutanaestheticas it isbeingagood listener.
Whatarethebiggesttrendsyou’reseeing in interiors
rightnow?
Maybe it’sbecauseI’ma total treehuggerorbecauseofmy
upbringing inBoulder, Colorado, but I’vebeen celebrating
the growth of the greenmovement in interiors in recent
years. A lot ofmy clients have been askingwhat they can
dotoreducetheirenvironmental footprint,andevenwhen
they’renot eco-conscious Idomybest toeducate themon
the options. There are so many incredible new products
outnow toexplore.Forexample, Irecentlydidawallpaper
installation foraroyal family thatwasmadeoutofoldblue
jeans, and it’s just about one of themost gorgeous things
I’veeverseen.
Canyousharesomesmallstepspeoplecantaketoget
greenerhomes?
Themost valuable thing you cando is a little bit of extra
research. So, when you’re looking to renovate yourwalls
orflooring,makesureyou’reusinglow-VOCpaintandthat
Interior
designer
KariWhitman
bringsher flair for
greendesignand
glamour to some
ofHollywood’s
poshpads, including
thehomeof
JessicaAlbaand
her ownhome
inColorado
(pictured
here).
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CELEBRATED LIVING • SPRING 2015
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