Windsor Smith shares her design inspiration, styling secrets and the latest trends in the industry.

Blending classic and modern in one sophisticated style amounts to a glamorous romance we all swoon over


Photography by Michael Wells

10 elements of Windsor's style
1 Symmetry
2 Classic upholstery techniques like tufting
3 Architectural detailing
4 Inspiration from travel
5 A soothing neutral palette
6 Trouser-length drapery
7 Multiple seating areas
8 Exotic prints
9 Antiques that don’t look dated
10 Woven rugs

Photography by Michael Wells

Kitchens that act like living rooms
“Everyone migrates to the kitchen and stays there – that’s just how we entertain now, how we live. We do everything at the kitchen table, so instead of centre islands, I opt for extendable tables that can seat up to 20 people. My designs look more like deep-panelled libraries than utilitarian kitchens.”
Photography by Michael Wells

Living rooms with furniture on the periphery
“It’s an old principle that I’m bringing back. I love classic living room furniture arrangements rather than the tri-configuration in front of the fireplace, which I call ‘the easy way out.’ When a room is successful, it’s because several different people can co-exist there without having to sit facing one another. A double-sided sofa allows you to still be close while your children do one thing and you do something else.”

Photography by Michael Wells

Windsor's design inspiration
“My favourite American architects are Charles Platt and David Adler. They were absolute perfectionists in terms of proportion and scale. The houses they designed had a stately formality and elegance to them, but they were never off-putting. They were beautiful, restrained and grand.”

"I like to create libraries where men with names like Howard, Bing and Spencer sat in cashmere sweaters and contemplated the 13th hole on the Bel Air golf course. I am drawn to a simple but elegant time when the women were so legendary that surnames weren’t necessary... Slim, Babe, Coco...."
Get Windsor's colour palette
1 Beauti-Tone Starry Night 5S1-8, Home Hardware.
2 Rice Flour 6180-21 , Sico.
3 Valspar Super Nova 4004-9A, Lowe’s.