tastemaker series
CHELSEA HANsFORD
Creative Director & CEO, SIMONMILLER
Where do you draw inspiration for the bold and playful designs that your fashion brand, SIMONMILLER is known for? Do any of these influences extend to how you approach creating comfortable and stylish spaces in your home?
I'm always inspired by interiors when I design my collections at SIMONMILLER. My favorite designers are Vernor Panton, Pierre Paulin, Wendell Castle, Frank Gehry, Eero Sarinnen - their bold colors and playful shapes are the pinnacle of inspiration for my designs at SIMONMILLER. I design clothes for the working creatives that appreciate my eclectic interior style and therefore my lifestyle.
"Over time I have become more minimal, although no one would ever describe me as minimal. I try to give each bold piece its space to shine and stand out. I invest in quality over quantity"
- Chelsea Hansford
You’ve mentioned that bold color is integral to Simon Miller’s identity. What role does color play in your creative process, and how do you translate it into other aspects of design, like interiors?
Colors are everything! SIMONMILLER was built on colors. Bold colors in a wardrobe energize, uplift and excite me. My closet is a merchandised color wheel and it brings me joy every time I look at it.
Over time, how has your taste in fashion and interiors evolved, and how does that reflect in the spaces you curate for yourself?
Over time I have become more minimal, although no one would ever describe me as minimal! I try to give each bold piece its space to shine and stand out. I invest in quality over quantity and I hate clutter.
You’ve mentioned travel as a source of inspiration. What are your favorite places to visit, and how have they influenced your work or personal life?
I am always inspired by warm locations, the sun is a huge source of energy and I love that effect on style. I am from Palm Beach, so I am hugely influenced by old school Palm Beach eclecticism. I love Mexico, in particular Careyes, for the bold colorful architecture and beach landscape adorned with fringed raffia. I can find inspiration anywhere I go, but I mostly focus on the warm weather destinations from the 60-70's, like Acapulco for example.
How do you bring a sense of joy and luxury to your daily life, whether in your home, fashion choices, or routines?
Bright, bold interiors. Unique architecture. Quality over quantity. Eclectic wardrobe. My space is a huge source of joy for me, if my space is not inspiring, I find it very hard to be inspired.
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Both SFERRA and SIMONMILLER encompass timeless luxury. What are your favorite pieces in your home and collections that embody timeless luxury?
Playful luxury is my life. The items that speak to that in my home are probably my Wendell Castle 3-legged table, red molar couch and cloud shelf, my bright Klein Blue Woodgate Sofa, Leonard Urso bold pigment painted abstract head sculptures and my SFERRA red embroidered trim bed sheets. As for SIMONMILLER I love the KNITS BY product line as it's timeless and essential, everyone can wear it, but we can have so much fun with the bold intarsia knit prints.
