Talk Shop: Chelsea Handegan // Chelsea Handegan Interior Design
ABOUT CHELSEA
Guided by years of experience in residential design, native Charlestonian Chelsea Handegan launched her eponymous studio in 2019 intending to develop long-lasting relationships and create beautiful, comfortable designs that endure for generations. She holds a Master of Arts in Interior Design from Savannah College of Art and Design, and her design aesthetic was shaped by a decade of experience at Amelia T. Handegan, Inc. Chelsea was selected to Frederic magazine's inaugural It List in 2023, which honored thirteen up-and-coming interior designers. She resides in her hometown with her husband and young daughter.
Photo by Max Kim-Bee
Describe your style in three words or less:
Youthfully, traditional, and thoughtful.
What have been the three biggest influences on your aesthetic in your life:
Growing up in the South, Amelia Handegan, and being raised by parents with contemporary taste and knowing with full certainty as a child that we do not share the same style.
How did you start your company, and/or what is your favorite thing about what you do:
To some degree, I was forced to go out on my own. I have worked for the brilliant interior designer, Amelia Handegan, for eleven years. She is working toward much-deserved retirement, and as her last man standing, I am helping her to tie up the loose ends. But I’ll stay as long as she’ll have me. I’m like that lingering party guest who is ignorant of all the cues. She has been pushing me to fly the coop, so I began taking on my own projects a few years ago and founded my eponymous firm. Starting my own business has been both terrifying and rewarding. I am still a one-woman show, so I wear all of the hats: bookkeeper, designer, draftsperson, shipping logistics, etc. It’s been trial by fire, but the ability to make my own schedule has been invaluable as a parent.
Do you have a mentor in your career, and if so, how have they helped to shape your trajectory:
I would know and be nothing without my mother-in-law, boss, and mentor, Amelia Handegan. I am so fortunate to have been taught by and worked under the best of the best. I have watched her create magic from nothing time and time again. I have been lucky to work on mega yachts, Bahamian residences, Montana ranches, New York City jewel boxes, and everything in between with her at the helm. It has been quite an education.
Photo by Max Kim-Bee
What does your home say about you:
That I cannot stand messes! It also says that, as a Charleston native and involved preservationist, I was firmly committed to maintaining the original integrity of the home. The house interior is original down to the heart pine floors, interior door hinges, windows, plaster crown moldings, and ceiling medallions. I was adamant about maintaining the integrity of the original house plan, but adhering to preservationist principles did drive creativity. We have a postage stamp-sized kitchen and one full bathroom to serve our family of three. There is likely an expiration date on this setup, but the trade-off is living in this grand home on the best block in our beloved hometown.
Where do you find inspiration:
Inspiration is boundless, especially with the ability to reach the far corners of the planet from our tiny handheld computers. It ranges from impactful in-person cultural exposures like visiting Villa Santo Sospir and Vizcaya to minor observations like the vibrant green algae growing on a bisque-colored stucco wall down the street.
Photo by Tim Lenz
Who are your style icons:
I am drawn to people who dress quite simply. Lately, I’ve enjoyed following Lizzy Hadfield, and I think Melanie Masarin has a fun sense of style.
What are your key ingredients for entertaining:
Good weather so the doors can be flung open or the festivities can be held outdoors, and either a bartender or a help-yourself bar so you can mingle rather than serve
Do you collect anything:
I can’t stand gratuitous things, but I always pick out a butterfly from Deyrolle when in Paris. I have them hung in my powder room.
Favorite Instagram accounts to follow for inspiration:
@geraldblandinc, @maxrollitt, and @michaeldeperno for interiors. @juliusroberts is a doll and watching him cook is better than taking melatonin. I am endlessly inspired by the art and color use of artists @danielle_mckinney_ and (my friend!) @marynelsonsinclair.
Photo by Tim Lenz
What design “rule” do you always follow, and which is made to be broken:
There are no rules, only guidelines, and they mostly exist with good reason. Hide your televisions and use your marble countertops.
What are you working on right now:
I am working on a historically significant home c. 1735 in Charleston, a Lowcountry hunting retreat, a renovation for a young family in Tennessee, and a new construction house on an island off the coast of Maine.
Wardrobe staples:
The size of my closet is shockingly small, so more than ever I have found myself sticking to enduring and classic pieces. I am happiest wearing ivories and whites, which I can mostly get away with year-round living somewhere warm, and I eschew all-black clothing. I turn to Attersee and Kallmeyer for classic pieces with interesting lines, but I would be lying if I said I haven’t wound up looking like Dustin Hoffman in Kramer vs Kramer for all of winter and fall.
Favorite fabric/wallpaper:
Nicholas Herbert’s Georgina.
Best interior advice you ever received:
You’re only as good as your sources and resources. Expert craftsmen and workrooms make all the difference in the world.
Best career advice you ever received:
Drop out of law school and learn AutoCAD.
Types of home purchases you invest in, and save on:
Invest in well-made upholstery. It will last a lifetime. Save on the fabric. You can recover and slipcover many times over. Splurge on custom window treatments and hardware. Save on natural fiber rugs. Save your money and the environment by buying antiques. They have unique character and craftsmanship that contemporary productions lack.
Photo by Tim Lenz
Your greatest extravagance:
I am a deeply practical person, so my greatest extravagance is always travel. I am happiest traveling somewhere remote with very little stimulation.
Favorite places to shop for home:
KRB, Wentworth, RT Facts, William Word
Most prized possession and why:
Anything that belonged to my maternal grandmother. She was my soulmate and best friend. I treasure photographs of her childhood on a farm in Kansas, her delicately embroidered 1950s cardigans, and a turquoise necklace I wear frequently.
Your interiors motto:
Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.
Your life motto:
There is nothing cooler than being nice.
Advice for someone looking to define their own interior style:
Keep attacking the things you love. These things become more nuanced and narrow as you age. Find the throughlines and reinterpret them for your home. Most decent ideas begin as some sort of attack on an idea that came before.
Take Ten: My Favorite...
Food: I am mad about sweet potatoes. I have at least one per day, sometimes two. I take them hot in tin foil on planes, which always earns me additional TSA screening.
Drink: Tito’s martini, very dirty, bruised, with plain olives
Film: This is 40 is a perfect movie, and you cannot convince me otherwise.
Hotel: I adore the Mayflower Inn for a domestic recharge
City: Charleston but 15 years ago
Bedding: I recently swapped out my bedding for a floral coverlet and shams from Nickey Kehoe. I also like a cotton blanket in lieu of a coverlet for a casual look. My favorites are from Swans Island Company and Faribault Woolen Mill.
Tea or Coffee (and how do you take it): Hot coffee. I’m trying to quell a caffeine addiction, so I’ve stocked up on half-caf Nespresso pods, but now I’m just doubling up on those.
Playlist: A lot of classic rock. I don’t drive much, but in the car, jazz keeps my road rage at bay. Otherwise, I’m listening to a podcast. Airmail’s is my favorite. It’s both relaxing and informative.
Weekend Activity: In Charleston, I’ll play tennis in the morning, then I’ll walk somewhere near my house downtown with my family for lunch, and I might grab a drink and then see a movie with a friend or my husband. We really like scooting up to my family’s home in the Blue Ridge Mountains whenever we have a few free days, especially in summer when it’s too hot to be home.
Design Book: One Man’s Folly