Talk Shop: Hadley Keller // House Beautiful
ABOUT HADLEY
Hadley is a writer and editor living in New York. She currently serves as Digital Director at House Beautiful, where she oversees digital content and strategy for the brand, in addition to working on the print magazine. Before that, she served as the founding editor at Architectural Digest’s AD PRO, as well as AD’s market editor and design reporter. She is a proud maximalist and antiques lover (can you see why we love her?) who can never resist a good tag sale. Hadley recently completed her first book, Beachside: Windsor Architecture and Design, out this fall with design publisher Vendome, and we can’t wait to read it! We were so excited to sit down with our friend and one of our favorite journalists to chat all things design. Check it out below!
Describe your style in three words or less:
More is more.
What have been the three biggest influences on your aesthetic in your life:
My mother’s love for antiques, growing up in a 250 year old house, being exposed to incredible design in my job.
What is your favorite thing about what you do:
Being exposed to incredible design! I feel lucky to get to see so much talent and to share it in ways that make readers excited to discover it.
Do you have a mentor in your career, and if so, how have they helped to shape your trajectory:
I haven’t had one consistent mentor but I am very much indebted to a very supportive group of female friends—and also grateful to work under Jo Saltz, who is very good at empowering her employees!
What does your home say about you:
I hope it shows all the things that I love—which speak to places, people, and experiences that I love. It’s also very much a constant work in progress, which I’m sure says something...
Where do you find inspiration:
Travel!
Who are your style icons:
Mario Buatta, Dorothy Draper, Frida Kahlo, Diana Vreeland, Marella Agnelli, Claude Monet (have you seen the interiors at Giverny??)
What are your key ingredients for entertaining:
A well-set table, plenty of drinks, and a good playlist.
Do you collect anything:
Yes! Anything tabletop—china, linens, candlesticks, glassware—coffee table books, Christmas tree ornaments, art, coasters and matchbooks from traveling.
Favorite Instagram accounts to follow for inspiration:
Besides any of the thousands of designer accounts I follow and love, I love @the_shopkeepers for inspiring small stores around the world.
What design “rule” do you always follow, and which is made to be broken:
I’m not sure it’s a rule per se (though I think it should be!), but I go by “buy what you love.” There are many I like to break, but the most significant has to be “less is more.”
What are you working on right now:
House Beautiful's 125th anniversary issue!! This magazine has such an incredible history and it’s been so fun to get to revisit stories from our archive (BTW we are posting one every week on our site!). I’ve also just wrapped my first book project, Beachside, a look at the architecture and interiors of Windsor, Florida, a planned community buy New Urbanism pioneers Andrés Duany and Elizabeth Plater‑Zyberk with homes by John Stefanidis, Hugh Newell Jacobson, Alessandra Branca, Amanda Lindroth, and many more all-star names!
Wardrobe staples:
Turtlenecks, good flats, and statement earrings.
Favorite fabric/wallpaper:
Josef Frank’s Citrus Garden (though there are MANY other close contenders).
Best interior advice you ever received:
Not quite advice, per se, but a mantra that guides the way I always think about interiors, from the great Albert Hadley: “The essence of interior design will always be about people and how they live.”
Best career advice you ever received:
No one will advocate for you better than you will.
Types of home purchases you invest in, and save on:
Invest in high-quality upholstery (you can always re-cover!), save on serving pieces/accessories by always buying vintage—plus, the hunt is the best part!
Your greatest extravagance:
I’m not sure if this is an extravagance but I ALWAYS eat with cloth napkins, even if it’s me alone and even if it’s takeout.
Favorite places to shop for home:
Junk shops and estate sales! (And over the past year, vintage through Instagram).
Most prized possession and why:
Too many to count!
Your interiors motto:
Surround yourself with what you love! Alternately, to quote Robert Venturi, “less is a bore.”
Your life motto:
Actually, “surround yourself with what you love” is pretty apt here too!
Advice for someone looking to define their own interior style:
Can I refer to the above again? But seriously, start with recognizing what you like; the definition will flow from there, plus knowing what you like is often more important than “defining” it anyway.
Take Ten: My Favorite…
Food: Crusty bread with good butter
Drink: Moscow Mule
Film: Call Me by Your Name
Hotel: Le Pigonnet in Aix en Provence or the Belmond Mount Nelson in Cape Town.
City: New York!
Bedding: I treasure my single D. Porthault pillow (in Mariage!)
Tea or Coffee (and how do you take it): Iced vanilla coffee.
Playlist: Fleetwood Mac
Weekend Activity: Junk store rummaging.
Design Book: Impossible to pick one—here are a few ;)
