By: JEAN NAYAR
L.A.-based Clements Design brings its refined restraint to celebrity dwellings, elegant retreats, and high-end hotels across the country.
Since setting up shop in California in 2002, Los Angeles-based Clements Design has built a powerhouse reputation by crafting finely curated homes for some of Hollywood’s brightest stars. Led by the mother-and-son duo Kathleen Clements and her son Tommy, the firm’s client roster includes A-list luminaries such as Jennifer Lawrence, Bruno Mars, Kris Jenner, Ellen DeGeneres, and Portia de Rossi. Their projects range from historically significant homes to ground-up new builds across various parts of California.
Thanks in part to the family’s nomadic history—Kathleen’s husband and Tommy’s namesake father is an NFL coach whose career took him from Green Bay to New Orleans to St. Louis and back to Green Bay—the designers also work on projects throughout the country. With every move, Kathleen had a new home to decorate. Her love for the process eventually led her to open Sister Agnes, an antiques shop in New Orleans, in the 1990s before she fully committed to design more than two decades ago. From growing up surrounded by art, antiques and fine furnishings, Tommy refined his aesthetic instincts, eventually joining his mother as a partner in the company in 2009.
“I always knew Tommy had a great eye and was interested in the work I was doing, but the bottom line is I talked him into joining the company for selfish reasons,” says Kathleen, noting that they both share a similar aesthetic point of view but complement each other with different strengths. “I am very macro, by choice at my age, and Tommy sees the entire picture from start to finish. My favorite pieces are usually antiques, while Tommy is deeply involved in the world of art—he is always on the lookout for new artists whose pieces can bring soul to a room. In the end, what we always hope to achieve for our clients is a home that feels collected over time—a mix of comfortable, cozy, old, and new.”
Their extraordinary renovation of a 9,000-square-foot, six-bedroom Ranch-style home in Pacific Palisades epitomizes their eminently livable approach to design. Originally designed by architect Cliff May in the 1930s, the home had been renovated multiple times over the years, losing much of its original charm. “Our goal was to strip it down, simplify everything, and expose the bones of the original architecture,” says Kathleen. “We leaned into a very calm, neutral, earthy palette—nothing loud or ostentatious.” Their choice of materials—chalky, tactile plaster walls; chunky washed-out organic linens; plush shearlings and cashmeres; natural fiber rugs and textiles—imbues the home with a sense of warmth and restrained luxury. A mix of vintage collectibles and post-war art adds spirit to the rooms. A pair of Jacques Adnet lounge chairs injects mid-century flavor into the bar, and drawings by Mark Ryden and Pablo Picasso bring gravitas to the living and dining rooms.
While most of their projects keep them busy in California, their avid travels mean they’re often working in places like New York, Toronto, Florida, Oregon, Idaho, and Hawaii. “My personal favorite project was dismantling, moving, and rebuilding a 200-year-old barn in Sag Harbor before doing a full interior renovation,” says Kathleen. The design duo also just finished their first Four Seasons hotel and residences project in Telluride. “We were inspired to come on board after staying at the Four Seasons Hotel at the Surf Club in Florida,” says Kathleen. “It’s always amazing when we find a hotel that is unlike any other, and we were ready to put our mark on a fabulous hotel in a fabulous location.” Design and art lovers who visit or buy into the new development in the quaint mountain town will undoubtedly relish the designers’ elevated take on quiet luxury, just as they do across the country and at home in California.
