{NM Daily}

"I'm never one to say no to color." - Lela Rose

Designer Lela Rose’s signature whimsy and elegance is expressed beautifully throughout the interior of her Tribeca home (an old commercial fabric warehouse) which she and her husband converted and built into a residence.  After converting the space into 3 livable floors Rose began making it a home for her family.  “I like to use fabric from past collections for re-upholstery projects here and there, like the fabric I used on my sofa cushion,” says Rose.

The living room in designer Lela Rose's Tribeca home.

The Texas native acknowledges that living in New York City is “of course very different” than growing up in Dallas. “Living on the ground floor, as opposed to an apartment, gives a semblance of living in a home—with lots of street theater.” Rose adores the liveliness and fun she and her family have in this house. “There is always something going on, from people dropping in for dinner to just hanging on the stoop, watching NYC as it goes by.”  The rawness of the exterior mixed with the nostalgia of the interior expresses Rose’s elegant outlook on life.

Designer Lela Rose cooking dinner in her kitchen.

“I started collecting photographs in high school and have added to my collection over the years.” Most are black-and-white photographs (William Wegman, Ruth Orkin, Robert Doisneau, and more) there are some beautiful drawings as well (Russell Crotty, Vija Celmins.) The chairs in the front room are hand-me-downs from Rose’s mother.  “When my mother owned them, they were covered in just the original padding and she had asked an artist to do drawings on them based on “The Little Prince.”  It wasn’t until Rose was planning the home that she thought of the chairs.  “I thought they would be perfect for that space as they didn’t necessarily match the rest of the décor, and I long had wanted to bead and embroider some chairs. I designed an embroidery based on one I had used in a past collection,” says Rose.

As Rose continues to evolve her collection and her home, one thing remains true – her vision and passion to stay true to who she is.

Rose's collection of black-and-white photographs mixed with beautiful drawings.

Chairs handed down to Rose from her mother.

All photos by Lexie Moreland.