Modern Matter Blog
Collaborator Spotlight: Pierce & Ward
With an A-list clientele including Leonardo DiCaprio, Dakota Johnson, Kate Hudson, Karen Elson, Lily Aldridge, design duo Louisa Pierce & Emily Ward (Pierce & Ward) are experts in capturing and communicating personality within one’s home. Led by friendship, kinship and instinct, their style is functional luxury and their gift is creating warm, lived in spaces that feel like home. In 2020, the designers published a monograph with Rizzoli that peeks inside some of the starry homes within their orbit. Pierce & Ward has been featured on Architectural Digest's AD100 list 6 times and in 2021 they opened their namesake brick and mortar store in Los Feliz, LA.
Q: How did Pierce & Ward start? How did you meet?
A: We met in the best way: spontaneously in a bar one night in NYC through our partners at the time! It was love at first sight!
Q: How do you describe Pierce & Ward's style?
A: Fancy folk and functional luxury with a special knack for creating warm, lived-in spaces that feel like home. We combine Southern charm with California ease and European sophistication by finding one-of-a-kind antique and vintage pieces and bringing new life to everything we place in homes and in our store.
Q: How do your personal styles complement each other?
A: I (Emily) love earthy and cozy spaces, and Louisa is more into the grand and feminine. We love to combine both of our sensibilities to suit our clients' dream homes.
Q: You love to collect vintage pieces. Can you share some of your favorite finds with us?
A: Magical Tramp art pieces that have been made many years ago and are so timeless. We love vintage art, textiles we can frame and place on headboards... and especially gorgeous furniture that has been loved and has so much character. We have amazing pieces on our website that are great examples of our style.
Q: What do you look for when shopping for vintage items? What's not worth buying vintage?
A: Antique Persian rugs are always worth buying when the colors are right! But we always use new bedding and new solid rugs for layering.
Q: What vintage pieces in your store have sold that you had difficulty saying goodbye to?
A: We sold the best vintage match stick table when we first opened, as well as the best pair of antique Dutch armchairs in a checkered mohair. We are always thrilled for pieces to find new homes, and it brings us so much joy to have the clients we have who come to our store.
Q: Tell us about your creative process. How do you start your design projects?
A: We typically start with color—paint and wallpaper are our go-to for determining how a room will feel. We source large pieces to anchor a room, choose fabric for upholstery, and then at install we fill in all of the surfaces and wall space with amazing lighting, art, and smalls.
Q: What was the inspiration for this hardware line?
A: Louisa’s late mother-in-law, Carmella Scaggs, collected many beautiful pieces throughout her life, so we looked to her for inspiration. We also thought a lot about our favorite hardware pieces that we have used in the past, and it grew from there! We knew we wanted versatile and functional items, like pulls and shelf brackets since these are so hard to find. We can’t wait to use our collection in our homes and clients’!
Q: How do you envision the collection being used?
A: With ease and often! We wanted to make special but accessible hardware that everyone can use in any room. The Florence Knob can be used in a gigantic kitchen, on every cabinet, and combined with our Rosa Pull and our Coco Drop Pull. Everything works together, so no matter what space or piece you are putting the collection on, it will be special and gorgeous but effortless to place.
Q: What do you look for when sourcing hardware for your clients?
A: We love unlacquered brass hardware—it brings so much warmth. The scale of the hardware is also important for space, so it always feels like it belongs. We look for one-of-a-kind hardware to make each room feel thoughtful.
