I had a chat with interior designer Kristen Hutchins recently, she's been on her own a little over two years but also spent two years working with Kelly Wearstler and another two years with Ruthie Sommers. Imagine working with Ruthie and Kelly! Kristen's portfolio reflects that pulled-together California-chic aesthetic that we all know and like so much. Here are some of my favorites...

Kristen was born in Miami and grew up in Florida, then traveled to California when she was 18 to study Business and fell in love with the west coast lifestyle. While in college she had the honor of working in fashion at Barneys New York and the exposure to such inspiring designers and clothing helped surface her long time love of interior design.

After completing her Business degree, she decided to pursue a formal design education at UCLA and then went on to work with designer Ruthie Sommers and then, more recently, Kelly Wearstler where she worked as a senior designer. After a few years with Kelly she felt ready to go out on her own and launched Kristen Hutchins Design.

What a wonderful story of a strong, talented woman determined to pursue her passions with beautiful results!

(images: kristen hutchins design)