Yahoo Lifestyle Gwyneth Paltrow, Demi Moore and More Toast Brigette Romanek’s Crate & Barrel Collection Launch
The fan club for Los Angeles interior designer Brigette Romanek runs deep.
Gwyneth Paltrow, Demi Moore, Kelly Rowland, “Nobody Wants This” producer Jenni Konner, U Beauty founder Tina Craig, jewelry designer Jennifer Meyer, Cult Gaia designer Jasmin Larian Hekmat, Thirteen Lune founder Nykaio Grieco, “The Last Showgirl” director Gia Coppola, costume designer Jacqui Getty and others were among the stylish crowd that showed up Thursday night to celebrate Romanek’s new collaboration with Crate & Barrel.
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Romanek opened up her Hollywood design studio for the dinner party, and decked it out with the collection’s gorgeous chocolate brown velvet Malibu Grande sofa, cream boucle Bel Air swivel chairs, Coastline credenza, Beachwood wicker table lamps and more.
“Look at all the pieces. Everything in here. I’m so proud of it,” Romanek said of her biggest collaboration to date, which numbers 100 pieces, from decorative trays and candle holders to lighting, throw blankets, credenzas, a bar and a bed, all in in rich neutrals and pale coastal hues, mixing natural textures and warm brass finishes.
“Ever since the first time I saw her work, I dreamed of working with her,” Crate & Barrel head of design Sebastian Brauer told WWD. “We’ve been reinvigorating Crate over the past six years and her livable luxe and high-low mix and modern femininity is something we were trying to bring in. So she’s just an amazing partner.”
Guests, including Romanek’s family, sipped on Moscow mules, tested out the furnishings, and even got the dancing started early during cocktail hour where a DJ spun 1970s tunes, before sitting down to a dinner catered by Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo.
“We were actually her first client,” said The Great designer Emily Current. “She designed all our stores.”
“When so many other people told us no, Brigette always figured out a way to get to yes,” The Great’s Merrit Elliott echoed.
Romanek’s design world peers Martyn Lawrence Bullard, Jake Arnold and Mayer Rus were also there to support.
“We’ve been friends for several years and our careers have been adjacent to one another so I love supporting her and seeing her skyrocket. She is so talented and kind and has such incredible taste,” said artist, author and interior designer Justina Blakeney, who gifted Romanek a portrait she painted of her, and has an art show coming up herself in April at Una Casa Privada in Hollywood.
One of the most popular pieces in the room was the sculptural Hollywood Hills resin coffee table with a 90-degree divot creating an angled space to prop open an art book. “Functionality was so important,” Romanek said of the collection, pointing out that the table is actually lightweight enough to move around a New York apartment. “And I like to look at my books,” she explained of the unique feature that could display one of the hundreds of amazing design, art and fashion books that were stacked up in the studio.
“It’s beautiful,” said Moore, sitting nearby with her well-traveled, best guest micro chihuahua Pilaf, and her florist friend Eric Butterbaugh.
Romanek, whose clients include Moore, Paltrow, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter and Joe Jonas, founded her business in 2018, the same year she made the AD100 list. A self-taught designer, she grew up on the south side of Chicago with her single mom, Paulette McWilliams, a singer/songwriter and backing vocalist who traveled the world with the likes of Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin and David Bowie.
During her toast at the dinner table, with a row of candles extending the entire length, Romanek praised McWilliams for taking a risk in moving the family to L.A., and instilling in her a strong work ethic. “I dedicate tonight to my mom.”
“From the moment she was born, I’ve always told her she was magical, she was special; I’m so glad God gave her to me. Being a single mom was no problem, we kind of grew up together,” McWilliams said. “She never stops wanting to learn, wanting to be better and wanting to give people what they want.”
Launch Gallery: Gwyneth Paltrow, Demi Moore, Kelly Rowland and More Celebrate Brigette Romanek's Crate & Barrel Launch
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