Behind the Brand: Pierce & Ward
A conversation with Emily Ward—and a look at the design duo's new collection with West Elm.
Words can hardly express how excited I am to share this post with you. Pierce & Ward is not just an awe-inspiring interiors firm—transforming spaces for celebrity clients like Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Hudson, and Emma Roberts—but they’re also a team I’ve had the privilege of getting to know on a personal level. Yes, they turn plain spaces into magical, layered, envy-inducing homes—but they’re also the kindest, most down-to-earth group of designers.
Even if you’re not familiar with the firm, there is a good chance one of their incredible projects has flashed across your Instagram feed or graced the pages of a glossy magazine you were leafing through. To date, their work has been featured in notable publications such as Architectural Digest, New York Times Magazine, Domino, House Beautiful, and more. Should you have a keen interest in design and follow Architectural Digest’s annual AD100 list, you’ll know that they have been recognized as a top firm not once but for seven consecutive years—a true feat in the world of interior design.
Outside of sprinkling magic across all of the projects they touch, they also have a growing e-commerce business and a brick-and-mortar in Los Angeles—selling a mix of vintage items and their Pierce & Ward Collection. Perhaps most exciting, however, is their recent product collab with West Elm, which introduces a new collection of furniture, decor, lighting, rugs, and more—making it easier than ever for fans to infuse their homes with the distinctive style of Pierce & Ward.
Eager to learn about this new chapter for the design duo, I texted Emily to see if she would answer a few questions for my Substack audience—and I was happy to see her reply.
Here’s what she shared about her journey to interior design, how this new collection came to be, and the advice she would give someone looking to get started in this industry.
To kick things off, let’s start at the very beginning. Can you share how Pierce & Ward got its start?
Louisa and I very much started the company by accident. We met in New York and became good friends after bonding over a shared passion for interior design. We soon both found ourselves in Nashville—and that’s where the design partnership really started. For Louisa’s Nashville home, she essentially began with a blank piece of land and did the architecture and design for the entire thing. After I saw how good of a job she did on her house, I asked her to help me design mine. We quickly realized how fun it was to work together. My house essentially became a “showhouse”—we did whatever we wanted. Once friends and family started seeing the space we gained traction and people started hiring us for their homes. It was a lucky partnership.
You were founded as an interior design firm—but over the past few years, you’ve also moved into retail. How did that come about?
Actually, in the beginning, when we started to gain momentum we wanted to open a store, but we put that on the sideline when family urged us to pursue interior design. It wasn’t until the end of COVID that we considered the idea of retail more seriously. We kept buying things we loved—thinking those pieces would go in projects, but we had so much and wanted to share it with people who wanted a bit of the Pierce & Ward style. We love that we can offer people the pieces that we curate in an easy, shoppable format. The community around our Los Angeles store has also been great. We love seeing people from the Los Feliz neighborhood pop in before going out to dinner or to grab a quick hostess gift. It’s a nice way to be connected with our community and clients.
At your store and online you offer a mix of vintage finds along with Pierce & Ward Collection pieces. How do those differ?
When working on a project, we typically fill it with 80% vintage pieces and 20% new pieces. There are always things we can’t find though, and that’s what our Pierce & Ward Collection is. When we find a vintage item that we love, we explore making it. We take pride in the construction of those items—ensuring we’re making quality pieces for customers. We love that our new collection with West Elm further expands on that accessibility to people. It’s more accessible but still has the quality we’d expect for our clients.
How did your collection with West Elm come about?
So that 20% new we fill a project with—originally we were sourcing those items from West Elm. At the time, they were the only place that had the quality and the forms that we were looking for. This collection feels like a very full-circle moment for us. Doing a collection with West Elm felt like the right home.
What was the collaboration process like with the West Elm design team?
The design team was an absolute dream to work with. They were able to draw our ideas and lean on the vintage pieces we’ve continually taken inspiration from. They would enhance our visions and never rushed us to finish the design process too quickly. They were always welcome to feedback and changes to the designs—we had the freedom to sign off on each piece when we were ready to.
If someone wants to bring the Pierce & Ward look home—are there key items they should commit to first?
The whole idea behind the collection is that even by adding one or two pieces, you’re able to start leaning into the lines and shapes that are synonymous with our designs. You could get a few pieces or multiple to get that collected and cohesive look. The couch is so deep and comfortable and really feels like an item from our Pierce & Ward Collection. The barstools and bench have these beautiful metal legs that play on vintage pieces we’ve found over the years. The bedside tables have drawers—a functional element we’ve found to be a must with clients. The credenza has a perforated diamond pattern that supports ventilation for AV equipment. Each item has so much of what we would be looking for in a piece—so it is up to what your space’s needs are and what you need at that moment.
Can you share more about the textiles selected for the collection?
These are patterns that we’ve been collecting over the past 13 years—patterns we love. They are all classic and timeless. Stripes, grids, florals—all in the color palettes and worlds that we’ve always admired, which are very much Earthy and nature-inspired. At the core of it, you’ve got the greens, mustards, pinks, and cinnamon—all in patterns inspired by our favorite vintage fabrics.
Do you have advice for someone looking to get started as an interior designer or perhaps for a designer looking to get started in retail?
If someone is trying to dip their toes into interior design, I would say to be on-site as much as you can. Louisa and I learned everything being at the job site all the time. Nobody can teach you what you can learn there. If someone is looking to get into retail, hire people to work in your store who are overly qualified—that’s what we did. We also only buy things that we love—we don’t really care if someone doesn’t like it because we know that someone else will. It’s about following your instinct because when you are a designer, everything is about having the confidence to execute the vision and if you start wavering, you’re never going to get the thing that’s perfect.
To see more of Pierce & Ward’s work visit www.pierceandward.com. You can visit their store at 1956 Hillhurst Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90027.
To explore their full collection with West Elm visit www.westelm.com.
This post is in paid partnership with West Elm — thank you for supporting Charlotte’s Web.
Xx Charlotte
It's been pure delight to watch their success. So distinctive, personal, trend-forward and also traditional, and they always have THE BEST DESIGNER PORTRAITS.
Char do I need this bench?! 😍