As founder of lifestyle brand The Flairhunter, Stephanie Hunt is adept at sourcing original art, custom craft, and vintage finds. Based between Park City, Utah, and Southern California, she designs interiors infused with a colorful, approachable aesthetic that celebrates the uniqueness of each project. Hunt encourages clients to embrace their individuality with “something truly personal” whether that’s “a collection of books, a vintage pendant light, or a textured patterned fabric to reupholster a footstool or wing chair.” Here, she shares a few favorite projects and some one-of-a-kind Chairish finds.
SHOP THE FLAIRHUNTER’S CHAIRISH FAVORITES >>>
SHOP THE FLAIRHUNTER'S CHAIRISH FAVORITES
What made you passionate about interior design? How did you get your start?
Growing up with parents who traveled and brought us along, living both around the country and internationally from the age of two, exposed me to SO much before I was even old enough to know it. It just seeped in—different cultures, styles, aesthetics, and periods. My parents’ families on both sides were art collectors and artists, and largely unafraid of mixing colors and patterns.
SHOP THE FLAIRHUNTER'S CHAIRISH FAVORITES
I got my start while thinking I wanted to go to law school in the late ‘80s. I was working in downtown LA law firms, starting my own family, and purchasing and decorating our own family homes when I realized I was always WAY more excited about what the very high-end, art-filled law office space looked like rather than the work I was actually doing there! Then, friends started asking me to help with their interior design. I was worried I didn’t know what the heck I was doing, so I went to design school for a brief stint and scrapped law school altogether. I then had the great fortune of apprenticing for a few very talented, respected design firms, and the rest is history.
What do you find most compelling about Chairish?
I love that Chairish feels like shopping in flea markets and vintage antiques stores all around the world without ever needing to travel to find the pieces. I’ve always mixed old with new and have said that a brand-new house lacks a soul unless there are at least a few old, vintage things in the mix. Shopping on Chairish can give a home that global, inherited feel.
SHOP THE FLAIRHUNTER'S CHAIRISH FAVORITES
SHOP THE FLAIRHUNTER'S CHAIRISH FAVORITES
How does sustainability factor into your design choices and love of vintage?
It’s definitely a factor, especially with an increasing awareness of how much of everything there already is in the world. Stuff. My adult sons, who are in their 20s, have also taught me so much with how they design their own homes because they love to thrift and shop vintage. And, back to my notion of needing something with age to help a space feel balanced and comfortable—it helps develop a soul and tell a story! Like, if a furniture item, lamp, old chest, or even a rug from Chairish could talk, I imagine the stories they could tell about the previous spaces they’ve occupied in homes and the people they’ve lived among!
Chairish gives access to timeless design to SO many, regardless of age or generation. I also feel like the items on Chairish help educate and inform the shopper about what is truly beautiful, interesting, and unique. I always encourage clients to lean into mixing in vintage as a way to practice sustainability and as a way to give their spaces that soul.
Favorite way to create a statement-making moment in a room?
I love this question. I might potentially work backward, in that I love to start with one great memorable, colorful, patterned rug or a great painting. Then, I build the room around that—letting the colors in the rug or art drive the upholstery choices, architectural finishes, and lighting styles. I do this in our homes and with client projects if they allow me to. Essentially, I create a vignette, mixing colors, patterns, styles, and eras. This could even apply to a tabletop! Or, a whole room. It might start with an old chandelier I find in a flea market in France (or on Chairish!), and I let the finishes, colors, or shapes in it drive the rest of the space. I love starting with a statement piece and then going from there, reverse-engineering the other items.
Any go-to palettes or color combos?
It’s funny because without even realizing it, I feel like I’m drawn to contrast—dark to light, saturated color with pastels or neutrals. I find myself frequently using greens of any shade. In my mind, green is a neutral. It doesn’t clash with any other color. Think of nature—does a tree clash with any color of wildflower or the sky? No! Greens mix with various shades of blue, yellow, and peacock. For warm neutrals, think of something slightly tea-dyed instead of stark white. I do love terracottas and other colors, but the green-blue-yellow with neutrals and rich dark woods, for some reason, keep sneaking into my projects. Even if it’s just in touches. I also love to balance warm colors with cool colors. And, lots of black, or faded off black, with ivory in the mix—but rest assured, you’ll probably always see something green, too!
What advice do you have for first-time clients about making their spaces truly personal?
Trust your taste, and trust me to help figure out what it is! I feel like I’m an un-caped crusader encouraging people to make their homes feel truly unique, not just choose what they might perceive to be on trend or in style. I mean, that’s fine too, but mix it with something truly personal—a collection of books, an old vintage funky one-of-a-kind pendant light, a textured patterned fabric to reupholster a footstool or wing chair. I think design has become a bit homogenized over this past decade, and I’m thrilled to see individualism fighting to resurface again.
