Home & Garden
Bunny Williams and Elizabeth Lawrence’s New Design Book Is a Feast for the Eyes
The richly illustrated book looks at gracious rooms, Southern projects, and the artisans and craftspeople who bring them to life
Photo: Francesco Lagnese
It’s hard not to associate the Virginia native and iconic interior designer Bunny Williams with Elizabeth Lawrence, her longtime protégée and now partner at Williams Lawrence in New York City. Lawrence joined Williams’s firm in 2003, while still a student at the New York School of Interior Design, and became a partner in 2017. Six years later, Bunny Williams Interior Design was renamed Williams Lawrence, ushering in a new chapter for the duo.
Now there’s another milestone: the release earlier this month of their first book together, Bunny Williams and Elizabeth Lawrence: Decoration. Published by Rizzoli, the substantial 406-page tome alternates between Williams’s and Lawrence’s points of view, allowing each distinct voice to guide readers through projects from Palm Beach to New York and beyond.
One of the stand-out elements of the book—in addition to acres of beautiful interior photography—is the enormous amount of space devoted to the building and decorative arts. Or, more specifically, to the craftspeople Williams and Lawrence work with to bring these stunning rooms into full relief.
Take, for example, the delightful section devoted to the beloved Savannah decorative painter Bob Christian. It’s a one-of-a-kind peek into the seldom-seen world that these sorts of artisans occupy, with their materials and works in progress on display. And then there are the stories.
“We had one particular client for whom Bob painted the ceiling of a very tall kitchen,” Lawrence remembers. “The client loved it so much that it led to a series of other projects. Bob keeps coming back, painting a hallway here, another ceiling there, and now a bathroom that’s in the works. At this point, we’re considering adding a bedroom for Bob, since he seems to be spending so much time at the house. And who wouldn’t want Bob and his Southern charm as a houseguest?”
There are also, unsurprisingly, plenty of Southern projects featured, including a breakfast room in Palm Beach painted the precise shade of the pink bougainvillea just beyond the windows.
“What I love most about our Southern clients is that they all know they will entertain a lot in their houses, and it is fun to think about eating in different rooms of the house,” Williams says. “For the breakfast room in Palm Beach, I was inspired by the colors in the garden to paint the room such a rich pink. People often shy away from pink, but when combined with rich wood and a brown and cream modern rug, the color is anything but sweet. I was lucky to purchase an amazing black lacquer cabinet from the Bunny Mellon auction [for the room], and when I spotted the pink Wedgwood shell plates, I knew they would have the perfect home [inside it].”
“From Charlottesville, Charlotte, Atlanta, Savannah, Charleston, Palm Beach, and in between, it is not only the fabulous houses, but the amazing places to shop,” Williams says. “Almost no project we do does not have objects sourced from the South.”
Both designers also infuse their work with a great deal of empathy, something that comes across throughout the book as they champion everyone involved in the process—from junior designers to cleaning and installation crews. “We work with so many people,” Williams says. “Our relationship with each person is what is going to make the project successful.”
That sentiment extends even to their littlest clients. “Empathy is at the heart of good design,” Lawrence says. “I will often meet with [clients’ children] and get a sense of what they like. I think it’s important that their rooms feel like their own, rather than simply being a reflection of the adults’ taste.”
As for what’s next, the two have plenty of Southern book-release appearances ahead, including at Birmingham’s Antiques at the Gardens in October and a celebratory conversation and book signing at the Antiques & Garden Show of Nashville in January.
Further down the line, Lawrence sees the firm continuing long after even she retires: “I hope Williams Lawrence is carried forward by the next generation and that it remains a place where people love to come to work, feel encouraged to express their ideas, and contribute.”
Keep up with Williams and Lawrence on Instagram at @williams_lawrence_interiors, @bunnys_eye, and @elizabeth_m_lawrence.
Haskell Harris is the founding style director at Garden & Gun. She joined the title in 2008 and covers all things design-focused for the magazine. The House Romantic: Curating Memorable Interiors for a Meaningful Life is her first book. Follow @haskellharris on Instagram.
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