Brooklyn-based designer Colin King got his start designing the Los Angeles office of a tech CEO and then turned to styling interior spaces. He styled Athena Calderone’s homes in Cobble Hill and Amagansett for Architectural Digest and has worked with designers Giancarlo Valle, Andre Mellone and Roman & Williams. A collection with Beni Rugs then followed. “Clients come to me to help them refine the unusual details and unlikely juxtapositions,” says King. “And to help them know when to let things just be. A room should arrive at a point where adding or subtracting anything would ruin the overall design.”
Colin King’s styling work for Beni Rugs at a Studio KO villa in Morocco
What are your current influences?
Books are a constant source of inspiration and I make it a priority to find local booksellers in every city I travel. Everyday ritual, pedestrian gestures and unstyled spaces inspire my aesthetic.
What are some of your favorite décor purveyors?
I am somewhat unconventional when it comes to sourcing. Instagram is a great source: it’s where I found my current sofa and nurture relationships with dealers all over the world. Online auction sites like LiveAuctioneers and CataWiki are great.
One of King’s designs for Beni Rugs styled in the Tribeca Penthouse at The Greenwich Hotel in New York City
Is there one design element that you always incorporate into a project?
I have an obsession with lamps: floor, table, task, sconces, pendants and candles—all on dimmers. Layered lighting can make or break a project. Books are another non-negotiable you’ll see in all of my projects. I love seemingly random stacks of books throughout a space; they bring so much personality and charm to a space without too much distraction.
