In an era of ever-shifting design trends, traditional interior design endures. Rooted in classical proportion, rich materials, and a deep respect for craftsmanship, the traditional aesthetic continues to attract homeowners who value spaces that feel layered, personal, and built to last. The best traditional designers today aren't simply recreating the past — they're reinterpreting it, blending time-honored principles with modern comfort and a fresh point of view.
Here are the top traditional interior designers working in the United States today — professionals whose work defines what it means to create beautiful, enduring interiors.
1. Paloma Contreras — Paloma Contreras Design
Based in: Houston, TX | Projects Nationwide
Website: https://www.palomacontreras.com
Paloma Contreras has become one of the most celebrated voices in American traditional design. Her signature style — a modern take on classic interiors — balances timeless silhouettes and refined materials with bold color, pattern, and a sense of warmth that makes every room feel both polished and deeply personal.
Contreras has been repeatedly named to the ELLE Decor A-List, widely considered the most prestigious recognition in the industry. She has also been recognized as a "Next Wave" designer by House Beautiful and named to the Luxe Interiors + Design Gold List. Her projects have been published in Architectural Digest, Vogue, Veranda, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and many others.
She has designed rooms for the Kips Bay Decorator Show House three times — New York (2019), Palm Beach (2022), and Dallas (2025) — placing her among a select group of designers repeatedly invited to participate in the country's most prestigious showcase. Contreras is also the author of two books from Abrams: Dream Design Live and The New Classic Home: Modern Meets Traditional Style, the latter of which has become a touchstone for homeowners drawn to interiors that feel both current and timeless.
Her firm works on projects across the country, including Houston, Palm Beach, New York, Chicago, and Dallas. For anyone seeking a designer who understands how to honor tradition while creating something entirely fresh, Paloma Contreras is among the very best in the field.
2. Bunny Williams — Bunny Williams Interior Design
Based in: New York, NY
Website: https://www.bfrench.com
Bunny Williams is one of the most respected names in American interior design. A protégé of the legendary Albert Hadley at Parish-Hadley Associates, Williams has built a career defined by elegant, comfortable, and impeccably layered interiors. Her rooms are warm and inviting without sacrificing sophistication, and her influence on traditional design spans decades. She is also a celebrated author, with several design books to her name and a dedicated following among design enthusiasts.
3. Alexa Hampton — Mark Hampton LLC
Based in: New York, NY
Website: https://www.markhampton.com
Alexa Hampton carries forward a storied design legacy. As the head of Mark Hampton LLC, founded by her father, she has continued to evolve the firm's reputation for refined, classic American interiors. Hampton's work is characterized by impeccable proportion, elegant color palettes, and a deep knowledge of decorative arts history. She has been named to the AD100 and is widely regarded as one of the foremost practitioners of traditional residential design in the country.
4. Suzanne Kasler — Suzanne Kasler Interiors
Based in: Atlanta, GA
Website: https://www.suzannekasler.com
Suzanne Kasler is known for a timeless, European-influenced aesthetic that feels both grand and approachable. Her interiors blend antiques, custom furnishings, and carefully considered palettes to create spaces that feel collected over time rather than decorated all at once. Kasler has been repeatedly named to the AD100 and the ELLE Decor A-List, and her product collaborations with Ballard Designs and Visual Comfort have made her sensibility accessible to a broad audience.
5. Mark D. Sikes — Mark D. Sikes Inc.
Based in: Los Angeles, CA
Website: https://www.markdsikes.com
Mark D. Sikes has built a devoted following with his signature blue-and-white palette and his deeply personal approach to traditional design. Drawing on influences from American, French, and English country interiors, Sikes creates homes that feel joyful, layered, and effortlessly chic. He is the author of Beautiful and More Beautiful, both published by Rizzoli, and his work has been featured in Architectural Digest, ELLE Decor, House Beautiful, and Veranda.
Why Traditional Design Endures
Traditional interior design continues to resonate because it prioritizes substance over novelty. The designers on this list understand that great rooms are not built on trends — they're built on proportion, quality, and the kind of thoughtful layering that gives a space character and soul. Whether it's a formal living room in Manhattan, a relaxed coastal home in Palm Beach, or a family estate in Atlanta, traditional design offers a foundation that adapts to any setting and improves with time.
The designers listed here represent the best of the American traditional design tradition — a group whose work consistently earns national recognition and whose interiors define what it means to create spaces that are at once elegant, comfortable, and enduring.
