Todd Haley is a Chicago area interior decorator who designs for clients in the Chicago and New York metropolitan areas. Todd was given a “Stylemakers and Rulebreakers Award” by the Fashion Group International. We got a chance to speak to Mr. Haley about his unique style.

Todd Haley is a Chicago area interior decorator who designs for clients in the Chicago and New York metropolitan areas. Todd was given a “Stylemakers and Rulebreakers Award” by the Fashion Group International. We got a chance to speak to Mr. Haley about his unique style.

How did your design style start out?

I started out slick, clean, and minimal. Part of this is because I often correct the architectural bones of the room first- raising the height of doorways for example. When I used to work with lower budget and younger clients, this left less money for the décor so I became well versed in how to decorate minimally. The major change is that I now integrate traditional elements in my design.

The Franklin Report called your work “a traditional look that reads modern.” How do you achieve this contrast?

My method is more clean and edited than normal traditionalism. I still keep all the major components of my decorating clean and neutral. Keep in mind- neutral isn’t necessarily black and white- but the colors and texture remain mostly the same throughout a room. This allows the eye to be lead towards certain key pieces in the room. Key pieces can be anything from artwork, to antiques, to views;

even people if a room is meant to host gatherings. Also, and not to knock traditionalism, but often something with a lot of patterns is not only busy but if a lot of money has been spent on fabrics and furniture sometimes other, more subtle, features such as stitching will suffer. By keeping certain things simple, I can demand the best workmanship and still be very cost effective.

Certainly Antiques play strongly into your design, how do you like to employ them?

One thing I often do is use a piece out of context. For example, an antique chest can go at the end of a bed for storage but it can also be employed as an extra seat in a living room. Many antique objects can be used as anything from a table surface to a lamp fixture. Sometimes when I’m antiquing I find something so good that I ask myself “how can I use this.” I think of the antiques and artwork in my design like the jewelry and bag on an otherwise plainly dressed woman. Her style is defined, and can be changed by a change of these pieces. Similarly, a room that’s otherwise minimal can pick up an art deco undertone with just a few art deco pieces; and this undertone can be replaced by other styles with simple replacements, without a whole change of outfit.

One of Todd Haley’s projects can be seen below

-Luke Thomas