Neptune Papers Issue Eleven - Cover Three: Kelly Wearstler by David William Baum

Introducing Issue Eleven of cover 3 of 6: Kelly Ever After.

Kelly Wearstler is the queen of a certain kind of Californian cool. Wearstlerworld—an apt description of her sprawling creative universe, and also the name of her popular Substack—is thrumming on all cylinders. Her namesake studio, which she established just over three decades ago and now headquartered in West Hollywood, currently has far-flung projects in Australia, France, and Costa Rica, to name a few. She launched the gallery Side Hustle last year out of her Beverly Hills pool house showcasing the work of up-and-coming designers. This past September, her anticipated collaboration with H&M arrived, following a preview during Milan’s Salone del Mobile.

Common wisdom tells us that California moves at a noticeably slower pace, as if the preponderance of sunshine has something to do with it. But for the designer Wearstler, her daily schedule is chopped into short, precise increments. “I have what I call drive-by meetings, where I have five minutes in between,” she says of her slate of fifteen and thirty minute blocks. She looks characteristically at ease, even though it’s only noon and this conversation is already meeting number seven. “Everything is back to back.” 

Wearstler traces her design beginnings to her childhood home in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Her mother was an antiques dealer who let her daughter tag along to auctions and thrift stores, formative experiences that influenced Wearstler’s design sensibility. Following studies in Boston and an internship at Milton Glaser in New York, Wearstler headed to Hollywood with dreams of being a set designer and got some small jobs while hostessing at Chaya Brasserie in Beverly Hills. The rest is history.

For Neptune, Wearstler invites us into her home as the face of our Los Angeles talent portfolio created in collaboration with Cartier highlighting ten of the city's most exciting artists, designers and architects.

Pictured: Kelly wears Cartier.

This issue features: Alexandre Lorquin, Analuisa Corrigan, Andre Herrero, Augustin Deleuze, Baccarat, Brigette Romanek, Cartier in L.A., Casa Muñoz, David Reed, Dean Levin, Delfin Finley, Dorian Grinspan, Elizabeth Roberts, Émilie Hammen, Emma McIntyre, Esu Lee, Festen, Florian Krewer, François-Joseph Graf, Gulbenkian Museum, Hermès Maison, Hortense de Gromard, Ingrid Donat, Jacopo Venturini, Joanna Plant, Jonathan Brown, John Zabawa, Kelly Wearstler, Kohshin Finley, Lemon, Lisa Eisner, Manolo Vosse, Nina Charles, Nina Zanzem, Nordic Knots, Pierre Lorquin, Ralph Lauren, Rimowa, Robert Vifian, Rug & Kilim, Rose Uniacke, Sanam Khatibi, Studio Peregalli Sartori, Studio Valle de Valle, Thibo Denis, Toteme and Wes Gordon.

Note: All covers feature identical content, with every shoot included.

Orders featuring our Issue Eleven will begin shipping on November 9, 2026.