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Amity Worrel & Co.

@amityworrelco

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Award-Winning Designer Based in ATX | Est. 2006 | As seen in •AD •House Beautiful •WSJ •Martha Stewart •Tribeza •Austin Home

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We recently flew to Birmingham, Alabama, for the @verandamag Trade Secrets Summit, which is exactly the kind of thing I will happily board a plane for: designers, editors, photographers, stylists, garden people, and antique dealers, all with strong opinions about things I also have strong opinions about.

My goal, besides having fun, was to hear REAL secrets. And VERANDA was not messing around. They were generous with the knowledge they shared. They were kind and accessible.

My biggest takeaway is how much heart the people who run the magazine have.

Read more about my trip to the South in our latest blog. Link in bio.

Primary Photographer: Ian Palmer for VERANDA by @amityworrelco

It’s a marathon, not a sprint.

The fall Round Top and Marburger furniture and antiques fairs are among the most exciting times of year to be in Austin. A typical day out there means ten hours of sourcing antiques, vintage furniture, art, “smalls,” and the odd and collectible.

This year, the weather was divine (which is rare at the fall show). The company was absolutely perfect: low-key and cheerful. The parties were fabulous. And this year in particular, the items we saw were the stars of the show, from pristine perfection to chipped and dusty to just plain odd.

I love everything about what Marburger and Round Top pull together from across the country and, sometimes, even further afield. It’s a remarkable gathering of objects, people, and points of view, all in pursuit of something worth buying or at least viewing. The objects and the people love to be seen!

I must admit, I’m somewhat nostalgic for the “before times,” when the buildings weren’t really buildings at all, there was no air conditioning, the landscaping was nonexistent, and there was perhaps a little less fashion on display.

But nostalgia aside, I love the energy, the spectacle, and the commitment this event brings out in people. It’s a marathon, all right. And one I’m happy to keep running. by @amityworrelco

Some of the most important things to select in a home are the lighting sources and styles! From architectural lighting to task lighting to decorative lighting - all need to be considered.

Here are four rules I like to follow:

1. Layer it. One overhead fixture cannot do everything.

2. Keep it warm. 2700 Kelvin only. The wrong temperature can make a healthy person look like they need a doctor. The right one? Supermodel.

3. Dim it. Cooking, reading, and entertaining all need different brightness.

4. Light what you love. Art, beautiful materials, bookshelves, and architecture deserve their moment.

Photographer: @andreacalo by @amityworrelco

We were walking through the Paris flea market two years ago when we saw this stunning Art Nouveau chandelier. We knew it was absolutely perfect for this client and would work beautifully in their breakfast area, suspended above custom bistro tables.

To make the moment all the more incredible, the wooden chairs around the breakfast tables are the very ones the client herself sat on as a child, eating breakfast in her family home!

Having heirloom pieces that her kids can now sit in while they enjoy breakfast is remarkably special and sentimental, and we know that one day the light fixture will also become a family heirloom passed down through generations.

Vintage is always the right decision!

Photographer: @andreacalo by @amityworrelco

I don’t think designers take advantage of areas to lounge as much as they should.

There is nothing more comfortable than grabbing a book and flopping onto a chaise. A daybed? Even better!

Soft, dimmable lighting - 2700K if you know - and violà, you’ve created an area that will be hard to part from.

Photographer: @andreacalo by @amityworrelco

People always lose their minds over this primary bathroom. And frankly, we get it.

We began designing this space in 2020 but due to the pandemic we did not photograph it until 2024. It is satisfying to look back into our archives see things that still feel so current even though they are not.

This bathroom "reads" clean and fresh and in this specific situation I see that as a positive. This is a steam shower/tub/wet room so it needs to be easy to maintain.

However, typically too much of a focus on "easy to clean" gives me the shivers!!!!

The way people cling desperately to their request for a "low maintenance" space leaves me feeling like when they say clean they actually mean something deeper that references a moral code.

Read more of my thoughts in my latest blog. Link in bio.

Photographer: @andreacalo by @amityworrelco

“The details are not the details. They make the design.” - Charles Eames

“To create something exceptional, your mindset must be relentlessly focused on the smallest detail.” - Giorgio Armani

Who am I to argue with two such design GREATS?!

There is no detail too small to focus on. My design team reminds me of that every day. We/they care about it all and that really shows in the end results - from the texture of a wallpaper to the way the light hits the paint color to the tiny gessoed design on a mirror frame.

No detail is too small to be important.

Photographer: @wabranowicz by @amityworrelco

I think one of the most crucial things a leader can realize is the importance of being questioned.

I try to encourage my team to "prove me wrong" as often as possible.

The dialogue that comes from asking questions and sharing new ideas always creates a superior final result for our clients.

I often say "I have strong opinions, loosely held."

Read more in my latest blog. Link in bio. by @amityworrelco

I'm honored to have been named one of Austin's Best Interior Designers of 2026!

So much of this award belongs to my incredible team. We're just getting started.

Photographer: @likeness_studio by @amityworrelco

New York you were a whirlwind as always!

We had such a fun time going to the launch party for @homesandgardensanthology and @kbshowhouse and attending What’s New What’s Next.

An absolute feast for the eyes, we’re feeling so inspired. by @amityworrelco

I wanted to take a moment to celebrate Melissa! She's been a member of the team for over 8 years now. She's one of the most technically sharp people I know, and has an eagle eye for the details.

Melissa has worked on our Cape Cod project since 2021, and when we went out this summer to photograph our third round of installations, it only felt right to capture Melissa in the space she worked so hard to create.

Although it's my name on the front door, it's my team who works so tirelessly to bring our projects to life. In interior design, there's been an unspoken rule that a principal should be careful about elevating their team. I absolutely disagree.

Read more of my thoughts in my latest blog. Link in bio.

Photographer: @liamtsheehan by @amityworrelco

Decorating is always a good idea!

I’ve never skimped when decorating Amity Worrel & Co. workshops. Sure, there are still curtains I’d like to have made, lighting adjustments I want to execute, and a pair of chairs that desperately needs to be reupholstered! But, when we move into a space, we add layers, bring our collected oddities, and add the pieces that make a space feel real and cozy and uniquely ours.

I’m so proud of our nearly 3,000 sqft. workshop and how unrecognizable it looks compared to when we bought it last October.

Investing in our space has allowed us to share it with other people. And this weekend we’re excited to open our doors to our first ever market with @montroseedit We’re hosting 14 vendors in the space, and opening it up to the public.

We’ll see you Saturday Sept. 12 from 12-4pm. Rumor has it, we’re even giving away a vintage object! You’ll have to see for yourself.

Photographer: @likeness_studio by @amityworrelco