Natural evolution

KELLY Wearstler, queen of Hollywood Regency? “That’s so last Tuesday,” declares the L.A.designer whose glamorous rooms at the Viceroy in Santa Monica earned her the unofficial title. “You evolve,” says Wearstler, who today becomes the first American interior designer to launch a collection with London-based the Rug Co. “Your eyes are attracted to different things.” Wearstler, shown here in front of her Zephyr design, has had her eye on classical materials such as veined marble – a feature in her 1926 Georgian home by architect James Dolena –that informs her silk-and-wool design for Tracery, bottom left. Other patterns take cues from the world of nature. Nautilus, top left, emulates seashells; Bijoux, top right, is a fish-scale pattern adapted from one of her favorite vintage dresses. Prices range from $80 to $130 per square foot. Wearstler says her muted but modern rugs are designed to “loosen up” both 21st century and old-fashioned furnishings. “Traditional carpets plus traditional furniture equals your grandparents’,” Wearstler warns. In other words, so last Tuesday. 8202 Melrose Ave., L.A.; (323) 653-0303; Wearstler’s rugs can be viewed starting Friday at www.therugcompany.info