Elsie de Wolfe (Research)

In the 18Th century more people were middle class and began to spend more of their money on luxuries and leisure. With time being more open instead of working all the time people began to host parties and have people come to their house for social gatherings. Elsie de Wolfe opened the eyes of many people when it came to the presentation of their homes. She introduced more style to a home by the color of the room, the design of the furniture, the amount of light let in through elegant curtains, and the way all of this and accessories where placed in the space. De Wolfe opened the eyes of America to how a room can express a families or business' style, personality, and standards through the designs in that room.  

Some of Elsie de Wolfe work.

Elsie de Wolfe is known as one of the first interior designers in America. Born into wealth in New York, Elsie at a young age was know for acting, but even better known for her wardrobe in the plays she performed in. She became a professional actress and acted it comical and historical  plays with in the 1980s. De Wolfe was better known for her clothing, which her producers let her choose herself, then she was for her acting in the plays she performed in. Later De Wolfe moved in with a friend, Elisabeth Marbury, who was a powerful women figure in New York. Marbury a widely known as a successful literary agent and business representative for businesses in New York. When de Wolfe moved in the women cleaned out the space and de Wolfe introduced soft warm colors to the space and gave it some French elegance.  After de Wolfe did this task she decided she wanted to turn it into a profession and do it professionally.

Elsie sitting with some of her work

 She was given the opportunity to decorate and show her work to the public when Marbry decided to open a exclusive women's club called the Colony Club. Marbury chose de Wolfe to redecorate the space they had for the club because Marbury saw how de Wolfe redocorated the space they lived in. De Wolfe gave the club a new look that did not resemble a men's club. She created a causal female look with wicker chairs for furniture, light colored walls, light drapery, and tile covered floors. The decorations caught the attention of the ladies in the club and spread the word about de Wolfe and her work.

Some of Elsie's work

After de Wolfe being the talk of the town she began to redecorate more clubs, many private houses, opera boxes, a dormitory at Barnard College and she created a model house so others could view her work. As the word spread she started to work for very well-known families being the Morgans, Fricks, Windsors, and Vanderbilts. De Wolfe told America, "I opened up the doors and windows of America and let the air and sunshine in." Through all her hard work and popularity de Wolfe and her companion Marbury bought and restored the Villa Trinanon in Versailles, France. 

The Colony Club

Traveling to France she fell in love with the 18th century designs of English and French furniture. Taking these styles back to America, she introduced more comfortable furnishing, that had style, so it would be more comfortable for guest. This made having more parties popular because the people invited could enjoy themselves in a beautiful and comfortable atmosphere. 

Self Portrait 

Ten years of being a very successful interior designer, America entered World War I. She halted her work and became a nurse in France to help during the war. For this she earned the Croix de Guerre and Legion of Honor. 


Elsie de Wolfe achieved many great things for a women in this time period and became a well known figure. She opened the eyes to many Americans and showed people how important the design of a room could be.