Celebrity Style

Libby Langdon recognizes that, like most cities today, Kansas City is “design hungry.” “I can see that people there are focused on creating gorgeous homes and environments where they can entertain family and friends and live beautifully,” the nationally recognized designer says.

Libby, who is also a home-makeover television personality, author and creative force behind Libby Langdon Interiors, Inc. of New York City, is helping satiate that hunger now that Designerʼs Library, a to-the-trade showroom in Overland Park, is carrying Libby Langdon for Fairfield, her licensed home furnishings line.

Libby was in town for a private event at Designerʼs Library in January to introduce the line of customizable casegoods and upholstery to local designers. She partnered with Fairfield, a North Carolina manufacturer of fine furnishings, after discussing with them a desire to expand beyond their more traditional styles.

“I work with looks that arenʼt too contemporary, but maybe have sleeker, cleaner lines and leaner proportions,” Libby says. “I met the Fairfield CEO and head of sales, and we got into conversations about me partnering with them. We all thought it would be a fantastic way to introduce some new looks.”

As an interior designer, Libby works with clients who are ultimately the end users, and she hears their likes and dislikes firsthand. It allows her to design pieces that are very “saleable and nothing too wacky or crazy that people wouldnʼt want to live with in real life,” she says.

Her living room pieces, for instance, were designed to be sophisticated but also reflect her easy, elegant sense of style—as well as her understanding of proportion and scale.

Her dining room pieces are a blend of traditional and modernism. Table bases emphasize sculptural forms in casual and elegant style options, while her sideboards feature custom-designed hardware and can look modern or traditional depending on the finish.

Dining chairs come in a variety of styles and are approachable, easy to mix and comfortable, with “a dash of subtle chic,” she says. Libby believes her dining pieces will become immediate classics because they bring a contemporary dimension to classic design principles by bridging past and present with beautiful silhouettes and a curated feel. Her bedroom pieces are in a similar design vein.

“Iʼm mixing timeless design with a modern twist,” she says. Turn

Her pieces are highly customizable so that any one item can take on various personalities and looks, depending on the fabric and wood finish choices. Fairfield has thousands of fabrics to choose from, but interior designers can specify their own fabrics and trims.

“The same chair can look classic and traditional in a rich leather, with nailheads and dark wood stain, but could also look coastal chic in a navy and white fabric and light gray wood stain,” Libby explains. “Itʼs really thrilling to see all the creativity and imagination a designer can spin onto one of my pieces. Every now and then, the quality control person in North Carolina will text me a picture of one of my pieces thatʼs come through the plant in a designerʼs special fabric, and itʼs really such fun to see what all they imagine one of my pieces of furniture can be.”

Libbyʼs designs and products have been featured in leading magazines, including Architectural Digest, House Beautiful and Traditional Home. She has been a regular design expert on NBCʼs Today show; Small Space, Big Style; The View; The Rachael Ray Show; The Early Show and Open House.

Now sheʼs hoping to stake a claim in Kansas City.

“Iʼm excited for Kansas Citians to discover all the special items in my collection that can help them announce their own personal style,” Libby says. “I have interior design clients all over the country, from Texas to Connecticut, New York to Florida, DC to Rhode Island. So who knows? Maybe Iʼll get to do an interior design project in Kansas City.”

@libbylangdon @fairfieldchair