Ernest de la Torre

Interior Designer / United States / de la Torre Design Studio

www.delatorredesign.com

Ernest de la Torre employs a timeless style that blends traditional and modern influences with a passion for art and design. His bold approach has established de la Torre as an interior designer who consistently breaks new ground for clients, while custom-tailoring surroundings.

Raised in Lake Forest, Illinois, de la Torre was influenced by the local classic architecture of David Adler and Mies van der Rohe. He embarked on his design career at Peter Marino Architects in New York, and bolstered his knowledge through graduate studies at Sotheby’s Fine and Decorative Art in London. He further honed his architectural vision by teaming with Ian Schrager and later with the Ralph Lauren Home Division, creating new furniture, lighting, and tabletop and textile concepts.

Since founding his own design studio in 2001, de la Torre has produced significant interior designs for houses in Manhattan; Palm Beach, FL; New Jersey; Philadelphia; Vermont; Middleburg, VA; and Greenwich, CT. Recently, his firm completed the restoration of the historic Cooper Mansion in Tuxedo Park, NY, replete with furnishings ranging from Aesthetic period antiques to Art Deco gems. This project was featured on the cover of the November 2009 issue of Elle Décor. Also recently completed is a state-of-the-art George Nakashima inspired triplex loft in Soho.

Currently underway are projects at fabled 740 Park Avenue and 955 Fifth Avenue in New York and in Philadelphia, Vermont, and Virginia. He works with a staff of four and has collaborated with architects Cooper, Robertson & Partners; and Allan Greenberg, as well as others. The interiors firm specializes in designing spaces around unique collections of art, custom furniture, and textiles created over the years in de la Torre’s studio.

comments powered by Disqus

Announcements

Now is Better by Stefan Sagmeister

Now is Better

By Stefan Sagmeister
Publisher: Phaidon Press
Published: October 2023

Combining art, design, history, and quantitative analysis, transforms data sets into stunning artworks that underscore his positive view of human progress, inspiring us to think about the future with much-needed hope.

Order the book.

Design Emergency: Building a Better Future by Alice Rawsthorn and Paola Antonelli

Design Emergency: Building a Better Future

By Alice Rawsthorn and Paola Antonelli
Publisher: Phaidon Press
Published: May 2022

Rawsthorn and Antonelli tell the stories of the remarkable designers, architects, engineers, artists, scientists, and activists who are at the forefront of positive change worldwide. Focusing on four themes—Technology, Society, Communication, and Ecology—the authors present a unique portrait of how our great creative minds are developing new design solutions to the major challenges of our time, while helping us to benefit from advances in science and technology.

Order the book.

Love Letter to a Garden by Debbie Millman

Love Letter to a Garden

By Debbie Millman
Contributions by Roxane Gay
Publisher: Timber Press
Published: April 15, 2025

From the award-winning artist, designer, and the host of the podcast Design Matters, Debbie Millman, this book tells the visual story of falling in love with gardening—and the philosophies that work conjures. Spread throughout are simple recipes using the garden’s ingredients from Millman’s wife, best-selling author Roxane Gay.

Order the book.

The Picture Book Book: The Art of Seymour Chwast by Seymour Chwast; curated by Steven Heller

The Picture Book Book: The Art of Seymour Chwast

By Seymour Chwast, curated by Steven Heller
Publisher: Gestalten
Published: June 2026

Seymour Chwast, legendary co-founder of Push Pin Studios, reinvented how we see and read picture books. The Picture Book Book gathers over 40 of his works, curated by Steven Heller, and offers a rare look at his playful, incisive approach to visual storytelling. From bold graphics to sly wit, Chwast’s books expanded the boundaries of design and children’s literature alike.

Order the book.

Seymour Chwast: The Works, edited by Steven Heller

Seymour Chwast: The Works

Edited by Steven Heller
Publisher: Prestel
Published: October 2026

Seymour Chwast’s work has shaped the look and language of American graphic design for more than seven decades. This expansive and visually rich volume — created in close collaboration with Chwast — presents the most comprehensive account of his life, ideas, and prolific creative output. Features a wealth of previously unpublished images and ephemera and a fold-out dust jacket with a collectible poster printed on the reverse. The book includes an afterword by Paula Scher.

Order the book.

Die Fläche: Design and Lettering of the Vienna Secession, 1902–1911 (Facsimile Edition) by Diane V. Silverthorne, Dan Reynolds, and Megan Brandow-Faller

Die Fläche: Design and Lettering of the Vienna Secession, 1902–1911 (Facsimile Edition)

By Diane V. Silverthorne, Dan Reynolds, and Megan Brandow-Faller
Publisher: Letterform Archives Books
Published: October 2023

This facsimile edition of Die Fläche, recreates every page of the formative design periodical in full color and at original size, accompanied by essays that contextualize the work, highlighting contributions by pathbreaking women, innovative lettering artists, and key practitioners of the new “surface art,” including Rudolf von Larisch, Alfred Roller, and Wiener Werkstätte founders Koloman Moser and Josef Hoffmann.

Order the book.