In “Elsie de Wolfe and Her Female Clients, 1905-15: Gender, Class and the Professional Interior Decorator” By Brenda Martin and Penny Sparke, the argument of how de Wolfe’s career as a professional interior decorator was deeply connected to the gender and classes of early 20th-century society was brought up. de Wolfe’s work showcased much more than just aesthetic changes, it also showed how elite women were offered a means of expressing modernity and autonomy through their domestic environments. Simultaneously, de Wolfe used opportunities available to her to create a professional career for women working in a male-dominated field. 

One key factor in de Wolfe’s success was her strong relationships with socially significant, elite female clients such as Potter Palmer, Ogden Marmour, Ethel Crocker, and many more. The interiors specifically requested by these women were lighter, brighter, and feminine spaces. For example the Colony Club in 1907, New York City, was the first all-women’s club and the project she is most well known for. It has a “trellised restaurant, painted furniture in the private dining-room, the chintz in the bedrooms, and the use of pastel colours–soft grey, off-white, rose and cool green–throughout the project” (Sparke 47). Another important point was how de Wolfe carved out a new professional space for women in interior design when the field had been previously dominated by male architects and decorators. de Wolfe was very strategic when it came to using her social connections in order to secure high-profile commissions which led to her strong reputation. One interesting quote from the reading was that “Her contacts with women, her desire to express their needs and desires through an empathetic understanding of them, and her embrace of what was perceived as a stereotypically feminine visual language combined to make her a key player in the evolution of a feminine response to modernity,” (Sparke 46). Through her career, de Wolfe contributed to the professionalization of interior decoration, which opened doors for women and redefined the kinds of work that were considered acceptable for women.

Figure 1. Romanek Office Space
https://romanekdesignstudio.com/project/romanek-design-studio/ 

This is a space designed by Brigette Romanek who is an award-winning interior designer who owns her own studio that provides a full range of services tailored to each client. She has worked with some really famous clients including Beyonce, Kelly Rowland, Gwyneth Paltrow, Rachel Zoe, and Demi Moore.

Figure 2. The Gardens of Delight
House Beautiful, August 1981, no 123 pt. 2, p. 81
“Instead of a spread, this bed is fitted with a white woven blanket cover and, a mixture of pink-and-white-patterned linens from Manuel Canovas”

This is a photo of a space that was designed by Katherine Stevens who was a female interior designer. It shows how the space has been feminized.