Exclusive Brittny Button Interview: Accessible Luxury Interiors, Timeless Design and Living Well at Home

Brittny Button on Creating a Home That Actually Lives

There is a version of home design that looks expensive in photographs and falls apart the moment real life enters it. Brittny Button, founder of Los Angeles-based Button Atelier and the designer behind the Button Atelier x Co.House furniture collection, has built her entire practice around the opposite idea.

Featured in Architectural Digest,, Vogue Living and Homes & Gardens, Brittny’s work is anchored in what she calls accessible luxury. Interiors that carry the weight of European classicism, vintage character and considered craftsmanship, built on a design career she has carved out entirely on her own terms, alongside life with her husband, British Formula One racing driver Jenson Button, their children and their dogs.

Here, she speaks to Chic Style Collective about the design mistakes that flatten a room, why stripping period details from a home is a loss worth grieving, and the one question she asks before every furniture decision.

Your interiors are often described as “accessible luxury.” What does luxury in the home actually mean to you today?

It’s a place where you can actually live. The kids, dogs, friends and family can hang out and be comfortable – not worrying about spilling drinks on the sofa or that the rug is too precious for some day-to-day dirt. Try this Capri one from my Button Atelier x Co.House collection; it has enough pattern and color to bring elevated drama to a living area. Plus, the depth of color hides stains. Overall, rugs bring a grounding balance to an interior, anchor furniture and they’re comfy underfoot.

So many people want a home that looks beautiful but still feels practical for everyday life. How do you strike that balance in your designs?

I ask myself: would this appear in a European manor or villa? Is it classically timeless to withstand the duration of time? I like to think of legacy when choosing furniture or architectural design choices. Will my daughter or son still like the way this breakfast nook feels and functions when they’re young adults? Will the sofa I’ve designed still look aesthetically relevant ten years from now?

Innovative fabrications and design enable an elevated look that has practicality built in. There needs to be an ease and flexibility with the status of the home curation. Too sterile and it feels unlivable and removed from real life. 

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Vintage and antique pieces are central to your aesthetic. Why do you think people are craving homes with more character and history right now?

Due to the lack of depth and streamlined design. This baseline builder aesthetic that’s become widely accepted, has eroded the sense of heritage and grandeur classical styled homes afford. It feels empty. With renovations or new builds there’s often this propensity to get rid of old mouldings, columns and fireplace surrounds to ‘modernize’ the home. In the end, the entire architectural character of these dwellings is stripped away. Lost forever. That’s why conservation efforts and preservation are vital, and re-infusing spaces with antiques and vintage items is so significant.

What are the biggest interior design mistakes you see people making when trying to create a high-end looking home?

They use all of the same color in one – white walls paired with white furniture and white accessories. The effect is a blah blurring – your eye can’t rest.

Or, they paint a room using a color of paint that’s too dark; this is often done in a dining room or a library. The amount of natural light affects how the interior feels. If it feels heavy then the paint shade is too much – lighten it up one or two shades. If there isn’t enough light add it with a combination of ceiling lights, sconces, and table lamps to enhance the dimensionality of the space. Try these Plaza pendant lights from Button Atelier x Co.House collection in a grouping of three or solo. Or, add mirrors like my Simone plaster oval one positioned strategically to bounce what natural light there is to further open up the space. 

Choosing furniture that doesn’t work with your lifestyle. All too often, I see foyers of homes with nowhere for anyone to sit to put their shoes on, set their bag or jacket or make the space feel defined. Try this Mesa reclaimed elm bench from my Button Atelier x Co.House line.

You blend influences like Old Hollywood glamour and European romance so effortlessly. Where do you personally draw inspiration from when starting a project?

Thank you! Fortunately, my travels enable me to see and spend much time in Europe. There’s an ease with how they construct and balance an interior. 

Clients can have a sense of the direction, which guides how the rest of the design interacts. Offering a kind of grace to how the floor flows with the wall treatment and the furniture interplays with the textures; working together as an ensemble. A visual symphony of sorts. 

For readers who want their home to feel more elevated without a huge renovation budget, what changes make the biggest impact?

Paint color, dimensional lighting, furniture shape and fabrication and choice of drapery / blinds. Designer Tip: find an inspirational image and copy it to achieve a holistic look. Do this for each room.

Curved arches, wrought iron and warm textures feature heavily in your work. Which timeless design elements do you believe will never go out of style?

The use of arches will always have a timelessness to it. They harken back to Spanish architecture and anchor to an architectural past seen throughout the centuries.

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Your antique furniture line focuses on giving vintage pieces a “Second Life.” Why is restoring and reimagining furniture so important to you?

Their moments of history. Artefacts of time past that have tremendous value. Today, there’s too much focus on use and discard, rather than reuse and revamp. There’s an integrity to re-envisioning a furniture item to meet today’s needs as opposed to throwing it away. Moreover, it’s a sustainable practice – more furniture brands need to consider the inclusion of used pieces as part of their brand offering – much like the fashion and clothing industry has adopted this.

The home industry can do this too. Reclaimed items afford a new subset of the market to participate. Similar to how designer brands have beauty brands, they want clients of all ages – knowing that if you buy the Chanel lipstick in your teens when you’re older the aim is that you’ll one day buy a bag. Similarly, you start by buying a vase and can eventually buy the chair.

Social media has made interior trends move faster than ever. How can people create a home that feels timeless rather than trend-driven?

For sure, there is an accelerated flywheel of content nowadays. I like to focus on the seasons to enhance my home and make it feel distinct. There’s value in being trend-less; there’s a purposefulness to creating interiors with this kind of intention. For instance, the idea of creating usable gathering spots helps me to style areas with practicality that supports how we live day to day.

For Summer/Fall, I focus on exterior spaces, adding outdoor pillows, throws, end tables by seating and chaises, umbrellas for shade and grouping plants as centerpieces for tables. I have chic rattan baskets with lids dispersed to hide pool toys, outdoor games and squirt guns from view – the wicker allows air to circulate and lets the items dry out. 

For Winter/Spring, creating a vibrant interior is the goal. Mini stools and low ottomans like my Coachbuilt one enable spaces for the kids to play in amongst the living room chatter. Low profile furniture with rounded curves feel relevant, especially my swivel Button Atelier x Co.House Lenny chair; paired together makes a statement!

What do you think ultimately makes a home feel truly personal, welcoming and emotionally comforting beyond just aesthetics?

A home is not a showroom. There’s often this need to make the space feel ‘designed’ which I liken to unlivable quarters. Life has movement and evolves throughout the day, season and maturity of your family. The interior needs to support this ebb and flow with flexible furnishings to accommodate crowds, impromptu crafting sessions with kids and cocktail hour. 

The foyer and entrance to your home is the first impression of what’s to come. It physically welcomes every visitor and this is an area that is often forgotten from a style perspective; it’s a room too! Much like hallways it’s a pass through area and seems to be in a design blind spot. Instead, adapt to the space’s purpose. Try adding my Jonathan dresser, Button Atelier x Co.House to combat clutter and assign each family member, (including the nanny and dogs) a drawer. This adoption has been a lifesaver at getting us organized and out the door on time.  

Include indoor plants, fresh cut flowers and decorative objects to make your home feel styled and alive. My Wagon Road ceramic vase Button Atelier x Co.House has old world appeal and is a statement vessel for a plant or group of branches.

To learn more about Brittny Button, visit Button Atelier or follow along on social media @buttonatelier for the latest updates and inspiring content.

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