Suzanne Rheinstein Leaves Behind a Legacy of Iconic Design and Southern Hospitality
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Updated March 21, 2023: Designer Suzanne Rheinstein passed away on March 20, 2023. The designer ran her eponymous design firm in Los Angeles as well as cult-favorite shop Hollyhock for decades. Rheinstein is also the visionary behind the eternally chic Hollyhock fabric and rug collections for Lee Jofa and the author of three books. Rheinstein is the recipient of the New York School of Interior Design’s “Albert Hadley Award for Lifetime Achievement,” the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art’s “Arthur Ross Award for Interior Design,” the Southern California Institute of Classical Architecture & Art’s “Legacy Award,” the LCDQ “Living Legends Award,” and the LACMA Design “Leadership Award.”Known as much for her generous spirit as her gracious interiors, Rheinstein will be remembered for her philanthropy in addition to her timeless style.
To honor her late husband, Fred, Rheinstein founded the Suzanne and Frederic Rheinstein Fund for Garden Documentation for the Garden Conservancy, which seeks to “preserve” fragile and dynamic gardens for future generations through documentary filmmaking. In April, she will be awarded a Lifetime Achievement award from the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club. Although the native New Orleanian adopted California as her home, sharing her time between Los Angeles and Montecito, she never lost her Southern hospitality, graciously entertaining at every opportunity. As she wrote in the introduction to her last book, A Welcoming Elegance, “Having beautiful things around you is wonderful but living beautifully is more important. All of us deserve a place that adds richness and serenity to our lives and that we can happily share with friends and family.”
In 2018, Rheinstein welcomed VERANDA into her Hancock Park home for her annual Boxing Day open house, during which the consummate host invited neighbors and friends for an elegant yet casual feast.
What is it about a southerner giving a party that almost guarantees a good time? For this particular Southerner, a native Orleanian and renowned designer long ensconced in Los Angeles, it is an invitation to be transported, however subtly, from L.A. to LA—Louisiana, that is. It is to be greeted by the glow of candles and the aroma of biscuits warming. It is to meet people of all sorts and all ages, from grandmothers to two-year-olds to grandees to 20-somethings.
When Suzanne Rheinstein hosts an open house on Boxing Day at her Colonial Revival home in the Hancock Park neighborhood, this is the scene. “I grew up doing it this way,” she says. “It’s a great way to entertain over the holidays.” And as guests of all good Southern hosts know, the food will be delicious, the drinks plentiful, the house pretty, and the host delighted to see you.
While Rheinstein honors her Southern roots, she also embraces California, especially when she’s entertaining. “I grow lots of citrus,” she says, “and what would Christmas be without citrus and greens?” She also decks her halls in silvery eucalyptus, with pewter-painted seedpods and satin ribbons to add sparkle and sheen. “And then I get out every piece of family silver,” she says. She is especially fond of her Old Sheffield set, with its endearing patches of copper showing through. And finally, there are lots of candles. “They make everything look great,” she says, “including the guests.”
During the festivities, family and friends meander through the rooms, sipping milk punch and drinking in the beauty of the classic interiors. The circa-1914 manse has gracious proportions and is filled with an artful blend of furnishings assembled by Rheinstein, who has lived here for more than 30 years.
This article originally appeared in the January/February 2021 issue of VERANDA.
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This article originally appeared in the November/December 2021 issue of VERANDA. Interior design by Suzanne Rheinstein; photography by Lisa Romerein; written by Frances Schultz.
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