Reath Design's Frances Merrill Knows How to Balance Bold Color with Comfort

As a kid in New York City, Frances Merrill lost herself, and found her calling, in books. She envisioned the Ingallses' log cabin in the Little House series, Sara Crewe's curio-filled parlor in A Little Princess, and gilded Manhattan in The Age of Innocence—and loved the black-and-white-tiled bathroom in Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile. "I really credit my work to the amount I read—it sparked my imagination," says the interior designer, whose sought-after stock-in-trade is creating worlds of pattern and color that are whimsical, warm, and personal. In 2000, with a degree in creative writing and English, Merrill drove west to Los Angeles, where she studied textile design and worked at the home-and-fashion mecca Lost & Found, a portal into the city's burgeoning design scene. She launched her firm Reath Design in 2009, and her childhood reveries came to fruition.

"I want to tell the story of somebody's life through their house," says the mom of two, whose personal style—"classic with prints thrown in"—is quieter than the homes she designs. After soul-searching chats and lots of sampling, "you just have to jump off the ledge," she says. Even then, her imagination is still racing: "Sometimes I wish there was another color in the rainbow."

She has, however, found ways to make life as vibrant as possible in the meantime; her favorite things, across her home, wardrobe, and beauty routine, embrace the bold with a healthy balance of cozy. Here, Merill shares a few of her favorite things, from the swipe-and-go lipstick she chooses time and again to the cardigan she throws over, well, anything. You'd do well to bookmark her interior selections—a color-blocked lamp included—as well.