BIlly Cotton's New Collab with West Elm Is the Perfect Compilation of Chic Basics

Some time ago, back in our March 2022 issue to be exact, we published a project by ELLE DECOR A-List interior designer Billy Cotton—a Manhattan apartment that, while small in size, was big on color, style, and art. One of our favorite moments from that interior was in the primary bedroom, where seashell side tables paired with similarly vintage yet modern elements. If you filed that story under design “inspo,” then you’re in luck, as Cotton has just launched his first collection with West Elm. Naturally, a white, seashell-shaped cereal bowl is among the product offerings.

For Cotton, the collaboration was all about reimagining an interior’s necessary elements. “I wanted to bring elevated essentials to every touchpoint throughout your day,” he tells ELLE DECOR. “Where you sit, where you eat—the exact needs of a new home.”

Glassware and napkin rings bear beautiful circular etchings; the tried-and-true salt and pepper mill gets a chromed-out upgrade. Even the larger pieces of furniture, like the sofas and chairs, reimagine the typology, with cushy armless silhouettes.

Some of those ideas were pulled from the past. “I spent a lot of time thinking about what American modernism means and the people associated with that movement,” Cotton continues, citing California’s famous Case Study Houses and the work of architect Paul Rudolph as major inspirations. Those midcentury muses are most evident in objects like the floor and table lamps and the dining chairs, which feel simultaneously familiar and fresh.

Those looking to shop the new collab can peruse the 25-piece collection on West Elm’s website now. As for the clam bowl? It’s there, but it wasn’t without its roadblocks. “Figuring out how to get a shell to comfortably accept Fruit Loops was a challenge!” Cotton says. “We went through a hundred iterations to make sure it was perfect.”

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