Melissa Miles Rufty

When her clients, Sally and Richard Edrington, asked New Orleans-based designer Melissa Miles Rufty to decorate their tony historical cottage, they gave her a brief to “deliver color—and then some."

“If you begin with your client as inspiration, your design will always be open-minded and varied,” Melissa says. Her work is relaxed and chic but never trendy. She takes great care in layering rooms with interesting color combinations, comfortable furniture, and hand-picked accessories. Most important, she maintains, “My job is not done unless the client’s personality greets you at the door.”