The Understated Elegance of Ward Bennett
Characterized by “understated elegance,” Ward Bennett’s iconic style was a union of the sensual with the intentionality of minimalism. Drawing heavily on his travels, Japan was among Bennett’s strongest influences. His practice of deeply contemplating an object was perhaps picked up during one of his holidays spent in a Zen monastery in Japan.
Bennett was able to reach the pinnacle of creative expression when he combined both his interior design aesthetic and architectural prowess to create homes for himself and clients. Jann Wenner, publisher of Rolling Stones magazine and a commissioner of several Ward Bennett homes, remarked that, “there’s a lot of serenity [in a Bennett room]. He closed off the extraneous and focused exactly on what counted in the view.”
Bennett mainly wore a non-descript uniform of black attire with a full beard, holding luxury and simplicity in perfect balance, his design aesthetic mirrored his personal style. He worked with only one assistant and did so mainly from his own home, keeping with his ideology of the pared-down life.