A Long-Standing Affinity for Ralph Lauren, Explained
Design by Burkle Creative an interior design studio based in Dallas, TX.
What do Ralph Lauren, Dallas and Denver have in common? It’s not often you find a through line connecting a global fashion brand, an established interior designer in Dallas, and an east-coast transplant with a growing boutique interior design firm serving Colorado’s Denver Metro area.
—------
Let me explain.
I love the world of Ralph Lauren.
It was impossible not to be immersed in the world of Ralph Lauren as a college graduate working in Ralph Lauren’s Rugby Cafe—a cozy, watering hole located in the historic Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, DC. I have fond memories of moving about its dark wood paneling whilst serving guests seated in pillow-filled banquets and small cafe tables along Georgetown’s uneven paved sidewalks. A tiny bar with seductive shadows in the nighttime, cast by meticulously placed light fixtures, transported you to a member’s only club in the English countryside. Even the single stall restrooms felt like a visit to the global icon’s home in Bedford. While the label is no longer–nor the cafe– my preppy heart burst with joy when I recognized the familiar sight of madras patchwork and bold color rugbys in the Ralph Lauren Spring 2025 show in the Hamptons. Similar bright color combos and patchwork prints can be seen on younger me and this beautiful project by Burkle Creative.
A barn door in the background of this photo shows a piece of Ralph Lauren’s Rugby Cafe in 2008.
Younger me in 2008 had no idea she’d be writing this blog post in 2025 :)
The Spring 2025 Show, Look 98 / 104, Polo by Ralph Lauren.
Oh how I wish I held on to my stack of patchwork, madras and Rugby garments!
The Spring 2025 Show, Look 90 / 104, Polo by Ralph Lauren.
As a creative, inspiration truly can be found everywhere.
Fashion’s influence on interiors is an obvious thread. What we see on the runways we see in homes not long after, and vice versa. However, Ralph Lauren is more than fashion.
Ralph Lauren has an impeccable way of putting on shows that move you. They feel like a love letter of sorts to the past, present and future. Masterful storytelling. Classic American elegance through layers of textures and materials. Subtle nods of nostalgia, remastered into a refreshing and distinct point of view on modern romanticism. Layers of details, reimagined and masterfully curated to create a multi-sensory experience of luxury. This is Ralph Lauren.
The same can be said for the stunning work of Burkle Creative, an interior design firm based in Dallas, Texas. I first discovered the work of Javier Burkle, Founder + Principal Designer of Burkle Creative, via youtube. The firm’s website is one of my frequently visited go-tos for intoxicating design inspo!
My Design Aesthetic in a Nutshell
My affinity for preppy style is most definitely influenced by my northeast upbringing. As is my love of blending styles and mixing old with new. I’ve lived in Colorado for over a decade now. Nature and biophilic design absolutely influence my design sensibilities. My travels domestically and abroad have exposed me to an eclectic mix of experiences that will likely matriculate into client projects. Heck, even my corporate America experiences play a role in how I design spaces (In case you’re wondering, the answer is yes–Amazon has some incredibly designed corporate offices)!
I started interior design school days after the Ralph Lauren Spring 2025 collection show in the Hamptons. The program encouraged us to keep a design journal– a practice I’ve kept up with since. I have a bunch of looks from that runway that I’ve pasted into a design journal. And I now have many journals lying around my home office to jot down thoughts and inspo on the fly. I find joy in flipping through them to remind me of what lights me up, how far I’ve come, and where else I want to go. Here’s a note I wrote to my future self while watching that show.
Timeless elegance and livable luxury is the ultimate goal.
True luxury is having a home that is comfortable, distinctively unique, and gets better with time. I want my clients to have spaces that masterfully tell their stories and how they live. Spaces that feel like a seamless collection of where they’ve been, where they are, and where they’re going.
So…a love letter of sorts for reading this far—
To the busy homeowners with an appreciation for Ralph Lauren’s worlds…
To the humans that love the great outdoors AND cozy, candlelit dinners at night…
To those that value the co-mingling of the past and present, old and new, and refreshing approaches to modernity…
And to all that believe life gets better and all the more beautiful with time…
Hi, I’m Mili, an ex-corporate American turned full-time interior designer that would LOVE to help you create a modern, romantic backdrop to your beautiful life story <3
