There’s nothing worse than buying something new only for it to look like it – a faux pas that Pierce & Ward founders Emily Ward and Louisa Pierce might be more averse to than the average aesthete. Personal first, vintage second, it’s a philosophy you may have noticed in the homes of the LA- and Nashville-based design duo’s starry clientele, including Dakota Johnson and Leonardo DiCaprio – and, of course, in its West Elm collaboration, which today finally returns for a second act.
Back by popular demand following its 2025 debut, it’s an era-mixing, mid-century-meets-folk-art blend of everything you love about Pierce & Ward’s signature high-low approach: stripes layered with checks, dusty blues paired with familiar orangey nutmegs, mesmerizing burl veneer swirls offset by impossibly glossy lacquered finishes.
Taking cues from tramp art and vintage Americana, the collection feels immediately at home in the categories it touched the first time around – furniture, lighting, rugs, tabletop, and decorative accessories – along with a few it’s never met before, including bedding, bath, and window treatments. You’d never know which were the newcomers.
‘The more you layer, the better it gets,’ says Pierce & Ward design duo Emily Ward and Louisa Pierce.
(Image credit: West Elm)
‘The first collection introduced our world, and this collection allowed us to explore new ideas,’ explains Emily Ward. ‘We expanded into new categories and continued exploring pattern, layering and heirloom-inspired details to create pieces that feel collected and lasting.’
‘Our goal has always been to create spaces that feel emotional and real,’ adds Louisa Pierce. ‘This collection is about helping people trust their instincts and make bolder design choices in their homes.’
Indeed, there’s an octave more oomph. The scale is grander (none more so than the burl wood side table, substantial enough to anchor an entire room). The textiles are richer (what better way to dress a window than with floral trellises and crawling vines?). The references run deeper (ceiling lights seem to have studied Frank Lloyd Wright). The handcrafted details are more finely honed (the matte-satin rivets on the Spindle Flatware are like eating jewelry for dinner).
Nostalgic burl wood waves and verdigris candelabras are the antidote to the ultimate faux pas: matching.
(Image credit: West Elm)
There’s plenty of new trends (old) to be excited about, but fans of the original collection won’t be disappointed, either. Best-selling pieces return in fresh guises: the Slipper Chair, Dining Chair, and Vanity Stool, for instance, are now blanketed in fresh tactile upholsteries, from velvet to twill, filling big shoes, as sequels rarely do.
Bold cushion stripes don’t feel shoehorned. They lend rhythm and structure to the room instead.
(Image credit: West Elm)
Good collectors don’t just find old things. They find the right old things. The rest of us may not have the patience, the budget, or the eye of Emily and Louisa. But in a sea of vintage-inspired interior collections, few make borrowing from the past feel as original as this.
Shop the highlights from Pierce & Ward x West Elm part two below.
Pierce & Ward’s expanded collection might not be specifically for fall, but we’d be lying if we said its deeper colors, richer textures, and heirloom-minded details weren’t scratching every autumnal itch we’re feeling as high summer slips away.
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