New Orleans native Lindsay Falconer of Lindsay Falconer Design grew up in the Garden District surrounded by historic architecture. This early-in-life exposure sparked an appreciation for aesthetics. “The women in my family are innately good at decorating and design,” says Falconer, whose mother is Sue Stall, founder of SOSUSU boutique on Magazine Street. While Falconer’s path to interior design wasn’t direct, there was a throughline.
With career aspirations in the editorial world, Falconer double majored in French and communications at the University of Southern California. Internships in New York at magazines including Vanity Fair and Interview led Falconer to her first job at Vogue, in the events department. But even in events, design was always top of mind.
“So much of it — because the events were so over the top and super customized, doing the tablescapes and picking out the tablecloth fabric with the napkin fabric — tapped into design,” she says. “I gravitated toward that aspect of events.”
A chance encounter and a mutual friend led her to renowned designer Daniel Romualdez, whose client roster includes Tory Burch and Aerin Lauder, where she began as an assistant. Admittedly a step back in her current career trajectory, Falconer knew it was a step forward into her true calling.
“I said [to Daniel], I would love to learn about design,” says Falconer. “I’d love to be your assistant for a year, but I’m not trying to be a long-term assistant.” Romualdez accepted her terms and provided an invaluable education, allowing Falconer to hone her skills and gain experience on high-end projects. “The people I was working with and the houses I was able to have access to … [these were] the best houses in the world.”
The COVID-19 pandemic unexpectedly paved the way for Falconer to launch her own firm. A former client reached out with a project on Park Avenue, and Falconer seized the opportunity.
“He reached out to me directly and was like, ‘would you ever take this on independently? Because I want to get started, like, now’.” The project became her first solo venture and was featured in Luxe Magazine.
After living a bi-city life between New York and her hometown, Falconer is back in New Orleans full-time and navigating the challenges of running her own business while balancing family life as the mother of two little girls. Her design sensibility has matured, which she attributes to many influences, including her husband’s impeccable taste. (He runs the luxury British menswear brand Thom Sweeney.) Falconer focuses exclusively on residential projects, where she can create personalized spaces for her clients. Despite common industry challenges, Falconer remains passionate about her work and confident about her career choice.
“Every time I see something come to life, it could literally be a curtain install or getting a chair back from the upholster, it fills me with a lot of joy,” says Falconer. “I’m very much a believer in the universe leading to the next thing.”
