Suzanne Stamps Rheinstein

Interior Designer Suzanne Stamps Rheinstein died on March 20, 2023 after a long battle with cancer. Her timing, as always, was impeccable: her third volume of interiors, "A Welcoming Elegance," was published on March 14 by Rizzoli. And what a fitting title, for Suzanne was nothing if not welcoming. A true booster of her adopted city Los Angeles, Suzanne devoted her life to welcoming fellow Angelenos into her passion for interiors, arts, and culture through her work as a designer, entrepreneur, preservationist, and philanthropist. Born in New Orleans on April 1, 1945, Suzanne attended the Newman School, which she always credited with shaping both her creativity and intellect. She matriculated to Tulane University, where she was the managing editor of the newspaper and earned a bachelor's degree in English Literature. After stints working as a researcher for author Hodding Carter and a self-described "Girl Friday" for Eric Sevareid at CBS News, Suzanne continued her career in Washington, D.C., as a freelance non-fiction television producer for a wide range of subjects from serious documentaries to celebrity cooking shows. It was while working as a producer that she met the love of her life, Frederic Rheinstein. Fred, an accomplished news producer and post production pioneer, convinced her to move to Los Angeles and eventually marry him. Their daughter Kate was born in 1980. In 1988, Suzanne opened her iconic shop, Hollyhock, in Larchmont village. Hollyhock had three homes over the course of thirty years in business, ultimately ending up in the La Cienega Design Quarter (LCDQ). More than a shop, Hollyhock served both as a destination for the local design community and as an incubator for emerging artists and craftsmen. The shop enabled Suzanne to begin designing interiors, the profession for which she is most known. Her signature style-Southern elegance married to Southern California-clearly struck a note. Suzanne's work was featured in all the nation's leading lifestyle magazines, and she was named to Architectural Digest's AD100 and Elle Decor's A-List. Suzanne is the recipient of the New York School of Interior Design's "Albert Hadley Award for Lifetime Achievement," the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art's "Arthur Ross Award for Interior Design," the Southern California Institute of Classical Architecture & Art's "Legacy Award," the LCDQ "Living Legends Award," and the LACMA Design "Leadership Award." She will be honored with the Kip's Bay Boys & Girls Club "Lifetime Achievement Award" on April 3, 2023. Despite these numerous industry accolades, one of her proudest moments was receiving the Newman School distinguished Alumna award in 2020. Suzanne's love of historic architecture and preservation led to her involvement in the Los Angeles Conservancy, the largest membership-based local historic preservation organization in the nation. An active member since the 1980's, Suzanne served two terms as a board member. A lifelong avid gardener and enthusiast of historical gardens, Suzanne joined the Garden Conservancy, a national organization devoted to preserving and sharing America's gardens and diverse gardening traditions for the public, and served on its board since 2004. In 2018, Suzanne conceived and started The Suzanne and Frederic Rheinstein Fund for Garden Documentation to document gardens through the Garden Conservancy, both to preserve gardens through imagery and to create access to these gardens to a wider audience. Suzanne will be remembered for her style and graciousness, her boundless positivity, innumerable acts of kindness, her generosity of spirit, her steadfast friendships, and of course, the fabulous parties she threw. Suzanne is survived by her daughter Kate Brodsky and son in law Alexander Brodsky, granddaughters Beatriz, Frederica, and Delphine, her brother, Odom Stamps and her stepchildren Linda Rheinstein and David Rheinstein. She was predeceased by her husband Frederic Rheinstein in 2013. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to The Garden Conservancy.