PRIVATE QUARTERS: ELLY MCGAW

PRIVATE QUARTERS, ELLY MCGAW, NEW YORK 2026

Stylist Elly McGaw opens the doors to her upstate home. We spoke with her about fashion's crossover into interiors, the family pieces she'll never part with, and the calm she found upstate.

You studied design before moving into styling. Do you think about a home differently because of that background?

Yes, I think having a design background certainly helps from a practical point of view, but I also think there is so much crossover between creative disciplines. Whether you’re designing a space or conceptualising a shoot, you often start from the same place: a blank canvas, an idea, a theme, a curation.

I realised the fashion world was more suited to me from a career perspective, but one of my favourite hobbies now is sourcing and finding vintage gems for the home. I’m such a homebody, and I strongly believe in creating a space that both inspires and calms you.

It has also been really special sharing this process with Daniel. His eye as an interior designer is something I admire deeply.

Because of your background, your work often sits at the intersection of fashion, architecture, and interiors. Do you see them as separate disciplines, or all part of the same conversation?

I think they are very much part of the same conversation. Design, styling, and all forms of creative image making are about restraint, negative space, proportion, understanding the design history, and developing a strong visual language. Of course, curiosity and taste are essential, but I think the best creatives are those who cross-pollinate between disciplines or at least can pull references and be inspired by other disciplines.

When I’m conceptualising a shoot, often the environment or interiors come first. I’m inspired by the space just as much as the fashion. The architecture and surroundings help with the story telling aspect of it all.

Which architect would make the best fashion designer?

Two very different spectrums come to mind. I imagine Ludwig Mies van der Rohe would create something incredible for brands like Phoebe Philo or Jil Sander, something minimalist, refined, and deeply focused on beautiful materials and proportion.

On the opposite end, Antoni Gaudí would be fascinating. I imagine something theatrical, imaginative, and almost surreal, an Elsa Schiaparelli-esque world where fantasy and craftsmanship collide.

You’ve lived between Australia and New York for much of your adult life. Where do those two worlds meet in the way you live today?

They are such different worlds, which is probably exactly why I love them. I’ve always been drawn to duality, maybe it’s the Gemini in me. The energy, culture, and constant stimulation of New York alongside the slower pace and connection to nature in Australia create a balance that feels very natural to me. I don’t think I could truly have one without the other.

That said, the older I get, and the longer I live away from the ocean, the more I miss that connection. I’ve had to find stillness in other ways, and our house upstate in the forest has become the perfect reprieve... a balance between the city and nature.

If someone spent ten minutes alone in your apartment, what would they learn about you?

That I don’t really like bright colours.

What’s something in your apartment that you would never part with?

Recently, my parents gave me a collection of glassware and pottery that originally belonged to my grandmother. Those pieces are incredibly special to me because they carry so much history and family memory. They’re things I’ll keep forever.

What’s an interior trend you hope never makes a comeback?

Indoor brick. I just can’t.

Last thing you immediately regretted buying?

I’ve made some questionable design decisions lately. I need to get better at understanding the American measuring system because I’m constantly ordering the wrong sizes.

I recently bought these beautiful wall sconces online that I thought were going to be small, charming little details and when they arrived, they were absolutely enormous. They looked completely ridiculous in the space and are collecting dust in the garage.

If you could steal one person’s wardrobe, whose would it be?

Phoebe Philo and Miuccia Prada. Working women, practical yet tasteful!

What never goes out of style – in a room or in a wardrobe?

Quality materials, as long its it is quality its forever both in practical sense and style.

You’re only allowed to shop from one store for the rest of your life. Which one?

1stDibs for sure they have the best vintage fashion and furniture. Vintage forever.

What’s a space you’ve walked into and immediately thought: someone got this exactly right?

I think I need to walk into more spaces like that. The ones I truly love are often spaces I can only admire from afar, they feel almost impossible to replicate.

Lastly, your favorite Nordic Knots piece and why?

I love them all, really i have so many but if i had to choose i would say the Grand in Warm Gray, it is soft and plush and goes in any space!!

Photographed by Billal Baruk Taright.