Bringing Ralph Lauren Style Home with Javier Burkle
Classic & Curious
In this episode of Classic & Curious, host Anne Kikoski sits down with interior designer Javier Burkle, founder of Burkle Creative in Dallas
Key takeaways
- Ralph Lauren's style is defined by familiarity, handcraftsmanship, and emotional connection to objects rather than adherence to a single era.
- The most powerful interiors are built around personal history—family heirlooms and meaningful items create authenticity and cohesion.
Main topics
- Ralph Lauren's Americana aesthetic
- Personal history in interior design
Notable quotes
You walk into one of those rooms and there are timelines. And the reason of that is because you can't really pinpoint where it all came from, but it all feels familiar and it all feels comfortable.
I feel like that's what makes that Americana look. That is a combination of not just one particular time period, not one particular style of furniture.
Conclusion
Javier Burkle's journey from retail to Ralph Lauren, then founding his own design firm, reveals
Transcript preview
Speaker 2 (0:00) There's several words that I like to describe that style, and it's that familiarity. You feel familiar. You feel handcrafted. You feel connected to these pieces. I feel like that's what makes that Americana look. That is a combination of not just one particular time period, not one particular style of furniture. That's kind of the same feel that Ralph Lauren gives. You walk into one of those rooms and there are timelines. And the reason of that is because you can't really pinpoint. where it all came from, but it all feels familiar and it all feels comfortable. Speaker 1 (0:31) This is Classic and Curious. I'm Anne Kikoski, and each week I bring you conversations with the founders, tastemakers, and creatives who have mastered the art of living with curiosity and intention. The spaces we inhabit, the tables we gather around, the places we seek out, so you can develop a sharper eye and design a life that feels distinctively your own. Speaker 1 (1:01) Welcome back to Classic and Curious, and today I am delighted to welcome Javier Berkel, the founder and principal designer of the Dallas-based firm Berkel Created. Originally from Mexico City, Javier began his career working with Ralph Lauren before establishing his own firm, known for its timeless, collected sensibility and its beautiful balance of old and new. Javier is a two-time featured designer at the prestigious Kips Bay Decorator Showhouse in Dallas, and his work has been featured in numerous publications, including Architectural Digest, Veranda, El Decor, Vogue, and Homeworthy. Beyond these accomplishments, Javier is equally admired for his generosity, his commitment to giving back to his community, and his unmistakable personal style. Javier, it's such a... Pleasure to welcome you to Classic and Curious. Thank you for joining us. Speaker 2 (1:58) Thanks for the introduction. Thanks for having me. So excited to chat this morning. So Speaker 1 (2:03) am I. So let's get started. Introduce to the listeners a little bit about you and your brand. Speaker 2 (2:10) Yeah, of course. So I started Burger Creative 10 years ago. This is actually our 10th anniversary, which is crazy to think about. But yeah, I was born and raised in Mexico City, moved here to finish high school, and then I went to school here in the U.S. And I actually started my career right after college. I went to Neiman's for a couple of years because I thought I was going to be. deep into fashion, buying office. That was kind of like what my dream was. And that dream kind of takes you funny ways. And then that kind of switched. And that's when I started working for Ralph Lauren. And that's where I kind of connected more into like the home environment. I had some great mentors at the company that kind of guided me to something that clearly was more of my forte and kind of like more the speed that I needed to be following. And then after Ralph, I started thinking, you know what, I want to create my own brand. I want to create my own world of. and tears and creating my own sense of style. And so that's when I decided to open Merkle Creative. We're 10 years in, small little boutique group still, only six of us based in Dallas, but we work everywhere. We do a little bit of everything from residential to commercial to, as you said, we work with several charities that we want to support here locally and nationally. So we're staying busy, which is a good thing. I Speaker 1 (3:23) love that. That's so good. And I always think somebody that starts in retail kind of gets this dose of being able to move in a minute, you know, and there's something about a retail history. I have one myself that helps you with adapting to anything. Yeah, Speaker 2 (3:41) I feel like the background, I mean, from both Neiman's being in the buying office, I mean, it's a business. We are running a business. We are sending invoices. We are placing orders. It was a big. learning experience. But also when I was at Ralph, I mean, it is all about the client. And what we want to create is an experience and a home for a client. So that is something that we have to put them up front and like give them what they need and they want with them hiring the expert to give it that homey feel like special that it's just for them. So I feel like that background really helped me like. incorporate both worlds and make it what it is now. So that's Speaker 1 (4:17) awesome. As you went through this journey of building your career, what did you learn about yourself along the way? I Speaker 2 (4:23) think one of the best things and one of the best advice that I got from the beginning of my career is hire the right people and find people that support you in the ways that you're not strong. So from the beginning, I mean, my strength is, of course, being creative, being in front of clients, having that communication. My strength is not numbers. My strength is not. organizing spreadsheets. My strength is not placing orders. So I always know that I need to surround myself with people that can help me in those strengths for me to do my best job and what I like doing and what I'm best at. So always hire people that you trust and people that are going to support you. Speaker 1 (4:59) I couldn't agree more. As you continue to learn about yourself and grow in life. you bring in more people that are smarter than you. There's never a finite means like, okay, I've got the right people around me. It's as you learn to adapt and grow, more people come in. And I think that's a constant flow. Speaker 2 (5:16) Yeah, you want to surround yourself with people who are better than you at everything so that you learn and you grow yourself. So yeah, absolutely. Speaker 1 (5:24) Yeah, so true. We think about this summer and I think about America celebrating. It's 250th anniversary and Americana style just emerged. I couldn't think of anybody that really represented that more than Ralph Lauren himself, right? The backdrop for Americana. Totally. Speaker 2 (5:43) Yeah, yeah. But Speaker 1 (5:44) then I watched your episode on Homeworthy and I watched you navigate all of us through your home. And I was in awe, really. of how you layered it so beautiful. And so when Americana style emerged in my mind, I thought of you. Speaker 2 (6:00) That's sweet. That Speaker 1 (6:01) Ralph Lauren style. What do you think that is? And how can you bring it to life in your own home? Speaker 2 (6:09) Yeah, absolutely. I feel like the one, like there's several words that I'd like to describe that style. And it's that family lair. You feel familiar. You feel... handcrafted. You feel connected to these pieces. I feel like that's what makes that Americana look. That is a combination of not