Asad Syrkett has stepped down as editor in chief of Elle Decor after four years at the helm. Publisher Hearst Magazines confirmed the news to BOH and noted that a replacement would be shared soon. In the meantime, Stellene Volandes will continue to serve as the title’s editorial director.
Syrkett’s tenure as the shelter magazine’s top editor began in 2020, several months after the departure of Whitney Robinson. From the first issue to hit newsstands under his leadership, the new editor in chief made a splash—reimagining Nancy Lancaster’s iconic Yellow Room with an illustration by artist Rachelle Baker in which the blackamoor tables of the original were replaced with the figure of a Black woman gazing out at the viewer. The striking cover, paired with a powerful essay by poet Caroline Randall Williams about inheriting a collection of furniture from great-grandparents who survived the Jim Crow era, was an instant conversation-starter throughout the industry.
“It’s going to be a little uncomfortable—but I also want people to feel like I’m inviting them to have the conversation with me,” Syrkett told host Dennis Scully on The Business of Home Podcast at the time. “[When people think of Elle Decor], I want them to say, ‘That’s the brand that’s having fun talking about decorating and design in ways that are about the industry and about what’s happening in the design world but also what’s happening and what’s out in the world.’”
The role also granted Syrkett oversight of the A-List, the brand’s annual lineup of top professionals working in residential interiors, architecture and landscape design. This year’s list celebrated Elle Decor’s 35th anniversary, and reflected the editor’s goal of infusing a sense of modernity into the magazine’s foundation in traditional design. As Women’s Wear Daily reported, the 2024 A-List roster of 101 industry pros trended toward a younger and more diverse cohort. That shift has also been reflected in the magazine’s changing readership, which grew 13 percent to more than 3 million in the first half of the year, with Gen Z and millennials (35-year-old Syrkett’s generation) making up the most ground.
As his term at Elle Decor continued, Syrkett dug deeper into his goal of democratizing design. Earlier this year, those efforts included a collaboration with the Brooklyn Museum on creating a more accessibility-focused design for the Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz “Giants” exhibition. “I think people in general are more sophisticated than they’ve ever been about their homes, their retail spaces, restaurants, hotels,” the editor told WWD last month. “And with so much design content on social media platforms, I always say, ‘Well, what will make us gasp? What will surprise us and make us feel like, wow, I’ve never seen a room like that?’ Because that’s the thing that’s going to get our audience excited, too. And I think it is a responsibility of any media outlet to keep the audience engaged by keeping them on their toes, by surprising them.”
In an Instagram post this week, Syrkett announced that October 4 would be his last day on the job. He reflected on the milestones the magazine reached during his four-year tenure (“32 print issues, countless digital stories and one Smithsonian acquisition later”) and thanked both his editorial team and the design community for their continued support.
“What’s next is…something new! I’m letting conversations about my next adventure develop, and I’m looking forward to taking time off,” wrote Syrkett. “I’ll share an update eventually, but, for now, something more important: my thanks to each of you for following it all here.”
The decision to step down as editor in chief of a top industry magazine after a brief tenure is relatively rare in the industry. The choice, like his many at the helm of Elle Decor, seems right in line with his views: “If you’re not ruffling any feathers,” he told BOH in back in 2021, “you’re probably not doing what the moment deserves.”
This story was updated on September 12 to include Asad Syrkett’s announcement on Instagram.
