For as long as she can remember, Romilly Newman has been drawn to food—the way it’s cooked, those who prepare it, the styling of the dishes, and the way it brings people together.
When she was younger, she was forbidden from watching the Disney Channel, so she came up with a workaround: Food Network was just one channel away, allowing her to easily switch between the two. Her fascination with the network, albeit accidental, grew into something much bigger. “I became entranced by these women who took stale gender roles and things that were previously put on them by men—this housewife position—and turned it into a career and made it something glamorous and exciting,” she says. “From that moment on, I knew that’s what I wanted to do.”
Raised in a family that worked in the film industry, Newman was encouraged to follow her passion. No one in her family cooked, which only heightened her passion for food. She began preparing daily family dinners at age 11 and launched a food blog that eventually led to appearances on “CBS Mornings” and “Chopped.” The experiences established a food career that has continued to build momentum into adulthood. “[Food] has been the constant in my life,” she says, “and it’s given me a sense of purpose.”
Self-taught but seasoned by time at renowned institutions—including Chez Panisse, Red Rooster, Ballymaloe in Ireland, and River Café in London—along with extensive dining experiences and friendships with chefs, Newman has crafted an unorthodox yet robust culinary education.
Her journey into food styling took shape through a series of what she calls small wins, from styling the cover of Cherry Bombe to working with the likes of Athena Calderone, Oscar de la Renta, Soho House, and House & Garden. Among her mentors, Newman credits Martha Stewart with having a profound influence. “She took this idea of a woman being in the kitchen and made it into a multibillion-dollar career,” she says.
Romilly Newman styled Armadillo’s light-filled New York showroom as a series of vignettes
This year, Newman brought her eye for styling beyond the food world, collaborating with rug brand Armadillo on its 4,000-square-foot showroom overlooking New York’s Madison Square Park. Working with Armadillo cofounder and creative director Jodie Fried, she approached the space much as she would her own home, layering color, texture, art, and objects onto the showroom’s neutral, tonal foundation. “They were open to having me put my personality into the space,” she shares. “I added playfulness and things that have movement and color and art.”
Amid the building’s original 1897 pine floors and columns, sinuous curves and limewash walls designed by Klein Agency provide the backdrop. Newman styled a living room anchored by one of Armadillo’s plush burnt-orange rugs, antique Spanish side tables and chairs, and sculptural vases and figures that catch the light flooding through the nearly all-glass façade. “This is a space where you can sit and read and enjoy the flowers and smell the candles,” she says. “It was about creating something that felt intentional.”
Whether she’s setting a table for a dinner party or styling a showroom, Newman’s approach is rooted in intuition. “It’s about what I feel works and what needs to interact with each other,” she says. “I’m inspired by Dutch still life, the way food was romantic. You have a beautiful setting, but there’s a fly or the cheese is moldy. Everything has a purpose, but there’s a sense of humor—the idea that things are just as beautiful when they’re messed up as when they’re perfect.”
Armadillo’s rugs hang from custom racks, while a styled table layered with a rug adds to the lived-in feel
This article originally appeared in HD’s September 2026 issue.