Thomas Roger Ladner

Thomas Ladner was a highly regarded interior designer in San Diego from the 1950s until his death in 2010. From his own home, at 7915 Lowry Terrace in La Jolla, and beyond, Ladner served a ‘who’s who’ list of clients.

According to the Union Tribune, “Mr. Ladner was born to Karl and Eva Ladner on Jan. 7, 1924 in Minneapolis. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1943 to 1946 as a hospital apprentice first class. Under the auspices of the Navy, Mr. Ladner attended Princeton and Marquette universities, studying dentistry to please his father, said his daughter Karen Ladner. Out of the Navy, he attended UCLA, graduating in 1950 with a dual degree in history and chemistry.“

Mr. Ladner and his wife, Patricia, spent their first years of married life in Pacific Palisades before moving to Del Mar in 1956 and then to La Jolla in 1961. In La Jolla, Ladner managed the La Jolla branch of the Los Angeles-based interior design firm Cannell & Chaffin Interior Design on Girard and Pearl (1956-1969). Cannell and Chaffin had three other locations in SoCal (Westwood, Wilshire and Pasadena).

In 1969, he opened Ladner Design Studio, where, in addition to design services, he sold antiques. Every year, he and his wife would take six-week buying trips to England and Europe, often inviting along clients.