DESIGN PORTRAIT: Rebecca Atwood
Photo Credit: @blakeshorter
We still can’t believe we had the chance to interview one of our all-time favorite female creators and crushes, Rebecca Atwood. Atwood is the founder and artist behind the ethically-sourced textile, wall-covering and accessories company Rebecca Atwood Designs. Her sweet, whimsical, dash, dot, crescent, floral and botanical prints have become something of a cult favorite, because they pop up everywhere from design A-lister interiors to delightful rooms created by stylish homeowners. We love her painterly patterns because they’re the kind that can instantly make a home feel happy, and we bet you can’t browse their catalog without falling in love with a print.
Besides bringing us tons of design joy, Atwood has helped pave the way for artists like herself to turn themselves into successful, small-batch creators. She recently moved her family and her company HQ from Brooklyn to South Carolina. Designport chatted live with Atwood about the business of pattern design, motherhood, her spring collection, and decorating her first home. Spoiler alert: even Atwood admits it may take her three years to pick a rug! Here are more highlights from our conversation:
Designport: Did you always envision working for yourself?
Rebecca Atwood: In my early 20’s I never planned to live in NYC or have my own business. My parents owned a restaurant and I saw how much responsibility it was. After art school I started off working in the textile industry as a designer for Anthropologie. Then one day, as a way to get more freelance design work and make some extra money, I started my own line of pillows. I made the first collection in my apartment, dyeing the fabric in my kitchen sink and drying it in the shower. Then it sold out! I started doing fabric by the yard, and my business grew steadily from there.
Photo Credit @garruppo
DP: Gone are the days of choosing between paisley or stripes when it comes to patterns. You are a huge part of the movement in design towards small-batch, art-inspired prints. What caused this change in the design industry?
RA: When I started in the home industry, digital printing was terrible. But it’s evolved so much and we are able to convey a lot more. Makers can create prints that are really personal. Digital printing has also allowed people to be more experimental. We can do prints to order. If I only sell five yards of a print, it's not like I've invested 50k in inventory, so it allows for more playfulness. And as we all know with digital media we have the ability to get the word out more easily. People were always making things in small batches, we just weren’t seeing it as much.
DP: It’s Women’s History Month, do you have any advice for young female entrepreneurs on how to get started?
RA: We are really lucky today because there are so many books and podcasts and free ways to learn and so many affordable classes you can take. Whether your gaps are sales, digital marketing, bookkeeping, you don’t necessarily have to go back to school full-time to learn them now.
DP: So much of your design communicates embracing flow and calm. Is this something you are able to do in your own life, while balancing the demands of running a business and motherhood?
RA: I try but with the pandemic, moving, business and life it’s been hard. I find I have to be really intentional about structure because I don’t have as time as I used to. I block off days of my week for studio days. It doesn’t always happen but if i didn't block it, it would never happen. I do think that part of moving out of a big city was finding more time for walking and nature. Today I walked with a friend first thing in the morning, and it was such a nice way to start the day.
DP: How else has moving to the ‘burbs influenced you?
RA: Moving from a small apartment to a house and having multiple rooms to decorate is so exciting. My daughter's room is definitely the furthest along, as of now she is the only one who has the nice window treatments! At first I felt overwhelmed with a whole house to find furniture for. But I try to think of it piece by piece. My advice is to give yourself time. Try to have less information coming in and just look at what you find interesting. And if it’s not right, let it go. Don’t just buy something to be done. We may not have a rug for three years because I want to find the right one.
DP: With so much design knowledge in your head, where did you begin with a room like your own daughter's?
RA: For kids’ spaces I like to work with a lot of wallpapers. Generally when choosing a print for a kids room, I go with a pattern I like as an adult, but I incorporate more color and more playfulness. The Petals pattern was from our second collection and I still love it - I used it as curtains in my daughter's room, and then I used it again on the walls but in a different scale. I also love using found items. For her room I found a dresser on the side of the road and stripped and painted it and added flowers and a spider web.
I also recommend asking your kids if they have strong opinions and can spark something and be part of the creative process. My daughter wanted oranges, yellow and brown, which was surprising and a great starting point for me.
DP: What’s your advice on staying on budget but having real home style.
RA: Even sometimes I get sticker shock. Think about how much use you are getting out of it. Ask yourself, “Am I going to look at this every day?” A special occasion dress you might wear two times a year, and you’re not even the one looking at it! But your home is the place where you are building your memories and where your kids' memories are made. Your first bedroom is something you remember. Everything is expensive. You should really love what you bring in.
DP: What’s new from RA for spring… Any stories behind the prints you’d like to share? “Floral Trellis” in particular is such an interesting pattern.
RA: Our newest collection has some multi-color patterns that are really celebratory. Charleston spring is already in full bloom. “Little Palm” I painted a long time ago and decided to put it into development when I moved, it’s such a Charleston print.
DP: This month on our social platform we are focusing on small spaces and how to make them special. Any advice to share on small space design and pattern?
RA: Our whole apartment was small in New York. If you are living in a small home make sure the colors really work throughout. It can be a mix but make it cohesive. I like to tell people to think about your home and the things you are bringing in as you would think about a landscape - all of the textures and patterns you add are like little building blocks for creating layers of color - it’s almost like planting a garden.
We want to live in this magical garden and can’t wait to see how Rebecca’s home turns out! If you want to see Atwood’s designs in professionally designed rooms, their website has an amazing compilation of interior designer created spaces to scroll through. And if you are inspired and purchase one of Rebecca Atwood’s prints, be sure to send us the before & after images at hello@mydesignport.com. Happy designing!
