“Color makes people happy!” ­ Holly Hollingsworth Phillips

“And we totally agree with you, Holly!” ­ Joanne and Ray

It has been a true pleasure getting to know Holly Hollingsworth Phillips, the dynamo interior designer and driving force of The English Room based in Charlotte, North Carolina. We have enjoyed her bright aesthetic and fearless use of color in her designs. Big fans of bold color ourselves, we were thrilled to hear of her interest in using our Gardner counter stools for her personal kitchen renovation that would be part of the ever-popular One Room Challenge. We were tickled pink (pun intended) to see the fabric she specified for the counter stools. Her love of color, pattern and layering of old and new can be seen throughout her work, and this is exactly what fostered our seamless connection to Holly.

Holly was introduced to Dowel in August through a friend. She was so excited about our brand that she kindly wrote a blog post about our company (see post here)! We have since grown to know each other through our social media channels, and loved following her finds during the Product Premiere Twitter chat for High Point Market as a 2018 Style Spotter. Upon finally meeting in person at High Point Market (as many of us social media butterflies do), Holly proved just as colorful in person. Holly style spotted our Gardner stools as part of her product highlights for market and we could not have been more thrilled. In turn, we attended Holly's Fearless Design panel (a topic quite fitting for Holly) and gained a wealth of knowledge from the panelists.

Similar to our family's background in the furniture design business, Holly grew up around stellar design - her mother being a fabulous interior designer and her family's house being originally decorated by the late Mario Buatta. I guess you could say that those growing up surrounded by design seem to find a way to each other - it's all in the family! Holly's design aesthetic spoke to us as well. Her roots tend to be traditional, yet she brings a modern style to the mix, a concept that we also follow when designing our furniture collections. Firmly rooted in tradition, but with a nod to modern is how we like to think of our products. Timeless.

Needless to stay, the Gardner counter stools are absolutely beautiful in Holly's newly-renovated kitchen! She did a kick-ass job, not that we expected any less! We look forward to hearing about all of her family shenanigans and only wish her and her family the best of memories that are so often made in the heart of the house, the kitchen.

Photography by: Dustin Peck Photography