introducing red romantic design

Let me start by saying if you are part of my family or a long time friend, you will know that me starting something new with incredible enthusiasm is nothing new. I go through phases where I am super inspired and excited to start a new business venture, or hobby, or craft and I jump in head first. I have taken Clifton Strengths tests a couple of times for various jobs, and both times it told me my number one characteristic is that I am an “Activator.” Regardless of the validity of these tests, I whole heartedly believe that to be true. Act first, think later is kind of my m.o. My grandma always used to say, “You never let the grass grow under your feet.” However, more often than not I eventually lose that spark of inspiration, or I get in my head, and the consistency and enthusiasm fades. That being said, there is one thing, one goal, one “dream job” that has remained on the back burner. Never really mentioned or pursued (except for that one semester at The Academy of Art University)… Interior Designer.

Since I was a child (literally as far back as I can remember) I have been obsessed with creating comfortable, functional, beautiful spaces. The spaces around me have a visceral effect on my mental health, even though I didn't recognize it growing up. I was the child obsessed with HGTV and design magazines. I was lucky enough to be raised by a dad who was a general contractor, so any idea I had, or paint color I wanted to try, he would let me run with it. (Thank you mom & dad for the creative freedom! I know that lime green bathroom that one time was an aggressive design choice…)

I always said I wanted to go to FIDM and study interior design, but when I got to high school I realized college just wasn’t for me. Regardless, my home, no matter what size or shape, has always been a place of pride for me. I love taking a blank space and making it feel like a home. I especially love making small spaces feel comfortable, and I have done that most of my life. From studio apartments, to tiny bedrooms in my house, to a van I designed and built just for me. The way my home looks has always been important to me. For others to see, sure, but most importantly for me. If my home is a mess, my brain is a mess.

Everything I decorate is intentional, and not a single thing I touch is lacking some sort of forethought. I think that is a pretty obvious characteristic of a designer. It’s something that has literally never changed, even through all the phases of life. It is the one thing I’ve always wanted to do that I haven’t had the confidence to try. Design spaces for others and not just for myself. I think the hesitation has come from the fact that this, above all other hobbies and great ideas I’ve had, is not just a passing phase or thought. It is a way of life for me, and that feels so raw and emotional for some reason. It is something I’ve been afraid to fail at, so I haven’t even tried. (That sounds so fucking stupid saying it out loud as I am writing this, but it’s the honest truth.) That being said, I think that is why I’ve avoided putting myself out there. Saying out loud that I want to be a designer makes me feel super vulnerable, and I know it will be an uphill battle.

I am not officially trained, and I don’t have a degree in design, however I’ve been revolving around the industry for many years. As mentioned, my dad was a contractor my whole childhood (don’t worry, he’s still living, just no longer self employed) and I have true hands on experience with building. Believe me, some designers don’t and every other tradesperson will give you the stereotypical eye roll at “the designer said x-y-z…” so it means a lot to me to say that I do. I feel like my approach to design comes from a greater understanding of how to actually bring something to life, and not just throw ideas into a fantasy world for others to try and figure out. I approach design from the mind of a builder, BUT the eye of a designer. It wouldn’t be an intentionally designed space if it wasn’t pretty, so that’s obviously the main objective. I believe you can strike a balance between form and function, not just one over the other.

In my early twenties I started working as a personal assistant for a real estate agent in San Diego. After helping with a couple of open houses, she and her business partner said I absolutely needed to get my real estate license because I would be great at it, so I did. There were a few years in between where I left the state and came back, but I took my test (and passed!) in 2015 and shortly began working in the industry. In addition to assisting my brokers and working with my own clients, I also assisted my brokers with staging projects. Let me tell you, the real estate market in the Bay Area is no joke, and the things people do to get houses to sell is wild. I will talk more about this at some point, but I learned A LOT. I was able to put my natural inclination for decoration to good use and enjoyed it at the time, but it still wasn’t exactly what I wanted to do.

The top agents in real estate in the Bay Area in the early 2010s all included video tours for every listing. With no prior experience or truly good enough camera, I convinced my broker to let me make video tours of her listings. I had a growing interest in video production with the popularity of YouTube at the time, and I really wanted to shoot and produce videos. Again, I loved it, but real estate property tours still wasn’t exactly what I wanted to do.

For the past 2+ years I have been working for a specialty paint company (which I fucking love) and I have been fully entrenched in the design world even further. I have been familiar with a lot of designers and their work for many years, but I now get to see it from a different point of view.

It has further proven to me that it is the field I want to work in. I am not looking to leave the ol’ day job, but I am beginning to fall in love with the idea of spending my nights and weekends working as a designer.

All of the things I have done up to this point have somehow revolved around houses, but haven’t been specifically design. I hate sales, so I sucked at selling real estate. Staging isn’t real, so the houses were styled for the purpose of selling, not living, so it always felt so vapid. Filming houses was cool, but the houses I was filming had no soul. No character. I have always been adjacent to design, but have yet to work as a designer in my own right. I’m not getting any younger, and the beautiful thing about age is you start to losing the fucks to give. I figure, there’s no time like the present to take this step. So, I present to you:

*logo subject to change

Why Red Romantic, you ask? Well, I don’t love the sound of Bri Wilson Design. Though it’s my name it just doesn’t evoke the emotion or capture the spirit I want to present to the world.

Red. The color I am drawn to like a bull to a flag in a matador’s hands. My favorite color to wear. The color that gives me confidence. The color that always makes an appearance in everything I do. I love love and red is the color I feel best represents the kind of love I yearn for. Passionate. Bold. Unmistakable.

Romantic. Me. I am the romantic. Trust me, sometimes I am just complete wild chaos, but to my core I am a romantic. A romantic about so many things. About the slow things. About love, about life, about the beautiful things we as humans can experience. Romance to me feels safe, because it’s my default. The state I go back to when things feel off or overwhelming. I begin to romanticize the mundane and that brings me back to earth. I romanticize design with every inch of my being down to the most minute detail.

Will this be experimental? Yes.

Will I start on YouTube with the goal of becoming a “legitimate”designer? Ya.

Do I have a lot to learn? Yes.

BUT I do have a lot of experience in adjacent industries, and plenty of life experience to have the confidence to take this next step.

Design for me is about passion, hence the name. My ideal project would include music rooms, moody offices, workshops, auto garages, tiny spaces, and anything a little wild. I think there are enough fantastic designers out there who do the standard kitchens and baths, so that’s not really my focus, but I will honestly work on anything if I am asked to.

Am I scared? A little. But, fuck it! I have to try.