Interview & Giveaway: Bolt House Textiles

Searching for just the right textile with just the right shade of color? You may want to take a look at Bolt House Textiles. With several fabrics, 2 dozen patterns and 100 color options, Bolt House provides customers a unique hands on design experience. Fabrics can ordered by the yard for custom draperies, bedding or slip covers, or pillows or fabric-covered lighting made by Bolt House.

I was so intrigued by the concept, I contacted Lori Faison, the founder of Bolt House Textiles and asked if she’d be up for an interview. She agreed {smile} and she also offered to give one lucky Simplified Bee reader one of her fabulous pillows {see how to enter below}.

Simplified Bee: What was the catalyst behind launching Bolt House Textiles?

Lori Faison: I moved from Atlanta, GA to Northwest Coastal Florida in 2002. I was working with the very talented Nancy Braithwaite in Atlanta, and when I moved here, I continued working with Nancy doing some product developmental work, which I really enjoyed. I think it was in that process of working on that project with her that I found myself yearning for a different kind of a creative outlet of my own, but I didn’t yet have a clear picture of what I wanted to do. I began designing on my own and launched Lori Faison Interiors. It took the Gulf Horizon Oil Spill of 2010 to really push the creative process. I grew up in Miami and  have always had an innate love affair with  the coast. It was so devastating to see what had unfolded here on the pristine Northwest Florida Gulf Coast. My wheels started spinning and I finally found myself with a clear idea of what I wanted to do. I put pencil to paper and began to develop a working collection of patterns. I hand drew them all, and then decided to take it to the next level and create a line of custom fabric, along with pillows and light fixtures. This first collection, the Coastal Collection, is a tribute, I suppose, to the delicate, beautiful nature that surrounds us here. 

SB: What has been the most rewarding part of starting your business? What has been the most difficult? 

LF: I would have to say that the rewards are greater than the difficulties, but I’ll begin with the difficulties. Like anything new, it sometimes takes some time for things to get going and for the word to get out.  This all began in 2010, we had the site launch in late 2011, and I am just now finding that we have hit our stride, in mid 2012. Nothing happens overnight, and there is a period where you hold your breath a bit, and think “will this pay off in the end? Will people like this?” Now on to the rewards;  for a creative soul, there is nothing more rewarding than getting to use those skills and apply them towards something that you are passionate about. I am loving the fact that we have had absolutely no repetition thus far on fabric designs. Each client has created something completely unique to them. With all of the pattern, color and fabric options that we have developed thus far, there are an endless amount of possible combinations, and it just validates that we all do have a unique eye and it’s lovely to see that at work.

SB: What is the process one would go through to order your your specialty fabrics?

LF: It’s really pretty simple!  It can all be done on the website, www.bolthousetextiles.com, and begins with the CREATE tab. From there, you select your ground fabric, your pattern and your color, and edit until you find the one you love!  You can order the fabric by the yard, or we can create pillow covers or light fixtures for you made from the fabric you have created with special finishing details that you can choose from.

SB: Your designs for Spring 2012 are fresh and fun. What inspired the line?

LF: Well thank you, Cristin! I’m liking the direction I went in with the new patterns, and I think that I recognized that there was a calling for patterns that could be used in a more modern setting. You see so much more clean, modern design these days, which I personally love, and I wanted to be sure that there were some patterns that could stand up to that type of design.

SB: I love how customers have a choice of ordering the pattern by the yard or creating pillows or lighting. Do you see your customers trending one way or the other?

LF: Absolutely! We are definitely on a role with the pillows. We have sold some light fixtures, but there is no question that you are making a larger investment with that purchase. The great thing about the process is that you can see an actual strike-off of the fabric you will order before you commit, whether you are investing in fabric by the yard, a pillow or a light fixture. Personally, I love the wire framed fixtures with the hand sewn edges, they are just the right combination of a modern, industrial form… with a soft edge. 

SB: What's next for Bolt House Textiles?

LF: Every summer I spend a little time in Western North Carolina near Asheville, and I plan to begin developing a new collection while I am there. I’m completely inspired by the outdoors and what you may find on any stroll. The coastal collection will always have my heart, but I think there’s a calling to branch out a bit. When we developed the name, Bolt House Textiles, I knew that we may one day go beyond just the initial Coastal Patterns. I wanted to be sure we didn’t pigeon hole ourselves for growth with a name, like “Canvas Sea”, which sadly yes, was in the running.

As I mentioned earlier, Bolt House Textiles would like to giveaway one of their lovely pillows. The 24” x 24” pillow in Large Starfish/Clementine is printed on Gina Classic with single flange/black grommet and jute rope detail. It also includes the  50/ 50 down insert and retails for $165.

Here’s how to enter to win this beautiful pillow:
• Simply leave a comment on this post {provide your email if I don't have a way to contact you}.
• Extra Entry - become a new follower of Simplified Bee's Blog, Twitter, Pinterest or Facebook Page.
• Extra Entry - mention this giveaway in a blog post, FB link, tweet or pin the image on Pinterest, then leave a comment letting me know.
• Please post a separate comment for each extra entry.

Entry period closes at midnight PST on Wednesday, June 13, 2012. The winner will be chosen by Random.org and will be announced on the Simplified Bee Facebook page on Thursday, June 14, 2012.

Best of luck!