Over the last few months, the VUE by SEK team has been interviewing ladies in the D.C. area to highlight their view on life, work and creativity. In this interview, we’re highlighting the incredibly talented Nicole of Nicole Crowder Upholstery. Nicole Crowder is the independent furniture designer and upholsterer behind Nicole Crowder Upholstery based in Washington D.C. She has been upholstering furniture for clients since 2013. Read below to learn about Nicole’s signature style and favorite fall activities.
1. Introduce yourself! Tell us about yourself and your business.
My name is Nicole Crowder and I am the founder and independent furniture designer and upholsterer behind Nicole Crowder Upholstery. I first began upholstering furniture in 2013, but after a very non-linear career path going from publishing to working in the tech industry, I decided to launch my furniture design company full time in January 2017 in Washington DC. I love using bold, bright and unexpected color palettes and prints to transform a chair or a bench or an ottoman, and so I source textiles that allow me to bring a new vision to repurpose an old piece of furniture.2. What brought you to start a career as a furniture designer and upholsterer?
I came to furniture design via a number of means, including a 10-year career as a photo editor in the publishing industry, working in travel, decor, food, and portraiture. I was a contributing photographer to the interior design side apartment therapy, and I’ve always just had a fascination with really well-designed spaces and great packaging. I never even considered upholstery as a hobby or career until I came across the work of a fantastic upholsterer out of Philadelphia in late 2012. I learned the trade through a lot of trial and error by just jumping in and working on various types of chairs, and through the wonderful tutorials I found on YouTube.3. What’s your VUE? Tell us about your signature, everyday style.
My VUE is one that is ever-evolving. For my personal style, I am currently trying to break out of my usual neutral tones and colors to incorporate more jewel tones and accents like marigolds and greens and sapphires and reds into my wardrobe. I love to wear white, and then accent that with the really bold red code or bright yellow skirt or a pair of blue green earrings. When it comes to my furniture and designing spaces, however, I love going on the bolder side and being much more experimental in color and prints.