West Elm's Angel Dormer Interview

West Elm's Angel Dormer Interview.

As west elm’s "resident design and style guru," Angel Dormer is always scanning her New York environment for talented local artists, cool patterns and hot trends. Her findings shape west elm's signature blend of vintage modern and limited edition designs. We caught up with Angel on a shopping and brainstorming spree to ask her where her ideas come from.
As west elm’s "resident design and style guru," it seems like you might have an eclectic, creative role there that’s hard to pinpoint. How are your vision and sense of color used at west elm?
It is definitely not a cookie-cutter role! My full title is Style Manager for Color and Concept. My job is to pull together key concepts and colors that inspire each season. This includes setting the direction for print and pattern. It also involves collaborating with the design team and getting all of our ideas off the ground. This is fun from beginning to end! It is always interesting to see how one idea can grow into something much bigger. We collaborate with artists, and sometimes a little group of painting's can become a pillow, rug and dinnerware collection. For instance, one of our favorite textile artists painted the artwork for our Watercolor Flower Duvet Cover and Shams that we also used to create the Boho Flower pillow.
In your own words, how would you describe the west elm aesthetic and design mission?
Our mission is to offer people unique, affordable designs that help them create personaland inspired living spaces. We help artisans earn their livelihoods by collaborating with the global crafts community from near and far. We also strive to get a little greener everyday! What's really rewarding to me personally is finding new talent and giving them a platform to tell a fun story.
To give us a sense of how a designer-at-work operates, can you tell the story of one of the pieces you designed, from inspiration and conception to final product?
I enjoy going to the Antiques Garage Flea Market in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood. A co-worker and I loved one of the sellers there who did these great collages. We started a conversation with him and eventually had him come to our design office to meet about collaborating with us for our Fall 2010 season. We commissioned him to do a group of artwork just for us and printed it on silk pillows, dishes and wall art. That artist is Mike Miller, and he is featured now in the store, catalog and web. It was great to see how a little Saturday visit to the flea-market inspired an entire season!
The rituals of creative people are always fascinating to us. Do you ever get blocked and, if so, what sorts of rituals do you have to re-inspire yourself?
Getting a good night's sleep for starters! When I have free time I go to galleries. I am always inspired by art. I also love interior design blogs and magazines, and there is nothing like an afternoon at a museum! Inspiration shopping – getting out there and going to stores and wandering in different neighborhoods in the city – always gets the ideas flowing.
Color is confusing for many. As a color expert, what advice do you have for people don’t naturally have a feel for color?
Color can be a big subject, but have no fear! Color is really personal, so it is best to always begin with your favorites. Start by going through a design magazine and tearing out what you like. Just listen to your heart and go with it. You will start to see a common thread. You can also use contrasting colors to your advantage. For instance, if you favor neutrals and earthy colors, it is always fun to pop it with one bright color.