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From left, stylist CJ Lancione, Williams & Sherrill Creative Director Jamie Coffey, and Thibaut Style Director Bill Sorrell
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Guests enjoyed a Thibaut takeaway from the event.
"Nantucket meets Connecticut meets Charleston meets Richmond": That’s how Thibaut’s style director, Bill Sorrell, described the aesthetic for the company known for its bold, beautiful wallcoverings, fabric and furniture at an event at Williams & Sherrill on June 21.
“Richmond is not afraid of color,” he affirmed to a gathering of designers, stylists and shoppers alike. During the event, Sorrell provided a visual tour of Thibaut’s new Dynasty collection — some of which Sorrell says that the company, known for readily available stock, can’t keep in stock for its popularity.
Sorrell also gave an insider’s look at the making of a product photo shoot, likening it to a “movie with no actors.” Photo shoots for the company are done locally in Richmond, using homes Sorrell scouts for their “great bones” and accessories from local businesses.
As the oldest continuously running fabric company (since 1886), Thibaut’s designs are historically based, inspired by antique documents reimagined by their graphic designers. Preliminary designs are evaluated with front-line feedback from designers and retailers; some designs make the cut while others may not. In other words, it’s a process.
A full house at Williams & Sherrill's event with Thibaut June 21
Williams & Sherrill Creative Director Jamie Coffey added this takeaway to consider when designing personal spaces: “These things take time,” he said. “You think things should be instant. Things can be instant, but can they be genius and instant? Allow the process to work for you.”
Coffey says the notion of “the hottest, the latest” trends is no longer; interiors should be personal and collected, old elements reinterpreted with new colors and scale.
Coffey noted that Williams & Sherrill continues to plan public events like the one with Bill Sorrell to educate, delight and provide opportunities to interact with the Richmond creative community.
