We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jamie Williams. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jamie below.
Jamie, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?
Fueled by my passion for design, I embarked on a career in luxury hospitality design at Tony Chi & Associates in New York City, an industry-leading Interior Design firm. I have had the opportunity to design on award-winning projects around the world, including the Rosewood London hotel, and Wolfgang Puck’s CUT and Spago restaurants. Through this, my international exposure grew even further during my time as Senior Interior Designer with London-based Tara Bernerd & Partners. In collaboration with luxury properties, I’ve intimately worked with incredible local artists to design bespoke furniture and products, experiencing their master craftsmanship up close and personal. I realized I desired to share my deepened appreciation for regional materials from the earth, as well as ancestral and innovative techniques used to create long-lasting works of art.
With the creation of ELYSIAN COLLECTIVE, I have aimed to highlight the traditions of handcraft by collaborating with master makers and highlighting the narrative focus to their creations. As a creative entrepreneur and passionate traveler, I’m dedicated to the ethical treatment of artists and hope to provide a platform that supports their work and livelihood. I believe that the objects we select for our spaces not only enrich our lives, but also those of the makers. I am moved by the connection between people and their environments and the rich sensory experiences they create. Whether it’s the clever way natural materials are combined, or a distinct mood you can evoke through the use of different forms; it all culminates into a sense of discovery for the details and stories that connect the individual to their surroundings.
The stories are told by the objects themselves. From their history and heritage to the process of their creation, followed by the hands they passed through on their journey to us. At ELYSIAN COLLECTIVE, I partner with an exclusive network of expert makers and emerging contemporary artists from around the world who share my belief for sustainable practices and creating positive impact through design. To me, design is far more than our physical surroundings; it is the thread that connects us to people, communities, history, nature, and the world at large. To me, I wanted to build a collaborative community that is supportive of each other, which is why we chose to name it a “Collective”. I strongly believe in valuing other perspectives and creating a place where your voice can be heard. We are a proud female-founded business, and I always look to source and support fellow women in the arts by collaborating and adding their work to our collection.
Formed around a deep appreciation for the evocative power of the rare and the beautiful, my gallery’s distinctive offerings are embodiments of the ethos. Every object carries its own unique history. Each one is thoughtfully selected with a focus on materiality and form, construction and technique, along with uncompromising quality and sustainability. We also curate and source vintage pieces, as a vintage item’s value is not only in its preserved state, but also in those to whom it once belonged, in its distinctive craftsmanship, and its reflections of a time through art and design. Vintage exemplifies the benefits of material circularity; something that is created, used, re-used, and brought into a new life. Each and every piece evokes a feeling of intrigue, engages the senses, and conjures up memories and moods, enriching our lives with meaningful design.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
Going back to my childhood, I grew up with incredible grandparents who were very inspiring people, and had a significant influence on my development. My Grandmother was a teacher of World Cultures and my Grandfather an archaeologist and Head of a University College of Religion. I remember having artifacts in curio cases around the house, and seeing all of the beautiful designs they brought back from their world travels, whether it be jewelry or hand-woven textiles. They truly instilled in me an appreciation for cultures and diversity, and a hunger to explore people and their craft that carries many generations of stories.
In college, I received a degree in Retail Merchandising with a special focus on Textiles & Apparel from the University of Texas at Austin. One of my favorite classes was on the historical preservation of textiles. At UT, I had an incredible mentor who would always tell me, “the worst thing someone can say is no, and if you never ask, you’ll never know the answer”. This mentality opened up doors to an internship at Neiman Marcus working in store design, which piqued my interest into the world of interior design. I had always envisioned going into the fashion industry with my sister, but my passions evolved into interiors. Upon graduating, I decided to pursue interiors and took the leap to move to New York City and further my design education, earning a degree in Interior Design at The Fashion Institute of Technology.
I embarked on a career in luxury hospitality design at Tony Chi & Associates in New York City, an industry-leading Interior Design firm. I have had the opportunity to design on award-winning projects around the world, including the Rosewood London hotel, and Wolfgang Puck’s CUT and Spago restaurants. Through this, my international exposure grew even further during my time as Senior Interior Designer with London-based Tara Bernerd & Partners. In collaboration with luxury properties, I’ve intimately worked with incredible local artists to design bespoke furniture and products, experiencing their master craftsmanship up close and personal. I realized I desired to share my deepened appreciation for regional materials from the earth, as well as ancestral and innovative techniques used to create long-lasting works of art. My spark and passion for this came during a trip to Guadalajara, Mexico to work with a ceramicist, Ceramica Suro. I had the opportunity to design ceramic tiles and light fixtures for a project I was designing for Belmond Maroma Hotel. Sketching patterns with the ceramicist at his factory, (while sipping on exquisite tequila!) and firing tiles from these sketches was a beautiful process that led me to want to focus on interior products and collaborating with artisans to showcase phenomenal talent.
Hungry to see more of the world and gain more exposure through first-hand experience of artists’ processes, I took a pause in hospitality design to travel around the world in 2019 for 6 months. My travels to Australia, New Zealand, Bali, Thailand, Singapore, Philippines, Hong Kong, South Korea, and Japan opened my eyes even further to the craft and design of the world’s artisans, which fueled my desire to tap into these resources and vast network I had collected over the years. My desire is to bring more exposure to the quality and exceptional design that is rare and beautiful, and that supports communities, creatives, and cultural traditions.
With a natural eye for design, fine-tuned by a decade of experience working with some of the brightest minds in interior design, I seek to always challenge perceptions, creating meaningful sensory experiences. As an NCIDQ certified Interior Designer, my honed instinct leads me to unearth the perfect sources from around the globe to add that next layer and final touch to any space. As a preferred stylist with Rosewood Hotels, this has enabled me to work alongside renowned interior photographers at their properties, and refine my eye for exceptional design even further. I provide sourcing and interior styling services for clients to source rare pieces or add the final touch and layer of art and accessories, whether for hotels, personal residences for a project photoshoot. In my opinion, this layer is what enhances a space and adds character, personality, and makes a space feel complete and comfortable to come home to.
With the launch of my contemporary gallery, Elysian Collective, I strive to provide an ever-changing source for elegant textiles, rugs, art, vintage pieces, lighting, and objects created with attention to detail, material, and provenance. Featuring highly collectible works and exclusive designs by exceptional makers and emerging artists, the sophisticated finds span from all corners of the globe. I value the stories that objects tell intrinsically, and believe that featuring their stories and sharing them not only enhances their value in our lives, but it enriches those whose lives they touch.
We’d love to hear about you met your business partner.
Thinking back to when my business partner and I met at 24 years old, we would have had no idea that we would be on this journey together, but I believe it was meant to happen. Michael and I met in New York City 15 years ago through mutual friends from Texas, and quickly bonded over our similar niche careers. She and I were working at competitor Hospitality Interior Design firms, and ironically, we found out our bosses worked together in the 1980’s. We both had the opportunity to design on international hotel projects, traveling to London, Dubai, and Saudi Arabia.
We share in a deep passion for travel, language, and experiencing diverse cultures and design. This inevitably led to us taking trips together to exciting design meccas on our personal time over the years. Our first trip was to Istanbul, Turkey for her 26th birthday, where we stopped in every rug showroom and came home with more Turkish rugs than we knew what to do with. In 2019, we went to Tokyo and Kyoto, Japan, and soaked in everything from the culture and food, to the deep appreciation they have for minimalism and simplicity, and giving a level of attention to every minute detail. We began seriously talking about joining forces together at a bar in Tokyo over highballs! Our most recent trip was to Oaxaca and Mexico City, Mexico, where we met contemporary artists re-imagining old techniques in a modern way, as well as artisans in the Oaxaca Valley who are continuing traditional techniques of weaving that go back multiple generations. Celebrating people and materials that are preserving history, and also utilizing the local land and natural resources or materials in a sustainable way is of utmost importance to both Michael and me.
This shared appreciation formed a deep bond and understanding between us, as well as a strong respect for each other’s creativity and talent. I love how we are both Designers, but we bring very different strengths and personalities to our business which is important. We share in the same greater vision, and I knew I was looking for a partner who was reliable, trustworthy, hardworking, and talented to work collaboratively alongside.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
I chose to pivot in my career during Covid lockdown while I was living in London to shift into products and launch a home collection gallery. This time to slow down and re-evaluate my priorities was invaluable. I had been working in Hospitality Interior Design at the top firms in New York and London for 15 years, and it was a very rewarding career for that time with many wonderful perks, but high stress, extremely fast-paced, and high pressure. I’ve developed a love for interior design through this experience, but I began to realize that it wasn’t sustainable to keep going at this pace long-term. I have had some extremely demanding bosses that had very negative management style, and even created abusive environments at times, so in turn, I wanted to create a company that fosters positive, collaborative energy and a safe place for everyone to voice their opinions and express themselves. I also desired to create something that I had ownership of, that was a true expression of myself and my values. Working at a firm, all of the creative rights and recognition go to the principal of the firm, which can be difficult when you invest over 4 years of your life on a project. While I took a break and traveled Asia (before Covid), I re-ignited the fire I had as a child when my Grandparents would bring home interesting art and objects from all over the world. Working with artists to showcase and celebrate their phenomenal work is what I knew I wanted to pivot into, which is what led me to focus on building my contemporary gallery.
Contact Info:
- Website: elysian-collective.com
- Instagram: __elysiancollective__
- Facebook: @TheElysianCollective
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamie-a-williams/
Image Credits
Headshots: Paige Newton / Product Photography: Kara Marie Collective