We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Aren King. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Aren below.
Aren, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start big picture – what are some of biggest trends you are seeing in your industry?
Trends are constantly changing Murals are always in fashion for the right space. Cementitious and lime-based finishes are a big request in the industry today. These materials go back to the beginning of time. If you look at ancient architecture you will see these materials used throughout Europe, Africa and South America. The materials are sustainable and contain low or no VOC’s. The materials are durable and timeless. Approximately 75 percent of the work we do today is a troweled-on plaster type product. Examples of the materials we apply are Venetian Plaster, Tadelakt, Marmorino, Calcecruda and many others. We educate architects and designers on materials and where they can be used. Trends, although they come and go, some remain timeless. We like to aid our clients in making long lasting decisions that they will be happy with for years to come. Another trend is wallcoverings, we have taken this product and reinvented it for our clients. Select your style and we can create similar images with an artist’s hand on your wall matching your vision. Just think no seam lines or dye lots we can use custom colors and scale to meet your budget. At the end of the day the goal is to give you a space that best suits your personality, we all have different tastes We enjoy the direction of today’s trend because it brings us back to the basics. We are moving away from chemicals and processed materials; the materials today are from the earth and are natural.
Aren, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I have always had a talent for art. As a young child I would walk the neighborhood and offer to paint the home addresses on the curbs of my neighbors. I entered many school art competitions, winning award after award. When it came time for college, I received a scholarship to Moore College of Art and Design. Once I graduated, I began to hit the night club scene. Painting designs for some of the top local night spots. I realized I had a gift and knew I needed to be in business for myself. I quickly needed help and engaged other artists to work alongside me, working in some of the most prominent homes and institutions in the region. Today we receive calls and travel throughout the country. Artists are funny we have strong personalities, and we take our work personal. Not many of us are businesspeople. We typically design for ourselves where we at Les Artistes design for others, we love to collaborate meeting our clients’ goals and exceedingly their expectations.
Can you open up about how you funded your business?
I started my business while living at home with my family. I waitressed when I didn’t have paying art gigs. I used the money that came in to purchase equipment for the business and to pay my helpers. I hired professional photographers to take photos of my work. Word of mouth spread, and work continued to come. The best form of marketing was always a happy customer.
Okay – so how did you figure out the manufacturing part? Did you have prior experience?
As an Artist we are creatives so I’m always experimenting in the basement or garage. We at times have tight budgets to work with so I need to create my own materials and tools to apply the materials. One example would be the substitution of a costly plaster instead we used a lower cost compound. We knew the desired result but didn’t have a low-cost alternative. We decided to play with less costly materials not necessarily used for our purpose, we tested and tried over and over until we achieved the desired results at a cost of at least 25 percent less than the actual product. You could not tell any difference between the original product and the Les Artistes replication. We don’t give up we sell solutions.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.lesartistes.design
- Instagram: @lesartistesfinefinishes
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aren-king-b2bo2a23
