Designer Spotlight: How Nature Inspires Home Décor Artist Stevie Howell

Designer Stevie Howell takes painting to a new place, placing colorful artwork on murals, loungewear, apparel, bespoke wallpaper and even coloring books. She is especially drawn to nature as a native Northern Californian and includes images of plants, flowers and animals often in her shapes. Fabrics and Home interviewed this home décor artist to discover her background, inspirations and her favorite things.

Q: How did you get into this industry? 

I studied painting in college at Skidmore College and post grad (School of the Art Institute of Chicago). Around 2011, I was working in painting, printmaking and photography, and one day I combined them all into what would become my first textile. When I started experimenting with prints, I was making these drippy watercolor florals. I then taught myself how to turn them into repeating patterns. I instantly fell in love with the process and the history of textiles. It’s very similar to painting, but I found that with textiles I could interact with a broader audience.  

I found people responding to my textiles with joy. I loved that my work could provide comfort and happiness, and could make someone feel good. I began to slowly dip my toe into making functional products and it was due to the excited response that I continued to explore it as a business

Today we have grown the studio to include multiple categories. My art has worked its way into people's lives in a large range of products such as luxurious silk robes & pajamas, hand-painted murals, wallpaper, hotel & restaurant uniforms, pillows, art and bedding.

Our textiles are printed using eco-friendly methods, with water-based pigment inks on natural fibers. Our wallpapers are digitally printed with water-based inks on eco-friendly, clay-coated, and grass-cloth papers. In partnership with One Tree Planted, each wallpaper purchase supports reforestation efforts with a one-for-one business model. For each yard of wallpaper sold, we plant one tree to help clean our air and water, provide homes for wildlife, and contribute to our health and livelihoods.

The most motivating times are always when I am painting the most. The more I am able to focus on creating, the more I can experiment, and that is when the best surprises happen.

Q: What do you like about the work you do? What informs your home décor designs? How long is the process of finishing a project/design?

The second I started turning my painting into textiles I felt that I had found my thing. I loved that my art was turned into something that you could interact with, that could bring joy and comfort, and that it could be enjoyed by many people. Textiles are a bit like food—that began an important part of survival but every culture has turned them into very different and incredible art forms. If I'm ever stuck there is such a vast history to explore and be inspired by. 

I love that something I created that can bring comfort and happiness to someone. This is what drives me every day. The world is crazy, and we need to have happy moments of enjoying the beauty around us.

It’s a huge honor to see people enjoying and living in something from my collection. The home is such an intimate and personal space, and it's rewarding to know that I have contributed in some small way to making it feel special and uniquely themselves.

The home industry can be quite slow because some projects are so massive. With wallpaper, a typical timeline from when I get a swatch into the hands of a client to it being hung and fully furnished, is typically it is anywhere between 3 months to 1.5 years. Murals are actually quite a bit faster because it is normally just me and one other person. Most of my murals take about a 1-2 weeks of design and presentation, and then another 1-2 weeks to paint. 

-To be authentically you. To me authenticity means being brave. It means listening to yourself, to your craziest dreams, and pushing yourself to pursue them.

-To have a mentor. Through the support of mentorship, I have become a better leader, and been able to build the business with my greater goal in mind rather than getting stuck sweating the small stuff. 

-To keep going. There will be lots of reasons to stop. But don't.

Q: What are the challenges of doing what you do? How do you understand what a client wants? Can you speak about some of the challenges involved in creating a home or a facility’s look? 

Often times a client comes to me and they don't know what they want. Those always end up being really fun jobs because I spend a lot of time getting a sense of their style and what they love (or dont love) about their house. The functionality of the space is also really important. While I do have a specific style and hand, I always want to make sure it fits contextually within a space. 

Q: Tell me about some of your favorite designs? Why are these so memorable? What was difficult about creating some of them? 

Honestly, my favorite design is always the last one I did.

Q: What goals do you have for the next three years? 

I am really excited about some upcoming collaborations I am working on. I also have been making custom rugs for private clients, and would love to launch a full collection in the next few years. 

Q: How would you describe yourself to a stranger? 

I think two of my best traits would be empathy and silliness. There is resilience and power in caring about what you do and the people around you. And of course, always having a laugh. Gotta laugh at the absurdity of it all. 

I have always been a big animal person and in particular dogs. I recently said goodbye to my 17 year dog, Lucy, who had been my best-friend, partner in crime, confidant, studio-mate, and travel buddy since I rescued her as a puppy. Anyone who ever came to my studio was welcomed by Lu. While I am still adjusting to a huge void in my life without her, I thought it would be really nice to help some other dogs by becoming a foster with an amazing group called A Purposeful Rescue here in L.A.. Right now we have the sweetest little foster pup named Tally, who wakes up each morning like it's the best day of her life. If anyone is interested in adopting a cudley, little brindle babe please check her out at @apurposefulrescue.