WILL MERRILL DESIGNS
ABOUT
Born and bred in Shawnee, Oklahoma, my passion for Interior Design and love of furniture advanced with a part-time job at Mr. Robert Furniture in Norman, while at the University of Oklahoma obtaining a B.A. Degree in Interior Design, with minors in Marketing and Art History.
My eyes were opened to a wonderful world of design while stationed in England for three years as an Officer in the Air Force. I was able to extensively travel Europe and work for a season for an Archaeological Expedition along the Nile River in Wadi Halfa, Sudan.
After returning to the States, I began my professional career in the Rug and Carpeting Department at Lord & Taylor in NYC. I soon moved to the Furniture Department, where I had the honor of working as an assistant under Frank Sheridan, the legendary creator and Buyer of the Now and Then Shop of antique and imported reproduction furniture. Later I became the Buyer of Upholstered Furniture, Modern Furniture, Bedding, and Decorative Fabrics.
Thinking that I would never leave NYC, much to my surprise, an offer that I could not refuse came my way, and I moved to Hickory N.C. to become the Director of Design for Hickory Chair Company. I was responsible for product design, collection development, and presentation, along with advertising and public relations.
At that time, Hickory Chair was primarily known as a manufacturer of mahogany dining chairs and for The James River Collection of Historical Reproductions. I had the pleasure of working with the owners of the Plantation Houses along Virginia's James River. Our reproductions and adaptations from these houses, which have been called America's Stately Homes, helped Hickory Chair add refinement and authenticity to its line of quality furniture.
During my twenty-five years at Hickory Chair, we adapted to changing design trends by incorporating new collections, including the American Digest Collection of reproductions from America's Southwest, and The French Collection, among others.
I played an important part in selecting and bringing Mark Hampton to Hickory Chair, who created his signature Mark Hampton Collection of antique reproductions. With the success of this traditional Designer Collection, I was instrumental in selecting Thomas O'Brien for our next Designer Collection. This brought modern designs to a company that had advertised that it had "America's Finest Collections of Traditional Furniture", and was the beginning of a totally new direction for Hickory Chair Co.
Since my "retirement" in 2000, I have kept active in the design and home furnishings industries by holding a variety of positions. For three years, I was a Contributing Editor for Classic American Homes. Upon its closing, I became a Contributing Editor for Traditional Home. Later, I became the Design Director for F. Schumacher's Furnishings Division, where I helped develop Furniture and Lamp Collections. In 2008, I was asked by Currey and Company to design a furniture collection to help launch them into the furniture business from being primarily a lighting manufacturer. The result was a collection of 1930's and 40's inspired items.
Living "the good life" in the North Carolina's mountains, I have worked on the interior design of several large mountain homes, helped on the interior design of a major new Golf Club and it’s guest cottages, and decorated a top quality restaurant.
I currently design collections for Currey and Co, and continue to keep current of furniture and design trends with regular attendance at the High Point Furniture Markets, visiting New York City, and also making periodic visits to the Maison & Objet shows in Paris.
