Robin Wilson (eco-designer)

Robin Wilson

Portrait photo of Robin Wilson.

Robin Wilson
Born September 26, 1969
Austin, Texas, United States
Residence New York, NY
Nationality USA
Education BA, University of Texas at Austin
MS, New York University
Occupation Interior Designer with retail items sold at Bed Bath & Beyond
Known for Wellness and Clean Design
Title CEO, Robin Wilson Home
Spouse(s) divorced (married 2011-2014)
Children daughter
Website
Robin Wilson Home

Robin Wilson (born September 26, 1969) is founder and CEO of the lifestyle brand Robin Wilson Home, with bedding products sold at Bed Bath & Beyond,[1] among other retailers. She is an interior designer and expert on healthy homes with a focus on creating a wellness lifestyle for her clients. She is author of 'Clean Design: Wellness for Your Lifestyle'[2] (Greenleaf, 2015). Her first book was 'Kennedy Green House: Designing an Eco-Friendly Home from the Foundation to the Furniture'[2] (Greenleaf, 2010), with the foreword written by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. She is an ambassador to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America and has partnered with Panasonic as a spokesperson in 2014,[3] for the Home Products division. She is on the Board of the Sustainable Furnishings Council.

In April 2015, she appeared on a national TV segment for NBC Open House and her media exposure is extensive in print and television for multiple outlets.

Early life and career

Wilson was born in Austin, Texas, and attended public schools in Austin. After graduating from S. F. Austin High School, she entered the University of Texas at Austin in 1987 and obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree. While in college, she worked at the Lower Colorado River Authority and became immersed in environmental issues from energy efficiency to water conservation. She joined Mercer Management Consulting in Boston. In 1997, she moved to New York while working for Heidrick & Struggles, a company that went public in 1999 which gave her a windfall to matriculate with a Master's degree at New York University, where she studied Real Estate Finance. Combining her love for real estate and her recurring health problems – she is a lifelong sufferer of asthma & allergies – she believes there is a tie to indoor air quality and asthma & allergies. She founded her firm in 2000 and rebranded it to the eponymous Robin Wilson Home in 2006. She became an early advocate for clean construction methods and insisted that work teams use low-VOC paints in both residential and commercial spaces so that she and her clients would not start wheezing and sneezing.[4]

Career achievements

Wilson has done work for President Clinton's Harlem office, the Good Housekeeping Showhouse,[5] the private residence of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., White House Fellows organization, and in 2014, she completed the EcoBungalow-LA [6] project to rebuild a home for a family who lost everything in a fire. Her firm was a recipient of the 2008 Make Mine a Million $ Business Award,[7] awarded by Count Me In, sponsored by American Express OPEN.

Wilson is the first woman to license her name to eco-friendly kitchen cabinetry through Holiday Kitchens,[8] that is made in the USA in Rice Lake, Wisconsin, and sold at over 400 independent dealers nationwide. These cabinets are made from sustainable forests, non-formaldehyde adhesives and waste wood is recycled. She has authored many articles, appeared on television, is a speaker on eco-friendly design,[9] and is considered an expert [10] on healthy homes/indoor air quality. In June 2011, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America announced that she would serve as an ambassador.[11]

Her branded line of linens are sold at Bed Bath & Beyond since Spring 2012.[12] Her furniture line, Nest Home by Robin Wilson, premiered at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) in May 2013 in New York City.[13]

Wilson is a blogger on the Huffington Post,[14] where she writes about eco-healthy issues.

Robin Wilson has been recognized by the Library of Congress/History Makers project and her oral history has been catalogued.[15]

Honors and awards

References

  1. ↑ "Robin Wilson Home". Retrieved 2014-11-14.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Clean Design: Wellness for Your Lifestyle". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2015-02-13.
  3. ↑ "Panasonic announces new partnership with celebrity interior designer Robin Wilson" (Press release). The Wall Street Journal. 6 June 2014. Retrieved 2014-11-14.
  4. ↑ Semple, Erin (April 2009). "How Suffering from Allergies Inspired a Successful Eco-Friendly Business" (PDF). Reader's Digest. Rd.com. Retrieved 2014-11-14.
  5. ↑ Allen, Jennifer (August 2008). "Tour 'Good Housekeepings Newest Green House". Good Housekeeping. Retrieved 2014-11-14.
  6. ↑ Preiser, Amy (2014-02-01). "Rebuilding after a Fire - EcoBungalow". ElleDecor. Retrieved 2014-10-28.
  7. ↑ "Robin Wilson talks about her Make Mine a Million $ Business award". ny1.com. 11 February 2009. Retrieved 2014-11-14.
  8. ↑ "Newsroom: Holiday Kitchens Announces the Launch of New Website". Holiday Kitchens. 12 July 2013. Retrieved 2014-11-14.
  9. ↑ "green - environmentally - eco-friendly friendly products and services". go green expo. 2010-03-19. Retrieved 2010-08-22.
  10. ↑ "Interior Designer Robin Wilson gives asthma friendly tips for the home". Allergy Standards Limited. 30 October 2009. Retrieved 2014-11-14.
  11. ↑ "Design Expert Robin Wilson Named an AAFA "Ambassador"" (Press release). Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. 17 June 2011. Retrieved 2014-11-14.
  12. ↑ Rogers, Kate (8 February 2013). "How I got my product in Bed Bath Beyond". Fox Business Network. Retrieved 2014-11-14.
  13. ↑ "Healthy Space Design with Robin Wilson". Conscious Connection. 24 May 2013. Retrieved 2014-11-14.
  14. ↑ "Robin Wilson". Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2014-11-14.
  15. ↑ "BusinessMakers: Robin Wilson". The HistoryMakers. 26 April 2010. Retrieved 2014-11-14.
  16. ↑ "Library of Congress Acquires Largest African American Oral History Video Collection" (Press release). The Black Collegian. 9 July 2014. Retrieved 2014-11-14.
  17. ↑ "Congratulations to Hall of Honor recipients". S.F. Austin High School. 3 May 2013. Retrieved 2014-11-14.
  18. ↑ "2012 Top 20 African American Designers". Pink Eggshell. 8 February 2014. Retrieved 2014-11-14.
  19. ↑ "EcoHeroes of Sustainable Design Robin Wilson". Eco Stiletto. Retrieved 2011-03-23.
  20. ↑ "125 Extraordinary Exes". Texas Exes. Retrieved 2010-08-22.
  21. ↑ "Announcing the Results of the 2010 Independent Publisher Book Awards". Independent Publisher. 20 May 2010. Retrieved 2014-11-14.
  22. ↑ "Holiday Kitchens Licenses Robin Wilson Home for Custom Eco-Friendly Cabinetry" (PDF) (Press release). Holiday Kitchens. 30 January 2009. Retrieved 2014-11-14.
  23. ↑ Talbert, Marcia Wade (5 April 2010). "Robin Wilson Touts Benefits of Eco-Healthy Lifestyle". Black Enterprise. Retrieved 2014-11-14. Wilson, the 2008 Black Enterprise Innovator of the Year, is also excited about two new endeavors...
  24. ↑ "Video Player | Nightly Business Report". PBS. Retrieved 2010-08-22.
  25. ↑ "Meet Women Who Started Over". O, The Oprah Magazine. 1 January 2006. Retrieved 2014-11-14.
  26. ↑ Stadtmiller, Mandy (13 May 2007). "New York's 50 Most Powerful Women". New York Post. NYPOST.com. Retrieved 2014-11-14.

External links