This week’s DMTV Milkshake guest is Aimee Wilder, founder and creative director of her eponymous line of home decor and accessories.
Native New Yorker Aimee Wilder founded her brand in 2009, after reworking her fine art illustrations as wallcoverings that took the design world by storm, ultimately landing her staff positions with big-league names like Martha Stewart, Dwell Studio and the Gap. She now makes editorial-ready wallpaper, tile, rugs, cushions and more, many of which share her trademarked sense of playful exuberance – emblemized by print-centric wallpapers like the monstera-leaf Deliciosa Bungalow and the giant gold automatons of Big Robots.
In this edition of DMTV Milkshake, we talked to Wilder about Martha Stewart’s color library, Wilder’s ideal wallpaper and her favorite era of wallcoverings: “I like all of the eras – I love the ’60s and ’70s, but the one that resonates with me the most is the 1920s,” she tells us. “In the ’20s, you can see a huge change from what was going on before, with the use of deco motifs and metallics. It lends itself to what we do with metallics, and also clean motifs. The shapes help me think of the applications and shapes that we have now.”
Wilder also shares her thoughts on where her brand will head next. “I’m definitely into fashion – I think it’s really fun,” Wilder says. “With the brand, I think the best thing for us to do is to focus on home decor – it was my first love and it’s what the brand was supposed to be, so we want to expand as much as possible into home decor before we move into fashion. It could be a licensing project that helps us get into fashion.” For now, though, she’s focused on the release of the Apogee collection of floor coverings: “The idea of offering products to outfit the entire home, rather than just the walls, is super exciting to me.”
Diana Ostrom, who has written for Wallpaper, Interior Design, ID, The Wall Street Journal, and other outlets, is also the author of Faraway Places, a newsletter about travel.
Milkshake, DMTV (Design Milk TV)’s first regular series, shakes up the traditional interview format by asking designers, creatives, educators and industry professionals to select interview questions at random from their favorite bowl or vessel. During their candid discussions, you’ll not only gain a peek into their personal homeware collections, but also valuable insights into their work, life and passions.
