Business Feature – Greenbird Design

Meet our newest business feature, Carrie Wilson. She is the owner and licensed interior designer at Greenbird Design. Carrie is well known in the Northwest Arkansas area and has delivered nothing but professionalism over the last 15+ years. Greenbird Design provides professional interior design services from conceptual layouts to managing all phases of construction. They work alongside the client every step of the way. 

Wilson attended Kansas State University from 1997-1999 and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Interior Design. Prior to Kansas State, she attended JCCC and graduated in 1997. As a child, she clearly remembers being creative with anything she could find. “My dad told me I had shoe boxes full of paper and would sit for hours cutting paper to make objects and create patterns,” Carrie stated. This is one of those cases that she knew from the start what her career path would be. Wilson said “I always remember rearranging furniture and helping people with color palates at a young age. I could see what a potential space could look like when I walked into a room.”  

Prior to Greenbird Design, Carrie spent over 14 years honing her design skills in a well-established architectural firm. The firm taught her how real world architecture and construction is designed and executed. “Without the previous experience and amazing mentors at that firm, I would have struggled with execution of functional design,” Wilson stated. Today, her portfolio boasts more than 150 completed projects. When asked what her favorite piece/project she was most proud of in her portfolio she said Hershey Company of Bentonville, Arkansas. “They were a dream client,” Carrie said. Executive Flooring Solutions was honored to collaborate with her on the Hershey building.

Carrie’s brain-child, Greenbird Design, was created to take the sterility out of business environments and create comfortable, fun, functional spaces that foster happy patrons and productive employees. Wilson began to specialize in commercial design when she realized residential interior design was not her strong suit. “I found my passion and went for it,” Carrie stated. 

Many decisions and hours are put into each project. When working with a new client, functionality is her go to. Appeal is always a plus, but Carrie says function always. “You can have the most beautiful space and if it doesn’t work, your client will never be happy. You can make anything appealing but you can’t always make something function for the end user,” Wilson said. 

In today’s industry, things change daily. This can be hard at times to try and keep up with the ins and outs of any design. Her reply to keeping up with all the changes was “research, research, research!” A vast majority of her time is spent researching new materials and products so she can better serve her clients and their needs. “If you’re not knowledgeable on what a material can do and how it functions, you’re doing your client and the project an injustice,” Carrie said. 

Inspiration is also key when working in the interior design field. It can come from anywhere at any time. Carrie tries to stay away from social media formats for ideas. “I feel social media can cloud your vision which prohibits exploration outside of that boundary,” she stated. Inspiration can strike differently for each client. One of her most recent projects was at the Farmington Public Library. The children’s reading area has a wall with circular cut outs that host seating areas for children and rings of color around each circle. Carrie said “The idea came from lightning bugs on a summer evening. The glow from the lighting bugs created the colored circle rings and the overall look of the lightning bugs created the floating orbs on the wall.”  The smallest of inspirations can lead to thinking outside the box. 

Carrie is an avid volunteer, donating her time and skills alongside other local interior designers. This led her to help with the Magdalene Serenity House, a home for women who are survivors of sexual exploitation and addiction. She is past chair of the Northwest Arkansas Design Community of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID). Outside of work, Wilson enjoys teaching yoga and spending as much time with her daughter and husband as she can. She enjoys the outdoors, including hiking, kayaking and camping.

For more information, or to start your future project with a worthy and reliable designer, make sure to contact Carrie Wilson at Greenbird Design!

www.greenbird.design