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Robin Wilson (eco-designer)

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Robin Wilson
Portrait photo of Robin Wilson.
Robin Wilson
Born (1969-09-26) September 26, 1969 (age 55)
Austin, Texas, United States
NationalityUSA
EducationBA, University of Texas at Austin
MS, New York University
Occupation(s)Designer, Lifestyle Brand, Author, Interior Designer
EmployerRobin Wilson Home
Known forEntrepreneur, Author, Clean Design
TitleChairman, CEO
Spousedivorced
Childrendaughter
WebsiteRobin Wilson Home

Robin Wilson (born September 26, 1969) is an American entrepreneur, author, interior designer and thought leader on Clean Design as a wellness and sustainability advocate. She is the founder of her eponymous lifestyle brand, Robin Wilson Home, based in New York City. As the creative director of the licensing division, she has partnered with retailers and generated over $85 million in branded wholesale revenue from textiles, furniture and cabinetry since 2010.

Wilson’s design work emphasizes the Clean Design protocol discussed in her recent book, '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' [3] (Greenleaf, 2010), with the foreword written by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

She has built a brand that guides consumers 'from the foundation to the furniture' and has allowed her to partner with leading brands to reach consumers by integrating eco-friendly design, hypoallergenic products and sustainability. Clients in design and spokesperson projects have included Panasonic USA, the White House Fellows office, and the Lake Nona Laureate Park development. In addition, she has worked on showhouses, and for both residential, developer and commercial clients. She is an unpaid ambassador to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America and she has served on the Board of the Sustainable Furnishings Council.

Early life and career

Robin Wilson's parents were middle class workers. Her father drove for Kerrville Bus Company (acquired by Coach USA) on long-distance routes. Her mother worked for state government in multiple agencies. Her family focused on education. Robin was diagnosed as pan-allergic at a young age, and was sickly. Her parents found a holistic pediatrician who focused on 'raising strong children, not children on strong medicine' and he guided her parents to organic food cooperatives in Austin (Wheatsville, Whole Foods) and was an advocate of exercise, healty diet and indoor air quality management. As her health improved, she took notes and ultimately developed her ethos based on these practices.

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 City 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, with a degree in Real Estate Finance.

She was deeply affected by the death of her only sibling, her brother, a US Army soldier who died in 1993 in a fatal motorcycle accident and decided to create a bucket list, which she completed by age 42.

Career achievements

She founded her firm in 2000 and rebranded it to the eponymous Robin Wilson Home in 2006. As an early advocate for clean construction method, she insists that work teams use low-VOC paints in both residential and commercial spaces to limit the wheezes and sneezes.[4]

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.

Wilson is the first woman to license her name to eco-friendly kitchen cabinetry through Holiday Kitchens,[7] 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 is considered an expert [8] on healthy homes/indoor air quality. In June 2011, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America announced that she would serve as an ambassador.[9]

Her furniture line, Nest Home by Robin Wilson, premiered at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) in May 2013 in New York City.[10]

Wilson is a blogger on the Huffington Post,[11] 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.[12]

Honors and awards

  • 2017: Keynote Address at High Point Market by Robin Wilson for American Society of Interior Designers [13]
  • 2015: Clean Design by Robin Wilson hits #1 on Amazon for Books-Decorating, Kindle-Decorating and Kindle-Cleaning, Caretaking & Relocating [14]
  • 2015: Fearless Black and Female: 10 African American Women who are Entrepreneurial Powerhouses [15]
  • 2014: Library of Congress acquires Oral History of Robin Wilson as part of HistoryMakers project [16]
  • 2013: Honored as Distinguished Alumna of S.F. Austin High School [17]
  • 2012: Top 20 African American Designers [18]
  • 2011: Keynote address, Conservation International "Eco-Home" luncheon; Washington, DC
  • 2010: Listed as one of the University of Texas "125 Extraordinary Texas Exes"[19]
  • 2010: Kennedy Green House book wins 2010 IPPY Award bronze in Home & Garden [20]
  • 2009: First woman to license name to eco-friendly custom cabinetry by Holiday Kitchens[21]
  • 2008: Robin Wilson named 2008 Black Enterprise Innovator of the Year [22]
  • 2008: Profiled on PBS Nightly Business Report "American Dreamers" profile
  • 2007: Profiled in O magazine "Women Who Started Over"/Career Changers [23]
  • 2007: New York Post "#46 on "50 Most Powerful Women" list[24]

References

  1. ^ "Net Worth: Robin Wilson". the-net-worth.com. Retrieved 2017-08-11.
  2. ^ "Clean Design: Wellness for Your Lifestyle". Greenleaf.com. Retrieved 2016-01-20.
  3. ^ "Kennedy Green House: Designing an Eco-Healthy Home from the Foundation to the Furniture". Greenleaf.com. 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. ^ "Newsroom: Holiday Kitchens Announces the Launch of New Website". Holiday Kitchens. 12 July 2013. Retrieved 2014-11-14.
  8. ^ "Interior Designer Robin Wilson gives asthma friendly tips for the home". Allergy Standards Limited. 30 October 2009. Retrieved 2014-11-14.
  9. ^ "Design Expert Robin Wilson Named an AAFA "Ambassador"" (Press release). Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. 17 June 2011. Retrieved 2014-11-14.
  10. ^ "Healthy Space Design with Robin Wilson". Conscious Connection. 24 May 2013. Retrieved 2014-11-14.
  11. ^ "Robin Wilson". Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2014-11-14.
  12. ^ "BusinessMakers: Robin Wilson". The HistoryMakers. 26 April 2010. Retrieved 2014-11-14.
  13. ^ "High Point Keynote Address Series: Robin Wilson". ASID.
  14. ^ "Clean Design Book by Robin Wilson hits #1 on Amazon three categories". Amazon rankings.
  15. ^ "Fearless Black and Female: 10 African American Women who are Entrepreneurial Powerhouses". Atlanta BlackStar. 17 July 2015. Retrieved 2015-08-01.
  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. ^ "125 Extraordinary Exes". Texas Exes. Archived from the original on May 2, 2010. Retrieved 2016-02-22. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  20. ^ "Announcing the Results of the 2010 Independent Publisher Book Awards". Independent Publisher. 20 May 2010. Retrieved 2014-11-14.
  21. ^ "Holiday Kitchens Licenses Robin Wilson Home for Custom Eco-Friendly Cabinetry" (PDF) (Press release). Holiday Kitchens. 30 January 2009. Retrieved 2014-11-14.
  22. ^ 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...
  23. ^ "Meet Women Who Started Over". O, The Oprah Magazine. 1 January 2006. Retrieved 2014-11-14.
  24. ^ Stadtmiller, Mandy (13 May 2007). "New York's 50 Most Powerful Women". New York Post. NYPOST.com. Retrieved 2014-11-14.

Edits made to Clean Design book reference.

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