Friday, December 2, 2011

Alliday Artist: Meet Red Clay!

Tell us a little about yourself and your business.
Red Clay produces home decor pieces that are designed through quarterly online design competitions and manufactured with sustainable materials here in the United States. Most believe that if you want responsible home decor, you either have to sacrifice your pocketbook or good design, or both. Not good enough, we say. Our ambition is to bring vibrant, not beige, responsible design to the masses. We want our designs to be the splash of color in the room.

Our unique design development process, which sources product designs on a quarterly basis from the online community of artists, interior and graphic designers, then lets consumers be the judge to vote on what they want to see produced and ultimately sold. By putting the power of design back in the hands of the people most passionate about design, Red Clay makes the choice to conscientiously promote products that are distinguishable, affordable and unapologetically gorgeous.
What do you create and what do YOU love about your products?
Red Clay was launched in April 2010 with our first design competition which focused on organic cotton as the muse. The premier design competition garnered nearly 100 designs and registered over 2,500 votes on the submitted designs. Our vibrant summer textile line, consisting of table linens and pillows was produced in New York, NY and Tulsa, OK with organic cotton grown from Texas. The line was launched via our website in June 2010.


The second design competition, our Clay Collection, afforded us the opportunity to work with Mudshark Studios of Portland, OR.  This competition received nearly 150 designs and over 5,000 votes. The winning designs were transformed into four beautiful and innovative ceramic bowls, plates, and vases in three vibrant colors. This timeless line was made available for purchase online in October 2010.

Our most recent competition: “Art Prints” is currently underway. For this decorative challenge we have partnered with Solstice Press of Oakland, CA to produce archival quality, but affordable pieces for the wall. We anticipate having approximately six different prints in two sizes to round out this line, which will be available for the holiday season via our website and other online retail outlets. Sustainably harvested wood frames from DA Frames in Denver, CO. will also be available to complement the prints.

Where do you find inspiration?
Our inspiration comes completely from the artists and artesian manufacturers that we work with on a daily basis.  We are so lucky to be surrounded by such talent and passion!

The Alliday Show believes that everyday should be celebrated as a holiday! That being said, which holiday do you wish were everyday and why?
Do “snow days” count as a holiday?  If not, it would have to be Christmas…cliché, perhaps, we adore sitting around a fire with those we love, a glass of wine in hand, and catching up on the past year’s amazing-ness! 

If you could create your own holiday, what would it be and why?
See above…”Snow Day.”  We would happily shut down all offices/schools anytime there is fresh snow to play in!  We’re partial to playing in it (either skiing or simply romping around the yard!) or admiring it from a warm seat in front of a fire!

What is your favorite holiday tradition?
We love picking out our Christmas tree!  It’s a tradition that has followed me since childhood.  We get all bundled up and hike through acres and acres (for what seems like hours) till we find the absolutely perfect tree (and perfect to us is typically the least “perfect” looking tree)!  It’s a daylong event that helps round out our holiday season and home!

How would you describe your work in three words?
Sustainable and Bold!


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