For Willa Ford, the transition from one-time pop star to interior designer isn't as radical a departure as one might think. "I was always an artsy kid. I was inspired by music, I was inspired by art. I was inspired by visual then audio things. So I think design was a natural thing for me," she says when we meet up at Wertz Brothers Furniture on Santa Monica Blvd., one of the spots she selected as her favorite locations for shopping in L.A.
For Ford, who is enjoying a second stint in the limelight for her role as the design guru on E!'s Flip It Like Disick (which airs its season finale this Sunday, September 29 at 10 PM EST?PST on E!), she has been fulfilling her passion for interior design long before on TV. She started her own firm WFord Interiors. As she explains design came naturally for her after music.
"I grew up on a farm, so I didn't grow up with a lot of nice things. So it wasn't until I got into the music industry and I started traveling and staying in hotels and seeing beautiful things that it started to really educate me. 'Oh, there's this other side to life, right?' Because whether you have money or not, I was on a farm and I really didn't see all that. So I started to really get inspired, the older I got, the more I traveled and all that. So that really sparked design and just the interest."
I spoke with Ford about her design rules, her favorite spots to shop, the art of vintage shopping and being environmentally conscious while designing.
Wertz Brothers, 11879 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025
I only have been coming here for about a year now actually. One of the girls that worked for me told me about the place and then I just started following it, learning about their family history. This place has been here for a very long time in their family. It's family-owned and operated since 1929 or so. They have some of the coolest stuff and the thing I love about this place is a lot of places in Los Angeles, the prices are hiked up now. Even when you go thrifting and stuff, prices have really jumped because it's cool chic thing to do. But one of the things I think is really cool about him is, he's pretty good at pricing the things at a fair price. We still can find the deals here and again, because let's just say you're buying a sofa, you may not want that color. You've got to recover them, so you still need the money for recovering the sofa. I was here last month. And the other thing that he does a lot of is, he's posting as new things come in on Instagram. So you can see it. I'll DM him, snatch it up, that kind of stuff too. It just depends on the client. I've only had one client ever tell me she didn't like having vintage stuff in her house.
Steve Baltin: What's your favorite piece that you've gotten here so far?
Willa Ford: An old Dior suitcase, actually I've never used it, but I have it at my house. I was like, "Oh, that'd be so cute to travel." And then I'm like, "Well we don't want them to beat it up." So I don't take it anywhere. But that was actually a personal piece, that wasn't something that I bought for a client here. Actually, some of my favorite stuff I haven't been able to purchase yet for a client. Because some off this stuff's so large that we can't [use them].
Baltin: What are those popular things clients do want vintage?
Ford: Whatever I give to them. No, things like Vladimir Kagan sofa or a Milo Baughman sofa's or chairs. One of the easiest vintage pieces I think to purchase is actually a set of chairs. Just depending on what your vibe is. As you can tell, they have every genre of chair here. So the trick is always finding enough for the set, for what you need. Your best bargain is usually a set of chairs, maybe just a table. And then again I mix and match that. I never buy a table with its chairs. Sometimes it's a set, like for instance this thing right here, that's a full set. That I could handle together. But for me, usually I break the things apart. I don't like to make it look like it goes together. When people go out and they buy a room, like, "Oh I'll take that dining se," that feels like there's no thought process behind that. But that's how people design their homes a lot if they don't have a designer, which is okay. It's kind of like going into a store and seeing an outfit on a mannequin and be like, "I'll take the whole thing." Not many people do that.
BTS Thrift Store
10409 Washington Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232
Jewish Council Thrift
12120 Venice Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90066
BTS is a thrift store. But what I would say about it is, their prices are as high as these prices. So they are slightly on the expensive side of a thrift store So you could walk in there and spend $3,000 on something. Even though it's a thrift store. But I go and then the Jewish Council Thrift is great. That one's actually a lower priced one. Now, again, like I said, everybody has upped their prices because it's the thing to do now, but I can still go and get a coffee table for $35 there.
Cisco Home
1443 Lincoln Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90401
Also, family owned and operated, but they use local artisans. Everything in their store is green and local. So the way they make their sofas, completely green. So I have some clients that have children and they're really particular about the VOC'sor anything that's in their home. So all their paints, everything they use is green. But also PBS or something did a huge special and they were one of the people on the special talking about how we're losing the art of the family generation doing stuff. They have this hand-blown glass company that has been passed down generation to generation and it's a dying art that came out of Mexico City. But they still have vendors that were taught by their fathers and grandfathers and such a cool place. As the designer I push for [environmentally friendly], for sure. I think clients, a lot of times, don't know where something comes from with designers. But I like to educate them as I'm purchasing and buying. My number one thing is, if I can find something that's vintage, I would rather do that because it's sustainable and it's saving the planet because the emissions, of this one dresser being made and created and shipped here are huge. So I'm trying to source locally and I'm trying to source old. And so I feel like it's my company's job to educate people on that. And in the U.S. census, resale is up, it's one of the fastest growing things, which is insane. But millennials are starting to get it, right? They're starting to understand that second hand doesn't mean I don't have money. It means I'm being educated on what I'm buying. So we're seeing a turn,
Baltin: That's interesting though. Does it become more important to you than to spread that message?
Ford: I did it with Scott. Scott has vintage and thrifted goods in his house currently. And when I brought them to him, he did not know the difference between what was the expensive stuff and what was the cheap stuff. And I'm proud to say when he was picking through the things, he picked a combination of things that he liked from both. He didn't know the difference between the $3 vase and the $250 vase up front. So I think it is my job as there's visibility and eyes on me to sort of educate the generation and just educate everybody that this is something that you should be seeking. And it's fun. Like you saw, you're looking around at these fun pieces, it's a treasure hunt. And certain things speak to you. And certain things speak to me. I have a girlfriend that I do all of it with, she's a stylist in fashion and I'm home. And we just started pounding the pavement and hitting every thrift store in Los Angeles and having such a good time doing it. So I think, yeah it's my job at this point to educate people.
Baltin: From an aesthetic standpoint, one person that you would love to design for? Someone who you've never worked with that you just love their aesthetic style so much.
Ford: I said Bette Midler in one because I would be like iconic. Dolly because I'd be interested to see what Dolly would be willing to do in her house. Dolly Parton? Mine are all old school people that I would just want to meet to be honest with you. I've been in the room with Madonna and she would be my only freak out in the whole world, is Dolly Parton. Let me think. I would love to do Blake [Lively] and Ryan [Reynolds'] place. Because she's got such a chic style and they have such a good humor that I think that combination would be fun to do their house. Yeah, I bet that would be a really great client.
