PHOTO FURNITURE FABULOUS .
by Lisa Feren
pull up to meet Kara Greenwell , founder of Narrative Décor at her new artist ’ s studio at Glashaus located in Barrio Logan . I am suddenly overwhelmed with an explosion of ideas of which to write about and I am struggling with which to write about first !
Do I talk about Barrio Logan ? Of course ! The neighborhood , which is home to Chicano Park , which was recently named a National Historic Landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places — has the largest collection of Chicano murals in the world ! These historic murals line the pillars of the San Diego-Coronado Bay Bridge . It is breathtaking to walk around what has become known as an open-air museum ! The California Arts Council has also selected this eclectic and diverse , yet inclusive , community as one of California ’ s premier state-designated cultural districts ! ( link to press release )
So it is no wonder that Glashaus , a renovated glass factory and warehouse space that now houses studio space for rent to a plethora of artists from goldsmiths , to glass blowers to painters to jewelers reside there .
“ Photos should be seen not stored ”
Kara oozes with artistry , originality , ingenuity and all those other buzzwords that make you realize you are in the presence of a true creative .
How did Kara get the idea for Narrative – a photo inspired décor and custom furnishings company ? “ Because every home should tell a story . Your house should be a reflection of you : what you love , where you ’ ve been and who you long to be . By blending photographs and furnishings , you have another way to express yourself creatively in your space and personalize something that could otherwise be a throw away accessory .”
Kara always wanted to start a company in the home décor space . Kara and her husband are addicted to refurbishing historic homes – having renovated 3 houses over 100 years old . Their current home in Hillcrest was built in the 1890 ’ s and was used as a carriage house ! The actual idea for Narrative came to fruition while Kara was on the phone with her sister who is a photographer . Kara wanted to redo dining room chairs that were given to her by her grandmother . She commented to her sister that it would be amazing if she could put photographs on the chairs . Photographs on the chairs !!!! BOOM ! Then came research on how to print photos on fabric ( in a high quality way ). Then came lots of experimenting . On Chairs . Pillows . Lamps . The dog . Just kidding about the dog …
Lamps when lit up – literally light her up !
Currently , Narrative offers , and will continue to offer , custom designed products such as lampshades , chairs and pillows - but stay tuned you may see her exclusive designs in your favorite home décor shop soon as she has plans to branch out into retail . Kara is also partnering with a fellow Glashaus glassblower to create unique bases for her lampshades .
In Fall 2017 , Kara is launching the first Narrative lighting collections . One collection is iconic California landscapes and the other was created in collaboration with youth photographers – through a local non-profit , Outside the Lens where a portion of the proceeds go back to support their efforts .
“ For people who crave personality to light up a room .”
Kara is full of slogans – mostly due to her marketing background . Kara has a long list of corporate accomplishments from Marketing Director of a software company here in San Diego to running a successful marketing consulting firm serving companies in the real estate , technology and consumer products niches .
Marketing consulting gave Kara flexibility on how she spent her time after the birth of her first daughter . It also taught her valuable skills on entrepreneurship , finance , billing , tracking and accountability and time management to name a few .
Not only is Kara creative , smart and adorable , she has a natural calm about her – even in the midst of her crazy , busy life . With two little girls , a husband , a dog and a thriving business , I asked Kara to give us tips and advice on how she balances it all !
Time Management : “ Managing time is a constant struggle . It ’ s been important to reflect on what ’ s most important to me . Family still comes first , which is always difficult . I learned to allocate my time differently - cranking out work when it ’ s working hours . I found it most helpful to get out of the house and into a workspace ( hence Glashaus ). Finding a collaborative space rather than a coffee shop has helped me brainstorm and interact with peers . For my business in particular , visually spreading out my designs and materials is important . A studio also ensures little hands stay away from finished products ! For people who can ’ t get out of the house it is important to find ways to still interact with creative fields . Join women ’ s peer networks who meet regularly or find some other meet up group . Just keep outside influences so you don ’ t feel like you ’ re alone and lose focus .”
Best tech tool tip : Use online time management tools ! I love Wunderlist and learned how to really use it to maximize its capabilities . I triage my to do list . I list no more than 3 things that must happen that day and put no more than 3 on deck . It ’ s important to only list goals that are achievable . Otherwise , you feel like you haven ’ t accomplished muchbut you have !”
I also use “ Later ” for social media scheduling . Instagram is my primary social vehicle . I use Later to post out 1 week at a time .
Outsource what you can . “ I feel like I can do a little bit of everything but can ’ t do it all at once . For instance I have someone helping me with social media posts . I have a seamstress for pillow construction . I also outsource with photographers .. Hint .. Hint … An opportunity for any photographers reading …”
I returned home and caught sight of my couch pillows and my lampshades . No stories there . Then I thought back to my last several family vacations and the photos which live on my computer that I haven ’ t looked at in months ( or years ). And it hit me that Kara is right . My home doesn ’ t tell a story . My family ’ s story . That needs to change . One photo and lampshade at a time .
Glashaus theglashaus . com