Long-time associate member, Lisa Bauer, Chief Financial Officer, of Bradbury & Bradbury Art Wallpapers shares their story about their background in the wallcovering business and how the Wallcovering Installers Association has helped her organization. Associate membership is available as one of the Wallcovering Installers Association packages full of member benefits for suppliers and manufacturers such as the search feature for installers by zip code; for example. Bradbury & Bradbury Art Wallpapers specializes in 19th and 20th-Century vintage wallpapers and acts as the go-to resource for reproducing historic patterns and prints. The vintage wallpaper supplier has been designing and manufacturing wallpaper since 1979.
The Beginning
At the forefront of Bradbury & Bradbury Wallpapers is tastemaker and trendsetter Bruce Bradbury, who knew he needed to fulfill a growing demand for major design styles like Mid-Century Modern, Art Deco, Arts and Crafts, and Victorian interiors, when there were once too few options. Bradbury has uniquely inspired a rebirth in the art of wallpapering; introducing vintage colors and patterns to the market.
The Bradbury factory can be found in Benicia, in the East Bay area of Northern California. Their chapter affiliation is with the Northern California chapter. In 2005, Bradbury underwent a change in leadership and Steve Bauer took over the company as the lead designer. A year later, the organization joined the Wallcovering Installers Association (formerly NGPP) thanks to an invitation from Linda Mitchell, the NGPP National Association Chairman at the time.
The Conference that Started it all
The year Bradbury joined also aligned with two feature Bradbury installations on show at the annual conference, held in St. Louis that year, as part of a contest called Winning Walls with Wallcovering. Linda Mitchell played a role in enticing Bradbury to join; and how couldn’t they join? They were being showcased for all the WIA members to see.
Beverly Phillips, a Bradbury Customer Service Manager, commented on that first NGPP Convention, “I attended the convention representing Bradbury in the Vendors Showcase. I also attended and participated in all the classroom seminars and demonstrations. I was impressed by the warm welcome I received and I learned so much about the craft and business of paperhanging at that event, it was an easy decision to become an Associate Member.”
The Back Story
Bradbury and Bradbury Art Wallpapers got its start in 1979 when Bruce Bradbury noticed a demand for vintage wallpapers such as the signature, geometric, patterns from Frank Lloyd Wright, father of Organic Architecture. During this time, Bruce created the now-legendary line of roomsets that have set the standard for Victorian interiors for almost four decades. The popularity and availability of these designs inspired the rebirth of the art of wallpapering and the wallpaper industry; making color and pattern fashionable again.
Whether residential, commercial office building, or hotel, or museum, Bradbury papers are not just for home interiors. Bradbury deals in both direct-to-consumer and to professional designers and architects who turn to Bradbury & Bradbury when they need beautiful, authentic wall-covewallpaperrings for their larger scale projects. From beautiful home restoration projects featuring Victorian backdrops, to expansive hotel spaces, restaurants, museums installations and even film sets, Bradbury corners the market for demand spanning from 1860s to the 1960s.
The Membership Benefits
The ability to recommend installers from the WIA search feature on their website, amounts to the greatest benefit of being a member of the organization. They can confidently make recommendations of professional wallcovering installers that have the professionalism, training, and resources to successfully install Bradbury papers. Bradbury also enjoys the networking within the group. It is through their membership and participation that Bradbury is able to call upon experts to test new products, troubleshoot problems, and find those who are willing to work within the fine-tuning of installation instructions.
Conclusion
Thanks to a network that is accessible online and searched by zip code, association members like Bradbury are a click away from local, professional, wallpaper installers to recommend to their network of designers, architects, and home-buyers. Beyond the online tool and access to wallcovering installers nationwide, the ongoing support and resource through networking with other like-minded and skilled craftsman creates a community where new ideas can be vetted, polished, and shipped into the market.
Are you a manufacturer, distributor, retailer, architect, or interior designer and interested in association membership? Learn more about how you can benefit from WIA membership.