Professional Spotlight: Fashion Design to Show Biz
Trading Stories with Edward Walker
“I’m not an interior decorator; I just play one on TV,” says TLC star of Trading Spaces Edward Walker. While that statement may be perceived as pure humbleness, it is, in fact, true. Even with no formal interior-design training, Walker has taken the interior design world by storm, having starred on Trading Spaces for the past eight seasons, in addition to owning his own design business.
As a child, Walker was always fascinated with design, even creating pillow cases for his classmates back in grade school. With the dream of hitting it big in New York, Walker attended Wingate University in North Carolina, graduating Cum Laude with a degree in Art Education, then a few years later moved on to accomplish his lifelong goal of graduating from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, earning his Fashion Design degree.
With his education in tow, Walker went on to pursue his dreams in the New York fashion world, working in the custom bridal field. “I really felt that I was not using the talents I had been given to their full potential,” Walker explained. After moving back to his hometown of Raleigh, North Carolina, Walker opened up his own design business, Walker Designs. Five years after leaving New York, Walker received word from a friend of a friend that the TLC show Trading Spaces was in need of some behind-the-scenes help. Unfamiliar with the show, Walker spoke with the executive producer and was signed on as the behind-the-scenes sewing coordinator.
After a few episodes, it became apparent to Walker that his skills could be best put to use on screen. Walker said to himself, “I know I can do this job. I think I’d be great for this job. I need to apply.” At the end of his first season with the show, Walker flew to Philadelphia and auditioned for the part. After receiving a good review, the only setback was the executive producer’s concern about Walker’s lack of a design degree. “I do not have an interior-design degree. I make no bones about that,” said Walker. “But I do have a fashion-design degree and an art education degree, and I understand balance, scale, color, and proportion.” The next day, he got the call and landed the job.
“I guess what that taught me was you have to believe in yourself and stand firm with where you are, and don’t be afraid to admit, ‘No, I don’t have an interior-design degree,’” Walker explained. “I don’t think design is about a degree. Yes, it’s very helpful to have, and I would encourage anyone who wants to pursue a degree if that’s where they’re feeling led. But I think interior design is about having a flair or a feel for it. It’s not so much about the degree as it is about the inner love, the desire, and the drive to do it.”
Being an intricate part of Trading Spaces has allowed Walker to expand his design career and knowledge in ways he never thought possible. “I just love to create,” said Walker. “I think design is an artistic expression, and I love being able to express my feelings in design.” Trading Spaces has given him the opportunity to create a wide variety of designs, thereby challenging him to grow as a designer. “I think I’m really a much better designer now, because I’ve been able to try so many different design avenues,” he explained. “I’m not pigeon-holed into one area. The network is always looking for a dramatic change, so you can’t just do the same style room over and over.”
Designing on a budget poses an additional challenge. On the show, designers are given a $1,000 budget to work with. “The idea of the $1,000 budget really does force you to be creative. You really have to think about where you can get the biggest bang for your buck,” said Walker. “I’m much more creative with a limited budget than when the budget is sky-high or not even an issue.”
Walker challenges himself to go outside of the box, creating something original that also suits the homeowners’ tastes. “I want to design something for the homeowners they will like, but I want to design something they wouldn’t do themselves, to challenge them to be creative with the rest of their home,” he said.
With another season of Trading Spaces underway, one would think Walker would have enough to occupy his time. Instead, his creative talents are keeping him quite busy even outside the show. “There are a lot of avenues open to me right now that I’m able to pursue,” he explained. Recently, Walker developed a line of teen/tween bedding called Cuddlebugs-n-Cocoons, debuting at the Atlanta International Gift and Home Furnishings Market this past January with a very favorable response. In addition to expanding this line, Walker’s exploring the possibility of a pillow collection, as well as the possibility of delving into the literary field with a children’s book series and even some do-it-yourself home improvement videos. “Truthfully, I love design,” said Walker, “and I love just being able to sit at my drawing table with a challenge, coming up with an idea, and seeing that idea come to fruition.”
As for his own design preferences, functionality, improving the space plan, and lighting are those design elements that are crucial for Walker. “My personal design taste now runs toward more of a contemporary or mid-century modern,” he said. Living in a very traditional home built in 1952 and having inherited several pieces of furniture from family members, Walker is transitioning his own home into a more contemporary and eclectic style. “I’m redecorating all the time,” he said. Walker’s own living room is decorated with chocolate revival mahogany brown walls accented with a white shag rug and off-white silk draperies with black trim, accompanied by a contemporary coffee table and his grandmother’s furniture lacquered black and reupholstered in ultra-suede.
Being so involved in the interior design industry, Walker has seen various trends come and go. “With the housing market at a lull and the market so tight, I think we’re going through a transition period,” he said. “Two areas I see as upcoming trends are thinking green—trying to improve our surroundings, not just design-wise, but health-wise—and the trend towards going more modern and contemporary, but not in a James Bond sort of way.” With the strong emphasis on organic design, Walker sees more designers paying attention to energy conservation, as well as the chemicals in the products they’re using. Design is reciprocal, and as such, Walker also anticipates retro elements making a comeback, the 70s Bohemian-chic style with rich color textures and jewel-tones, as well as the 40s-style Hollywood glamour. With that in mind, Walker explained, “I think textures are where people are going … not so much patterns, but textures and a combination of textures that will add interest to design.”
As a keynote speaker at the upcoming International Window Coverings EXPO in Atlanta, Walker hopes to provide inspiration to those interested in the design world. “I hope I can inspire people to go after their dreams and to be open to all possibilities in life. Sometimes to achieve your dreams, you need to go down different paths to get to where you eventually want to be,” he concludes.
“I’m not an interior decorator; I just play one on TV,” says TLC star of Trading Spaces Edward Walker. While that statement may be perceived as pure humbleness, it is, in fact, true. Even with no formal interior-design training, Walker has taken the interior design world by storm, having starred on Trading Spaces for the past eight seasons, in addition to owning his own design business.
As a child, Walker was always fascinated with design, even creating pillow cases for his classmates back in grade school. With the dream of hitting it big in New York, Walker attended Wingate University in North Carolina, graduating Cum Laude with a degree in Art Education, then a few years later moved on to accomplish his lifelong goal of graduating from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, earning his Fashion Design degree.
With his education in tow, Walker went on to pursue his dreams in the New York fashion world, working in the custom bridal field. “I really felt that I was not using the talents I had been given to their full potential,” Walker explained. After moving back to his hometown of Raleigh, North Carolina, Walker opened up his own design business, Walker Designs. Five years after leaving New York, Walker received word from a friend of a friend that the TLC show Trading Spaces was in need of some behind-the-scenes help. Unfamiliar with the show, Walker spoke with the executive producer and was signed on as the behind-the-scenes sewing coordinator.
After a few episodes, it became apparent to Walker that his skills could be best put to use on screen. Walker said to himself, “I know I can do this job. I think I’d be great for this job. I need to apply.” At the end of his first season with the show, Walker flew to Philadelphia and auditioned for the part. After receiving a good review, the only setback was the executive producer’s concern about Walker’s lack of a design degree. “I do not have an interior-design degree. I make no bones about that,” said Walker. “But I do have a fashion-design degree and an art education degree, and I understand balance, scale, color, and proportion.” The next day, he got the call and landed the job.
“I guess what that taught me was you have to believe in yourself and stand firm with where you are, and don’t be afraid to admit, ‘No, I don’t have an interior-design degree,’” Walker explained. “I don’t think design is about a degree. Yes, it’s very helpful to have, and I would encourage anyone who wants to pursue a degree if that’s where they’re feeling led. But I think interior design is about having a flair or a feel for it. It’s not so much about the degree as it is about the inner love, the desire, and the drive to do it.”
Being an intricate part of Trading Spaces has allowed Walker to expand his design career and knowledge in ways he never thought possible. “I just love to create,” said Walker. “I think design is an artistic expression, and I love being able to express my feelings in design.” Trading Spaces has given him the opportunity to create a wide variety of designs, thereby challenging him to grow as a designer. “I think I’m really a much better designer now, because I’ve been able to try so many different design avenues,” he explained. “I’m not pigeon-holed into one area. The network is always looking for a dramatic change, so you can’t just do the same style room over and over.”
Designing on a budget poses an additional challenge. On the show, designers are given a $1,000 budget to work with. “The idea of the $1,000 budget really does force you to be creative. You really have to think about where you can get the biggest bang for your buck,” said Walker. “I’m much more creative with a limited budget than when the budget is sky-high or not even an issue.”
Walker challenges himself to go outside of the box, creating something original that also suits the homeowners’ tastes. “I want to design something for the homeowners they will like, but I want to design something they wouldn’t do themselves, to challenge them to be creative with the rest of their home,” he said.
With another season of Trading Spaces underway, one would think Walker would have enough to occupy his time. Instead, his creative talents are keeping him quite busy even outside the show. “There are a lot of avenues open to me right now that I’m able to pursue,” he explained. Recently, Walker developed a line of teen/tween bedding called Cuddlebugs-n-Cocoons, debuting at the Atlanta International Gift and Home Furnishings Market this past January with a very favorable response. In addition to expanding this line, Walker’s exploring the possibility of a pillow collection, as well as the possibility of delving into the literary field with a children’s book series and even some do-it-yourself home improvement videos. “Truthfully, I love design,” said Walker, “and I love just being able to sit at my drawing table with a challenge, coming up with an idea, and seeing that idea come to fruition.”
As for his own design preferences, functionality, improving the space plan, and lighting are those design elements that are crucial for Walker. “My personal design taste now runs toward more of a contemporary or mid-century modern,” he said. Living in a very traditional home built in 1952 and having inherited several pieces of furniture from family members, Walker is transitioning his own home into a more contemporary and eclectic style. “I’m redecorating all the time,” he said. Walker’s own living room is decorated with chocolate revival mahogany brown walls accented with a white shag rug and off-white silk draperies with black trim, accompanied by a contemporary coffee table and his grandmother’s furniture lacquered black and reupholstered in ultra-suede.
Being so involved in the interior design industry, Walker has seen various trends come and go. “With the housing market at a lull and the market so tight, I think we’re going through a transition period,” he said. “Two areas I see as upcoming trends are thinking green—trying to improve our surroundings, not just design-wise, but health-wise—and the trend towards going more modern and contemporary, but not in a James Bond sort of way.” With the strong emphasis on organic design, Walker sees more designers paying attention to energy conservation, as well as the chemicals in the products they’re using. Design is reciprocal, and as such, Walker also anticipates retro elements making a comeback, the 70s Bohemian-chic style with rich color textures and jewel-tones, as well as the 40s-style Hollywood glamour. With that in mind, Walker explained, “I think textures are where people are going … not so much patterns, but textures and a combination of textures that will add interest to design.”
As a keynote speaker at the upcoming International Window Coverings EXPO in Atlanta, Walker hopes to provide inspiration to those interested in the design world. “I hope I can inspire people to go after their dreams and to be open to all possibilities in life. Sometimes to achieve your dreams, you need to go down different paths to get to where you eventually want to be,” he concludes.
