Artist Spotlight: Wendi Norris

I just want people to love their homes as it changes the way you live.

WENDI NORRIS

For this month’s Artist Spotlight, Vip sat down with a local interior decorator and design service specialist at Floorboys Flooring Professionals of Florence, Wendi Norris. Floorboys was started by Wendi's cousin nearly 20 years ago in Lexington, South Carolina. Wendi and her husband of 29 years, Robbie, decided to open their own branch in Florence almost a year ago. Continue reading below to learn more about Wendi's passion for design and how she incorporates it into the business.

DO YOU REMEMBER HOW YOU FIRST KNEW YOU WERE INTERESTED IN ART AND DESIGN?

My mom loved to decorate, and she would do everything herself…cook, bake, sew, hang wallpaper, paint, refinish furniture, design flower beds (and plant everything herself), rearranged furniture constantly….. pretty much everything. I am so much like my mom. My dad, as a commercial contractor, had a drafting table in his office and taught me how to read blueprints and use all of the tools at an early age. I loved drawing floor plans of my bedroom, my classroom, my friend’s rooms and adding the furniture we wanted which was usually hideous. He would ask my opinion about design and then tell me how it wouldn't work. Now we have collaborated on several projects.

GROWING UP, WAS YOUR FAMILY INVOLVED IN THE ARTS?

Actually, my family was more musical. We all play instruments (or at least used to). I would wake up to my parents singing while they were cooking breakfast. I don’t think I even knew art classes were a thing when I was a kid. I had three brothers and we lived in the country. We had horses, go-carts, a big barn to play in; we built forts, ramps, playhouses (or “clubhouses”); we cleared out paths in the woods to ride bikes, horses, four wheelers, even riding lawnmowers….we were very creative and handy with tools. Art class in elementary school was more of a “craft class.” I loved to color, but it never occurred to me that one could be taught to draw. I thought it was a talent you were born with and I knew I didn't have that.

DID YOU ATTEND COLLEGE?

I went to Winthrop University because I wanted to study Interior Design. It was there that I had my first art classes and was shocked that I actually could draw and paint. I had to take a lot of art classes being an Interior Design major as well as drafting. I learned that you actually can teach people how to draw, paint, and, more importantly, how to see things. I met Robbie one summer and left Winthrop to transfer to Francis Marion University, got married, and graduated with a degree in Early Childhood Education.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN DOING INTERIOR DESIGN AS A PROFESSION?

I am not a designer as I don’t have a degree in Interior Design. The title of “Decorator” or “Interior Stylist” would be a more accurate term for what I do. I just want people to love their homes as it changes the way you live. When you love your home you will invite people over, engage with people, be able to enjoy sitting in a room that brings peace instead of constant niggling of the list of the things you need to do to the room to make it right. I have found that most times it is a lot less than what you think. It can be something simple like hanging a guitar on the wall so that you can easily play it if you only have a few minutes while waiting on a ride. Or creating an outdoor space so that you will want to go outside. A well-designed space changes the way you do life. So to answer the question…I have been helping people with their homes for as long as I can remember and I am not sure when people started paying for my help. I still don't think of it as my profession, but as something I just help people do because I love it.

WHAT INSPIRED YOU AND ROBBIE TO OPEN A FLOORBOYS IN FLORENCE?

I would buy flooring from my cousin and especially a lot of rugs for my clients so he encouraged us to open a branch in Florence. I am still surprised we did it. Now, I get to help people pick out floors, which can be very overwhelming, but it's something I love to do.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR DESIGN STYLE?

My personal style is probably “transitional." I love so many different things. When I am working with clients I try to use as many of their things as possible. Items can be arranged differently, turned upside down, painted, or used in ways not intended and will often feel new. It is like a puzzle to me, I love trying to figure out how to put a room together using what you have, then adding things if you need it. It doesn't always line up with style per se, but I have found when you apply the principles of design, it is surprising how good even ugly stuff can look.

WHAT DO YOU DO TO GATHER INSPIRATION FOR A PROJECT?

I start by asking, 'How do you want to use this room?' I try to figure out what someone truly likes (or dislikes) and very often they don’t know. My friend Tommy Bolger says I have to squint my eyes in a room for a while before I come up with a plan and he’s right. I also look at rooms done by my favorite designers. I ask the Lord to guide me in making decisions, or just to give me ideas. He answers me every time!

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR OTHER HOBBIES BESIDES ART AND DESIGN?

I love to study scripture and listen to sermons. If you had told me I would enjoy this when I was a kid, I would have laughed my head off. I also love to read and now with audible books I can enjoy books while I am working, cleaning, cooking, and more. I always have a book that I am reading. Fiction, non-fiction, and historical fiction is my favorite!

WHO IS ONE OF YOUR FAVORITE ARTISTS AND HOW DO THEY INSPIRE YOU?

I don’t think I could name one person. There are parts to almost every artist that inspires me. Sometimes it is just to pick up a paintbrush and paint or look at something differently.

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