By Jessica Borders
Times West Virginian
WHITE HALL —
Deb Wilson, owner of Twin Papoose Design, has “a mission to make everything beautiful.”
On June 1, Wilson opened an interior design studio in White Hall for residential and commercial interiors. Her business, Twin Papoose Design, can now be found in the back section of Fabric and Foam Sales, located at 2937 White Hall Boulevard, about a fourth of a mile past Wal-Mart.
Although this is a new storefront, Wilson has actually been in business in the area for 30 years. She previously worked out of her Fairmont home.
Wilson initially did costuming and established an 18th century clothing business called The Twin Papoose, named after her twin daughters, in 1980. She later added interior design to her offerings.
Wilson said she had been doing interior design-type work for people for a long time, like arranging furniture and doing other home projects. She gained experience on jobs in Maryland and Virginia — including many historic homes — and earned her interior design certificate in 1994.
“My best experience has been actually doing and seeing,” she said.
In 2000, Wilson decided to stop doing costuming and focus solely on interior design work, and changed her business’ name to Twin Papoose Design.
Wilson said she hadn’t been interested in opening a storefront, until the owner of Fabric and Foam offered her a business opportunity. Andy Poling asked if she wanted to create a studio in the back end of Fabric and Foam where an upholstery shop was formerly stationed, and Wilson decided to give it a try.
Twin Papoose Design is a business that offers custom design and custom ordering for projects, which compliments Fabric and Foam, she said.
Wilson said many homeowners or business owners get overwhelmed with all the choices for the interior of their building and don’t know where to start. The interior designer uses her expertise and time to make that process easier and can also help a family agree on a project.
“We want to help people,” Wilson said. “I love what I do, and I like sharing that with people.”
Her studio features a lot of hanging fabric samples from various companies. Wilson has unique wall coverings, from historic to modern. She said she has been “a total fabricaholic” all her life, because nice fabrics can do so much for an interior.
She can do window treatments, glazing, gilding, room upholstery, floral arrangements and much more. She can also locate and shop for decorative items for clients and provide design services for events.
Wilson said she has a traditional design approach from growing up in England, but can also do modern design or whatever works for the space and the client. She can design or redesign rooms in homes, businesses or offices.
Wilson is willing to do as much or as little as the customer wants, from the design plans to the finished building and everything in between. She can go to a person’s house or business for design consultations, or they can come to her shop.
She commented that she is a very hands-on designer, and because she knows how things are constructed, she has a better insight.
“I try to stay current with the trends and keep up,” she said.
Wilson goes to design events in Pittsburgh, Pa., and Washington, D.C., and has also made trips abroad to Paris and London to get inspiration.
In this area, she works with clients in Fairmont, Morgantown, Summersville and surrounding cities. But she also does jobs in Virginia and is willing to travel.
Wilson thanked her family, friends and the local professionals who helped her get her studio up and running.
The shop also sells a few gift items, such as Wade Pottery from England and tea pots and accessories. Wilson said tea has always been a big part of her life, and she will soon have different teas for sale.
Twin Papoose Design is open by appointment or whenever the studio gate is open. For more information, call 304-365-2058.
E-mail Jessica Borders at jborders@timeswv.com.
