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Catching up with the Varnish Girls

Catching up with the Varnish Girls

It's time to get excited! We've teamed up with the amazing sisters at Varnish to offer you an incredible giveaway - a $250 gift card to purchase any of the beautiful handwoven pieces offered on their site plus a $250 gift card to Liza Pruitt! You can enter the giveaway here, we will be announcing the winner on April 11th. 

We caught up with the Varnish Girls to learn more about them and their amazing company. 

What inspired you to start Varnish?

My sister and I always knew that we would go into business together. Both of our parents were great business people so I'd like to think this interest runs in the family. In fact, my mother used to tell us about our great-grandmother who was a savvy businesswoman ahead of her time. She had various real estate investments and one of her favorite things to do was to sit and observe construction sites, or "progress" as she called it. I love this image because I doubt there were many women of her generation (or her small town) with this passion. As we often discuss, we have a strong female contingent in our family, which has continued through our generation with my parent's 5 daughters and 10 granddaughters.  From an early age, we took notes as our aunts rearranged and redecorated each other's homes, passing around family furniture and telling the stories behind each piece. So in creating Varnish, we wanted to offer a beautiful product that reinforced our values of family, tradition, female entrepreneurship, and unique design.

Tell us a little bit about the creation of your hand-woven furniture and accessories. Is each piece one of a kind?

Our pieces are made entirely by hand using all-natural materials. Because of this, they each offer a unique look based on variations of color and texture. Some of our designs are inherited from the craftsmen who make them and some are our own creations. We take inspiration from the weavers, from their traditions and from vintage and historical pieces we admire. We enjoy the process of evolving design, so our desire is to constantly create small batch items along with a few hero pieces that remain the foundation of the Varnish look.

 What are your top five favorite pieces from Liza Pruitt?

Fresh Start by Christie Younger
Train Me Up by Alison Duncan
Five Ostriches by Josh Brown
Remember Back When by Kellie Lawler
Austin by Meg Morrison

Artwork by Christie Younger

Where did the name Varnish come from?

Funny story actually - we had the name of our company before we had the actual company! Several years ago, a former co-worker and I were talking about business names, and she said she had always liked the name Varnish. Well, considering our maiden name is Varner, I almost died at how perfect that was. So flash forward a few years when Anna and I started our company - I had to call my friend and ask if we could use the name. It is such a fun way to honor our family with a nod to collected interiors.

We know you shouldn't pick favorites, but if you had to, what is your favorite piece thus far? 

Anna - mini garden lamps
Mary Lovett - Belle stool

 

What exciting things can we expect from Varnish in the future?  

We are on the road this spring! Look for us in Birmingham, Tallahassee, Atlanta and Charleston.  Also, some fun new designs coming for Holiday are in the works! 

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