We are delighted to announce that we have a new Sprucester. Meet Benton Burford! Benton learned about Spruce while working at Kyle Bunting. Intrigued by upholstery, Benton took one of our Bring Your Own Chair classes and we’ve been on his radar ever since. He’s been living in Austin since 2003, after moving from Midland, Texas, to attend school at the University of Texas. After earning his BFA in Studio Art, Benton chose to make Austin his home because of its central location to Dallas, Houston and San Antonio.
Having Benton around has been such a joy. He’s more than just an extra pair of hands; this fella is quite a talent. Benton shows his creativity with sewing projects, using unexpected and exotic materials such as scarves, vintage and couture fabrics and experimental trims. Take a look at some of his beautiful pillows and tea towels.
How would you describe your design style? Who and what inspires you?
I would describe my design style as pretty eclectic. I like a lot of soft palettes, neutrals and, every now and then, something crazy and unexpected thrown in. I tend to get a lot of ideas from different art sources that have little to do with interior design. I wouldn’t really consider myself a fashion person, but one of my biggest inspirations right now is the interior design branch of Versace (Versace Home Collection). They have a big presence at Italian furniture design fairs, and it’s always a treat to see what they come up with and who they collaborate with. Their designs run the gamut from clean minimalism to completely over-the-top, and the collections usually have a fun theme based on whatever part of the world they’re pulling from that year. It’s always fantastically unreal. I love it.
