Three Balls Red caught up with the supremely talented and humble Sara Hingle, creative director and founder of celebrated textile design studio, These Walls, to chat about creativity, the birth of These Walls and the inspirations for her beautiful, locally-designed and printed wallpaper, which adorns the walls of hospitality, residential and commercial projects across the globe.

Have you always been a creative person. Can you tell us a little about the These Walls back story?

I would say yes, for sure. I grew up in a creative household. My older brother is, and always was, an amazing artist and Mum was super-crafty and often attended art shows. Art was a part of my life from early on but I only really started drawing when I was older though, and went on to university where I focussed on graphic design and Illustration. The first half of my career was spent working as a full-time editorial designer in magazines and I illustrated freelance during this time, also. This led me to illustrating patterns and voila - my love of pattern was born! It wasn't long before These Walls was dreamt up in between Illustration briefs - and a pitch to my amazingly supportive hubby, Mick - and the rest is history!

What are some of the most inspiring projects you have worked on, or clients you’ve worked with?

We have supplied wallpaper for some really talented designers - too many to name! It's so great to see what these creative designers do with wallpaper within their beautifully-designed spaces.

Can you tell us a little bit about your design process? What or who inspires you?

I am always collecting snippets of inspiration. I am constantly taking photos, screenshots, making scribbles - saving it all to a folder of inspiration. These clippings can be in reference to colours, subject, balance - anything really that catches my attention. When it comes to start designing the new range, I trawl this folder where inevitably a theme emerges and inspiration for a collection is born. I get to work on the designs, developing what's working and binning the rest. Once I have my designs nutted out, I fine tune the repeats (sometimes it is super-fast - other times it is a very exhaustive process!) and then, finally, I select a colour palette and work to refine the colour ways.

You have a huge client base in America. Can you tell us who you work with in the US, and how that came about?

We have a handful of wonderful showrooms that represent our line in Texas, California, New York, Florida, Colorado and also in Ontario, Canada. The teams are all so great to work with and are an extremely valued extension of our small These Walls team here in Australia. The world of Instagram closed the gap between us and the States and was a great means of introduction to these showrooms. They represent smaller boutique textile brands such as ourselves and most cater for both the retail and trade client.

Have you always been a creative person. Can you tell us a little about the These Walls back story?

I would say yes, for sure. I grew up in a creative household. My older brother is, and always was, an amazing artist and Mum was super-crafty and often attended art shows.Art was a part of my life from early on but I only really started drawing when I was older though, and went on to university where I focussed on graphic design and Illustration.The first half of my career was spent working as a full-time editorial designer in magazines and I illustrated freelance during this time, also. This led me to illustrating patterns and voila - my love of pattern was born!It wasn't long before These Walls was dreamt up in between Illustration briefs - and a pitch to my amazingly supportive hubby, Mick - and the rest is history!

What are some of the most inspiring projects you have worked on, or clients you’ve worked with?

We have supplied wallpaper for some really talented designers - too many to name!It's so great to see what these creative designers do with wallpaper within their beautifully-designed spaces.

Can you tell us a little bit about your design process? What or who inspires you?

I am always collecting snippets of inspiration. I am constantly taking photos, screenshots, making scribbles - saving it all to a folder of inspiration.These clippings can be in reference to colours, subject, balance - anything really that catches my attention.When it comes to start designing the new range, I trawl this folder where inevitably a theme emerges and inspiration for a collection is born. I get to work on the designs, developing what's working and binning the rest.Once I have my designs nutted out, I fine tune the repeats (sometimes it is super-fast - other times it is a very exhaustive process!) and then, finally, I select a colour palette and work to refine the colourways.

You have a huge client base in America. Can you tell us who you work with in the US, and how that came about?

We have a handful of wonderful showrooms that represent our line in Texas, California, New York, Florida, Colorado and also in Ontario, Canada.The teams are all so great to work with and are an extremely valued extension of our small These Walls team here in Australia. The world of Instagram closed the gap between us and the States and was a great means of introduction to these showrooms. They represent smaller boutique textile brands such as ourselves and most cater for both the retail and trade client.

“Our homes and spaces have become so important to our wellbeing and so, artisanal products and craftmanship have become valued additions to our spaces. These pieces have meaning and are usually made with great care, something that really resonates.”

What is the most rewarding part of your business journey so far?

I love working with other creatives to make spaces that have meaning and purpose. Having our wallpaper included in some spectacular and well-designed interiors is such a kick! And, of course, seeing a collection go from a scratchy concept through to final photoshoot and release is a very rewarding process. I certainly can't complain that I am able to balance my business around my family, something that has been pretty handy given the past few years.

Have you found since the pandemic, there’s a renewed appreciation for thoughtful design, artisanal products and craftsmanship instead of mass-produced pieces? Why do you think this is so? 

Yes, 100 per cent. Considered and well-made design has become especially welcome in these more recent times. Our homes and spaces have become so important to our wellbeing so artisanal products and craftmanship have become valued additions to our spaces. These pieces have meaning and are usually made with great care, something that really resonates. There is something reassuring knowing that time and care has been put into making a product. Knowing that a small business is being supported is a comforting factor when making a purchase. Lead-times are more dependable when supporting local (most of the time!!), with more transparency in the process provided by small businesses.

Who would you like to work with that you haven’t as yet and is there a person or hotel you love to have These Walls featured in?

It would be a dream to supply a selection of wallpaper and fabrics to a beautifully-designed boutique hotel one day!

What is the most rewarding part of your business journey so far?

I love working with other creatives to make spaces that have meaning and purpose. Having our wallpaper included in some spectacular and well-designed interiors is such a kick! And, of course, seeing a collection go from a scratchy concept through to final photoshoot and release is a very rewarding process.I certainly can't complain that I am able to balance my business around my family, something that has been pretty handy given the past few years.

Have you found since the pandemic, there’s a renewed appreciation for thoughtful design, artisanal products and craftsmanship instead of mass-produced pieces? Why do you think this is so? 

Yes, 100 per cent. Considered and well-made design has become especially welcome in these more recent times.  Our homes and spaces have become so important to our wellbeing so artisanal products and craftmanship have become valued additions to our spaces. These pieces have meaning and are usually made with great care, something that really resonates.There is something reassuring knowing that time and care has been put into making a product. Knowing that a small business is being supported is a comforting factor when making a purchase. Lead-times are more dependable when supporting local (most of the time!!), with more transparency in the process provided by small businesses.

Who would you like to work with that you haven’t as yet and is there a person or hotel you love to have These Walls featured in?

It would be a dream to supply a selection of wallpaper and fabrics to a beautifully-designed boutique hotel one day!

You can view and order from the stunning range of These Walls wallpapers in the Three Balls Red showroom.