Name: Rileigh Wilkins
Client: Big Sky Design
Title: Creative Director and Residential Interior Designer for Big Sky Design

I’ve grown my design practice purely through a passion for interiors and creating. I lack formal design education but have years of learning on the job. I truly value this hands-on experience. I think it offers me a distinct perspective, reliant on intuition and inspiration rather than traditional norms.

The elevator pitch of your journey to get where you are today.

My path to interior design was anything but direct. I was previously working in logistics and hating my role. I desperately needed creative expression in my work and I was open to whatever door would bring that opportunity. I joined Big Sky as the Special Projects Coordinator and jumped into my first project of renovating a ’69 Shasta camper into a mobile boutique. As Big Sky evolved over the years, my role did as well. I’m now going on my ninth year with the company(!), and serving as Creative Director and residential designer.

Are there any specific sources or experiences that fuel your creativity?

Inspiration strikes me from the most unexpected sources! My go-to muse is Pinterest. My boards are a mix of everyday objects that spark joy and creativity – it could be floral arrangements, sketches, restaurant menus, ceramics, bugs, you name it! I also keep a photo album on my phone filled with random street finds, mostly from traveling of course.

Could you share a project or design that you consider a turning point in your career?

The first client to really hand over the reigns and give me creative freedom in their home was so eye-opening and inspiring! We developed an incredible relationship and worked together for years, and it’s still one of my favorite projects.

In what ways do you continually push yourself to grow and evolve as a designer? Any strategies or habits you've found particularly effective?

In every project, I seek to incorporate something unfamiliar to me in some way, whether it’s a new material or a fresh application of a material. It gets me out of my comfort zone, keeps projects distinctive, and I always learn something along the way.

I’m also a big proponent of collaboration. I don’t shy away from asking for help and second opinions. There are so many variables in the world of interiors — you always encounter something new, and every designer around me would approach it differently, so I find it’s often valuable to ask.

What challenges have you encountered along your design path, and how have you overcome them?

The power of great communication — a lesson learned many times over. Establishing clarity and comfortability with both clients and team members from the beginning is crucial. Yes, we’re going to have to talk about money!

Can you recall a time when you had to think outside the box to find a creative solution to a design problem?

I worked on a home in Historic Downtown Wilmington that had these beautiful coffered ceilings, but the previous homeowner had installed pendants into the beams. The pendants were dated and needed updating but the placement was awkward for the space. So I sourced these super small gilded flush mounts, and they worked perfectly. Now installed, they look like beautiful little jeweled buttons perfectly placed on the clients’ ceiling.

How do you approach balancing artistic freedom with meeting client expectations? Any insights into maintaining a harmonious client-designer relationship?

It's all about finding the right balance. You encourage your clients to express their wants and needs openly, but once we've crafted a design concept around their preferences, there needs to be a level of trust in the designer. Our work is so personal, so it can be challenging for clients to let go and trust us with such an intimate part of their world--their homes. However, the outcome is always rewarding once they do!

Are there any design trends or industry developments that you find exciting or intriguing? How do you incorporate or adapt them in your own work?

I place such value on heirlooms and hand-crafted pieces, and I celebrate imperfections and patinas rather than masking them. There has been a noticeable rise in this shared adoration of vintage charm and character, even within mainstream circles. And the design world is embracing the mix of old and new more than ever before and I couldn’t be happier!

Conversely,  are there any design STAPLES or TRUTHS that you find exciting or intriguing? How do you incorporate or adapt them in your own work?

The mixture of modern and traditional is current and trending, but it a timeless staple of good design. There is a tension between old and new, masculine and feminine, vintage pieces mingling with contemporary ones -- that juxtaposition creates spaces that feel effortlessly warm and welcoming.

Let's switch gears for a moment. What's the most unexpected or unusual source of inspiration you've had for a design project?

I had a client who collected glass cloches showcasing various geodes and insects. I was inspired by—what I can only try to explain as—Victorian Era European apothecary shops. Picture taxidermy insects, amber glass medicine bottles, and books galore! That was the driving concept for the whole home. It sounds a little wild, but it turned out perfectly moody yet inviting.

Do you have any quirky design rituals or habits that you follow to get into the creative mindset?

Well, I’m a magazine hoarder. I love to get my wheels turning by opening up a shelter magazine and getting inspired!

Once I’m in a project, my team and I have a ritual of reminding ourselves of the “creative process” (can’t take credit for this, but don’t remember the source):

• This is awesome.
• This is tricky.
• This is shit.
• I am shit.
• This might be ok.
• This is awesome.

Imagine you have unlimited resources and time for a dream design project. What would you create, and why is it meaningful to you?

I’d find a giant old deteriorating home, probably hidden away under vines and brush, and bring it back to its glory. When I was a kid there was a house we’d drive by that could be described similarly. It was extraordinary. The two-story columns on the front porch were actual entire tree trunks, painted white. I thought it was the most magical place in the world, but it was completely neglected. It was demolished years later. It’s be a dream of mine ever since to find a true fixer upper one day.