Q&A with Bunny Williams on Create Academy

*Photo by: Deborah Panes for Create Academy*

It’s time to grab your favorite notebook and fountain pen and head back to the classroom—Bunny Williams has just launched her own online video course, ‘How to Design Your Dream Home",‘ with Create Academy! The world-renowned designer has taken her expertise from 40+ years of working in the industry and debuted a course for those taking their first steps into interior design as well as design professionals who want to learn from one of the greats.

“One thing that is always on my mind is passing on the knowledge that I have gained over the four decades that I have been in business,” says Bunny. “Thinking back on the incredible education that I got from Parish-Hadley many years ago, I wanted to share my experience and expertise for not only the professional but for anyone wanting to do their home. I was particularly excited to give this course through a video medium because while I’m giving advice and talking through project examples, viewers can be looking at exactly what I’m talking about on-screen, gaining a better insight into my design process and learning more efficiently as a result.”

We wanted to hear more about Bunny’s desires for the course, how she designed it, and what students will get out of it, so please enjoy our interview with the icon herself!

Right now, Create Academy is offering a Cyber Monday sale with 25% off all courses and subscriptions plus an extra 10% off all access subscriptions with code:BLACK10—ending at midnight on Dec. 2nd!

Congratulations on your course with Create Academy! Can you share with us why you wanted to embark on this, and why you chose to do it with Create Academy?
I’m so grateful for the incredible education that I got working at Parish Hadley for 22 years, and the experience I’ve gained since starting my own firm in 1988. Needless to say–I’ve been doing this for a while. I feel passionate about passing on the design knowledge I’ve gained over my career.

I met the Create Academy team at a dinner hosted by Miles Redd, where I was introduced to how they film and produce these beautiful online video courses. After seeing their work and meeting their team, I knew I would be in great hands. The video format makes everything so accessible and relatable–it’s the next best thing to actually being in a room–and I like that viewers can see exactly what I’m talking about on screen. The camera becomes your eye, in a way. The format helps give better insight into my design process and as a result, you walk away from the courses having seen, not just heard or read, some real ideas.

How did you determine what you wanted the subject matter to be about?

I worked closely with the Create Academy team to devise a course that covered the topics I feel are most important for anyone who wants to learn about design, whether for a career or just in their own home.

The course covers a lot. I wanted people to be able to learn how to create a room–from the planning and layout to the detailed selections; how to create a place within the landscape, which is key in my own home in Connecticut; how to train their eye when they are out in the world and how to shop; and also how to run the business side of an interior design firm, something that is often overlooked but is as crucial as good design at running a successful interior design business.

Who is this course for – designers, interior design enthusiasts, all of the above?

I wanted this course to be accessible and informative to everyone, whether you’re an interiors enthusiast, are working on redoing your own home, starting a career in the interiors industry, or have been working in interiors for a long time and are curious to see how I work.

I’ve been in the industry for over four decades now, so I have a lot of lessons to share. I thought an online course would be a great way to do that to a global audience. It also gives a unique and honest insight into how we work at Williams Lawrence. My partner Elizabeth Lawrence - the “Lawrence” in Williams Lawrence - and I have honed our process over the years, but we’ve also never stopped learning and being curious.

Alongside the step-by-step guided lessons and room tours in the course, we’ve also included a module aimed predominantly at design professionals. These lessons cover topics like budgeting, fee proposals, and tips for successful client relationships. These lessons are also really useful for those who have never worked with an interior designer before and are interested to see behind the scenes. There is something that everyone will find informative for whatever stage they are in.

Take us through the process of creating the programming — did you start with an overarching topic, or was it more about the details?
When you’re designing a room, you start with the place and the space. Where are you? What’s the history of the place and who are the people you’re designing for? How do they want to live?

We approached the course outlines in much the same way, introducing the concepts of the spaces and rooms from an overarching perspective and then diving into the details–the furnishings, the lighting, the fabrics. It just made sense to approach the course in the same way we approach our projects.

What will viewers get to see?

You get to see a lot! The course is around five hours long in total with 35 short lessons which are about 10 - 20 minutes each. You can stop and start these when you want so that you can follow along at your own pace. We cover a lot of topics so there’s something for everyone. You get to tour my home in Connecticut and visit my apartment in New York where I show you how I approached designing each room in detail while sharing tips you can incorporate into your own home. Then it’s off to our Williams Lawrence studio on Manhattan’s Upper East Side where my business partner Elizabeth Lawrence and I give a behind-the-scenes look at our interior design business and our Bunny Williams Home showroom. I also take you shopping for a day, visiting some of my favorite stores in New York and Connecticut, including Montage Antiques and RT Facts, where I explain what you should be looking out for when you’re out shopping for your home.

What are the takeaways you hope viewers will gain from this course?

I want people to come away from this course feeling inspired by the interiors I’ve created and confident to start applying this knowledge to their own projects. I hope that my approach and philosophy about interior design will help viewers come to know their own styles and help them design rooms that reflect themselves and their own tastes. The process can be daunting, but I hope to teach people the fundamental tools they need to create a home that they, or their clients, will truly love.

Find Bunny’s course linked here!