Our textiles and wallcoverings collection are currently represented by Holland & Sherry in three territories- New York, San Francisco, and Florida. Starting in January 2022, we will be represented at their new Denver showroom as well.

Recently, Seema had the honor and pleasure of speaking with Bryan Dicker, President of Holland & Sherry.

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To listen to the complete conversation, tune into our IGTV here. Read on to learn more about Bryan:

1 – How did you begin your career in interior design, and how did that lead you to be President of Holland and Sherry?

It’s a long story because of the number of years I’ve been at Holland & Sherry- which is twenty-five years at this point. It’s the only job I’ve ever had other than waiting tables! I had a degree in chemistry and realized I wouldn’t get a Ph.D., so I thought I would become a doctor. While I was studying for my MCAT, I needed money. So, I took a job answering phones through a connection with my brother at Holland & Sherry.

At twenty-two, I was a very confident young man, and I thought I could sell fabric! While answering phones and doing secretarial work. I realized that salespeople had a great clothing allowance and an expense account! At the time, we sold material for men’s custom clothing and fashion and did very, very little of interior textiles. Maybe a project every few years, indeed no one was actively pursuing the interior design industry.

So, I asked my boss that if I kept doing my other responsibilities, I could pursue the sales area of the business. He was supportive and asked me to go for it. Holland & Sherry is a company that allows you to follow a good idea while providing credit too.

At the time, it was my idea to take the existing suiting fabric of Holland, Sherry, and explore a whole new venture of Holland & Sherry interiors. I was able to utilize the current assets of the business. Holland & Sherry was an international company that sold fabric all over the world. They had an inventory of fabric already and the systems to support it, including in-house sampling capabilities. I was able to use the existing infrastructure, which enabled us to grow quicker

I was just out of college and knew fabric, with all the infrastructure the company provided, it was a good platform for me to grow this. We began with mostly wool, and coincidentally we are still mostly known for beautiful wool for the home. And that’s how our business of interior textiles started!

Next, I started building my teams and the right people to help grow the business. We currently have 18 showrooms and started opening other product categories. After all these years, I’m most proud of the team that we have built. It’s these people that have enabled us to grow to where we are today. It was me indirectly understanding my weaknesses and strengths and surrounding myself with people that worked well together. Holland and Sherry today is a significant business due to allowing other people to build.

2 – What is your view on the future of showrooms and design centers?

Generally speaking, there has been some consolidation of companies in our industry, creating fewer showrooms. Infrastructure costs for a business can be expensive. To control production to the selling, there are many people involved- between the incomes, the insurance costs and everything else in between- there are a lot of expenses. A large company spreads those costs around, creating consolidation. For example, for your business, which is not a large company, it would cost you too much to have showrooms, that is why our relationship is so important to you and us. It helps spread those costs around and works well with the Holland & Sherry model. Luxury, to me, is small storefronts for our clients to experience. These provide the personality, the relationships, and an opportunity to interact with the individuals responsible for the design. But then it’s shared in the back end by one large back office to systemize and create efficiencies to fuel the business,

I think our competitors are doing the same thing, and that’s why they’re buying up all these companies. And they are being consolidated in the showrooms. In the next few years, I hope there will be new artists and companies emerging as well. We have been fortunate to represent many of them, but there are always new talents popping up.

It takes a large group to make a home beautiful. Great designers are the leaders, and we want to be led by them and provide them the support they need.

3 – What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

I have three kids- twins 16 and a 12-year-old; most of my time outside of work is around what they do and their friends and parents. I like to host people, and I love cooking. My daughter was making fun of me that there are only two things I focus on. I do an excellent Paella, and then I also do homemade tortillas for tacos, etc. I like doing things that are simple but look hard to do!

When I cook, I enjoy the whole process of shopping at the small, specialty grocery stores and will often stop at five to six different places to source the ingredients, like what the great interior designers do when putting together a room!

4 – What is your favorite pattern from our line textile or wallcovering?

First and foremost, your combination of techniques- block printing with embroidery, is something that I have always admired. Specifically, I’m a big fan of your pattern Pacific- it’s textural and easy to use. I would call that subtle luxury because it’s very quiet from afar, but the closer you get, the more detail you notice, and it’s versatile and can be used in every project. Being a fan of geometrics, your new product, Yarmouth- available as wallcovering and textile, is my favorite of your geometric organics.

We’ve had a long relationship, but the great thing about our relationship is that we are new in some parts. We just started working together in New York, which we are excited about. There is nothing more important than a long-term relationship, and we are happy to continue that with you and your company.