Artisans And: A New Design Emporium from a Mother and Son Duo in Columbus, Ohio

It’s been a busy 10 years for Brooks William. After transferring from Princeton to Parsons The New School to study design and management, he went on to work for a number of luminaries in the interiors world, including Kelly Wearstler and Michael Smith in LA, Robert Couturier in NYC, and Steven Volpe in SF.

During that time, Brooks’s parents relocated from Lexington, Kentucky, where he grew up, to Columbus, Ohio. In Columbus, Brooks spotted an available street-front space in a 1920s building on the corner of Gay and High Streets, “the epicenter of downtown,” and saw an opportunity to take his next step. “Opening a store has always been a dream of mine,” he tells us, “championing artists and things made by hand is at the heart of what I do.”

Brooks, who is 31, also found a business partner: his mother, Lisa Barger, formerly ran her own insurance brokerage and before that did home staging. She was all in. Artisans &, their newly opened emporium, presents their favorite high-style, handmade home accessories, from vintage Nantucket baskets to a Brooklyn friend’s spatterware, each accompanied by an origin story. Stay tuned for the online shop; better yet, stop in and allow Brooks and Lisa to help you find what you’re looking for.

Photography courtesy of Artisans & (@artisans_and).

Above: Originally home to Loftis Brothers and Co. jewelers, the space later housed a bank and was most recently, Brooks reports, “a carpeted and gray and sad-looking phone store.” He and Lisa spent six months peeling back the layers and introducing custom shelves and tables.

The goods on offer include David Mellor cutlery and tableware from the UK—”since the 1950s, they’ve been creating finely crafted objects meant for everyday use rather than just decoration,” notes Brooks. The number-shaped beeswax birthday candles are by Waxing Moon, a one-woman atelier in Missoula, Montana. The ladder displays block-printed tablecloths from Studio Ford of Los Angeles.

Above: The Art Deco building was a bank in 1984, when this photograph was taken. “This historic space, with its timeless architectural details, perfectly embodies our celebration of artistry and mindful living,” writes Brooks. He spent many days in the downtown public library pouring over old maps, plans, and photos of the site several of which now hang in the shop. Above: Baina towels of organic cotton made in Portugal are displayed on shelves of ebonized oak. The walls are painted a burgundy called Prunus from Argile of France: “We wanted the space to feel warm and the colors to engulf you,” says Brooks. Above: A David Mellor rosewood cheese set on a Studio Ford tablecloth. Above: Brooks collaborated with ceramic artist Daisy Gebbia-Richards to create the shop’s own spatterware collection in cobalt and jade, which has become Artisans &’s bestseller. “The pieces are hand-thrown and all slightly unique; they’re also dishwasher safe. Daisy and I met while I was living in Brooklyn Heights a few years ago and became close friends. We gave her her first large wholesale order.”

The placemats, $35, are woven from hand-harvested English bulrush by Remodelista favorite Rush Matters, Felicity Irons’s workshop: “I love that these are sort of living objects in that the rush initially appears green in tone and fades to a gorgeous golden honey over time,” says Brooks. “When we opened our first order, the smell was like being in the English countryside.”

Above: Brooks modeled the back wall cabinet after a piece in an English stately home—but gave it adjustable shelves à la the ones in a Jacques Grange study and a stainless steel countertop “to modernize the look.”

The 8-foot-long draper’s table is one of two made from reclaimed wood: Brooks and Lisa got word from their millworker that a barn had fallen in Johnstown, Ohio, and hand picked the boards themselves.

Above: Peter Sheldon’s Farmhouse tableware is handmade in downtown LA. Above: Studio Ford quilts, block-printed and hand-sewn in Rajasthan, are displayed with linen placemats by Chiarastella Cattan of Venice and a Maison De Vacances plaid tablecloth. Above: Brooks reports that after leasing the space, they spent the first month and a half excavating the original travertine and marble floor—”several contractors tried to discourage us; a special shout-out to my mother who was very determined and one of the first to work over the floor herself.” The upshot: 90 percent was perfect and problem patches are concealed by two area rugs.

The wooden shop counter came out of a textile factory in the Netherlands.

Above: Mother and son on opening day. A web shop is in the works and Brooks is offering his interior design services–contact him at studio@artisans-and.com. He’s remodeling a house in nearby German Village to become his living quarters as well as the Studio Artisans & workspace and showroom. Photograph by Nina Lynch.

Artisans & is located at 56 N High Street in Columbus, Ohio.

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