Information about "Artful Home"

About Us

Our Company

Artful Home connects artists and art lovers, offering the most significant online collection of juried and curated fine art and craft by North American artists. Through our catalogs and website, Artful Home provides vital connections between artists and those looking to acquire their work.

Founded as The Guild as an art publishing company in 1985, Artful Home today offers art buyers 14,000 original works of art direct from the studios of 1,200 leading artists.

In addition, Artful Home’s Trade Professional Program offers interior designers, architects, art consultants, and corporate clients a convenient source for finding commissionable artists and exclusive trade discounts.

Our Mission

Our mission is to bring ease and accessibility to the ownership and enjoyment of beautiful things, art to live with. We believe that when you live with art that you love, and it's made by a gifted artist with skill and care, it adds something rich and sweet to your life, every day.

Our Artwork

What is original art? It can be the painting over your couch, but it can also be your coffee cup, your bathroom mirror, a piece of clothing or your wedding ring. When any of these objects is made with care by a skilled and talented artist, it surely is a work of art.

Regardless of price or medium, all artwork is reviewed and selected by an advisory panel headed by Michael Monroe, former curator-in-charge of the Smithsonian Institution's Renwick Gallery. The jurying process represents an ironclad commitment to our customers that artwork offered through The Guild is of the highest quality and integrity.

Our selection of more than 14,000 works of art is sourced from artists throughout North America.

Our Roots

In 1985, Toni Sikes launched The Guild, a publishing company with the mission of helping artists market and sell their work. The annual Guild Sourcebooks featured photographs of artists' works and are distributed to designers and architects. Guild Sourcebooks resulted in thousands of art commissions for public and private spaces and were recognized by design professionals as "the industry standard."

In 1992, The Guild added coffee-table and how-to books to its publishing line, allowing many artists to present their artwork in bookstores throughout North America. By the mid-1990s, The Guild had become a well-known brand in the design trades, forged strong relationships with thousands of artists, and built a reputation of quality and integrity. Sikes wanted to expand The Guild's market reach to consumers and began looking for another medium.

With the advent of the Internet, the possibility of bringing original artwork to anyone, anywhere arrived. The launch of the guild.com website and catalog in 1999 gave consumers access for the first time to Guild artists, who personally make and ship all items directly to buyers. The Guild renamed the catalog to Artful Home in 2004, and renamed the website shortly thereafter.

Today, both catalogs and website offer a variety of original art and fine craft for the home, for personal adornment, and for gifts. Every day, new pieces arrive on the site, in limited production or as one-of-a-kind works. Art glass, sculpture, furniture, lighting and work for the wall form the foundation of the collection, while Artful Home's recently expanded selection of artist-made apparel offers dramatic alternatives in comfortable clothing for women with a distinct sense of style. The annual Holiday ornament collection is the largest offering available, with exquisite handmade ornaments.

With the company focused fully on offering original art directly to customers, Guild Sourcebooks are no longer published.

Our Team

Lisa Bayne, CEO

Lisa Bayne drives the vision, strategy, and marketing of Artful Home and The Guild. A former executive vice president and chief marketing officer at J. Jill, Bayne was responsible for direct (both catalog and online), retail, and brand marketing. Prior to J. Jill, Bayne served as senior vice president of brand for the Gymboree Corporation and senior vice president of marketing for Smith & Hawken. She also held numerous executive-level positions at Eddie Bauer, including, most recently, senior vice president of creative services and brand marketing. Bayne holds a bachelor's degree in textiles and fine arts from the California College of the Arts (CCA) in Oakland, California, and an associate's degree in fashion design from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles, California.

Bill Lathrop, Vice President of Finance

Bill Lathrop, Vice President of Finance and Operations, is responsible for finance and accounting, information systems, warehousing and fulfillment, as well as customer care. Lathrop started his career in public accounting with a large, mid-western CPA firm where he specialized in banking, agri-business and systems consulting. Bill then joined a client, North Farm Cooperative (a distributor of natural foods), as Controller and he eventually assumed the responsibilities of General Manager. In 2001, Bill took a sabbatical to become a working artist, a landscape painter. His work was carried by galleries in Miami, Minneapolis and Door County Wisconsin and he had several residencies through the National Park Service. Lathrop holds a bachelors degree in political science and accounting from the University of Wisconsin Whitewater. In 2011 he earned his certification as a management accountant (CMA).

Our Board

Scott Potter, Chairman

Scott Potter is the founding managing partner of San Francisco Equity Partners. In his career as a private equity investor, CEO, and advisor, Potter has been involved in more than 75 private equity financings, 20 public offerings, and 15 merger and acquisitions transactions. He currently serves as chairman of The Guild, and on the boards of directors for MCF Corporation, Method Products, Penguin Computing, Rave Motion Pictures, and Modviz, Inc. Prior to founding SFEP, Potter served as a managing director of LMS Capital, the private equity arm of London Merchant Securities plc, where he oversaw LMS Capital's North American Private Equity and Venture Capital portfolio. Potter holds a juris doctor degree from UC Berkeley's Boalt Hall School of Law and a bachelor's degree in industrial psychology from the University of California at Berkeley.

Richard Brekka

Richard Brekka founded Dolphin Equity Partners in 1998. Brekka is chairman of the board of Gomez, Inc. and a board member of Enpocket, Inc., Epic Cycle Interactive, The Guild, InQ, Island Data Corporation, and SeaPass Solutions Inc., which are Dolphin-portfolio companies. Brekka has specialized in software as a service, mobile content, communication services, and Internet investing for nearly 15 years. Prior to founding Dolphin, Brekka was a managing director of CIBC's private equity investment unit and the president of CIBC's U.S. private equity investment subsidiaries. Brekka holds a bachelor's degree in finance from the University of Southern California and a master's degree in business administration from the University of Chicago.

David Mannix

David Mannix is a Vice President at San Francisco Equity Partners, focusing on investments in the consumer products, consumer services and business services industries. David works closely with SFEP's portfolio companies and serves on the board of directors of The Guild, Zoom Eyeworks, and Penguin Computing.  Prior to joining SFEP, David was a Principal at The BearFund, a private equity pledge fund focused on investing in small California-based businesses. At The BearFund, David was responsible for sourcing and evaluating investment opportunities in the consumer products, business services and manufacturing industries. David also provided independent consulting services to the portfolio companies of several private equity funds in the San Francisco Bay Area. Before his experience at The BearFund, David was an Associate at Castanea Partners, a middle-market private equity fund. At Castanea, David focused on evaluating and executing new investments in multiple industries, as well as working closely with the management teams of portfolio companies such as Fuze Beverage and Integrity Interactive. David began his career in investment banking as an Analyst with RBC Capital Markets, where he advised clients on various transactions including mergers and acquisitions, public financings and private placements. David earned an MBA with Honors from the University of California at Berkeley and a BA in Economics from Stanford University.

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You may contact specific departments within The Guild by emailing the addresses below.

Customer Care: info@artfulhome.com
Public Relations: publicrelations@artfulhome.com 

SOurce http://www.artfulhome.com/servlet/Guild/AboutGuildPage