WILLA BY DESIGN
Vintage Dress from Willa’s Own Collection Earrings by Jenny Dayco from www.jennydayco.com
Willa Ford has spent a lifetime exploring what it means to be a creative. Having been raised in Ruskin, Florida, she began singing in the Tampa Bay Children’s Choir at the age of eight—she eventually became a soloist before leaving for Los Angeles as a teenager. The singer first broke into the music scene in 2001 as the self-proclaimed “Bad Girl of Pop” with the release of her debut album, Willa Was Here. Playing Anna Nicole Smith in The Anna Nicole Smith Story in 2007 made her a household name, and introduced a transition into acting. In 2011, Willa’s career took a turn that left her questioning what she wanted to do with her life. The following year, she launched WFord Interiors, an LA-based design firm. As the Founder and Head Designer, her love for interior design is fueled by an inherent passion for style and people, allowing her to exercise a broad range of aesthetics for her clients. Willa and her husband, retired NFL player turned venture capitalist Ryan Nece, have a son who is just under four years old—with a strong sense of family and home, her work embodies a conscious authenticity that is attainable by all who are willing to discover it within themselves.
ER What has been the most significant/influential moment of your life thus far?
WF I take my life in sections. It’s the only way I can really explain it. I would start with my base, which is my upbringing. I grew up on a farm, so I’m extremely connected and grounded to the simple things. Obviously, I was very aware of the nicer things and the finer things as life changed and evolved for me. But, singlehandedly, I think the most pivotal and important thing as far as my trajectory goes is probably how I grew up.
ER How has your career evolution impacted your outlook/perspective?
WF One of the greatest parts of my journey has been the roller coaster ride—I’ve really been able to embrace changes. My pop career was fun, it was amazing, and it was so fast. There was just so much happening around me at that time, and it’s really hard to take it in while it’s happening to you. But then there was a time where I could step back, really appreciate it, and see the big picture, and I thought, “Okay, I feel like I kind of want to close that door.” Sometimes I think doors close because we want them to, sometimes that’s the universe. Another door will open if we choose to walk through. For me, I transitioned from a pop singer to an actress, then went into interior design—I just live my life with the ups and downs as they’re all meant to happen.
ER In what ways has your diversely creative career enhanced and educated your design aesthetic and abilities?
WF I was some girl off the farm and I never saw the world, which my pop career allowed me to do. It also allowed me to stay in fancy hotels and learn about finer things. That whole time, I was a sponge. Don’t get me wrong, I still stayed in my share of Holiday Inns, but there were extraordinary moments where I got to see beautiful things that as a girl on the farm I would have never had a chance to see. That really influenced me getting into design because I recognized that I had a passion and appreciation for putting these things together—it warms my heart because every single thing that goes in your home is somebody’s form of art.
Vintage Dress from Willa’s Own Collection Ring by Jenny Dayco from www.jennydayco.com
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ER Tell us about how good interior design reflects the people living within the space, and how you achieve that for your clients.
WF Designing is my art, but you have to check your ego at the door. You must listen to your client, learn about them, find out who they are, what makes them tick. You need to know the person who is living there because, ultimately, they are going to be in that home. So many clients have reached out to me and said, “Thank goodness we did what we did,” because they’ve been stuck at home with COVID. There’s a fine balance between telling people they’re making a wrong decision and influencing them with design—knowing them helps you know what is going to suit them best.
ER How have you seen trends shift with current societal tides?
WF The way clients think now about their home is completely changing, and it’s going to continue to shift. We started doing virtual design, which is fine, but it’s not my favorite—I am a really hands-on designer. But I think we’re going to see a transition in response to how people live their lives now, and I need to keep all my employees safe at the same time. Now, we’ll do everything virtually, have it all shipped, then we come in for about three days and do nothing but install in our masks. You have to be there to get that last 25% done—that’s the touch of an interior designer coming into your home.
ER How is your brand growing?
WF There’re a couple of things. I have my first collaboration on a furniture line that I’m working on. We’re going back and forth on that, and I’ll be seeing the first piece next month. We are getting into commercial spaces, which will be long-term rentals—sort of hotel-esk. But with everything happening, I think that’s going to turn into Airbnb-style buildings. We are currently working on these historical buildings, one in Hollywood and one in Santa Monica, that are really incredible. That was one of our goals (to get into large commercial projects), and now we are actually doing that.
Vintage Bodysuit from Willa’s Own Collection Earrings by Jenny Dayco from www.jennydayco.com Necklace by Jenny Dayco from www.jennydayco.com
ER What grabs your attention?
WF While checking your ego at the door is important, when a client has a really interesting property and says, “I don’t know what to do with it, but I know that you’re going to come up with something,” and lets me go, I feel like it’s my best work. I would much rather somebody give me that kind of a project than somebody to say, “Here’s my Pinterest board—could you recreate this?” I love projects where I get to really reach and stretch my muscles, and be pushed to my ultimate limit. That sets the bar and tells me what I can do.
ER How do you hit the reset button?
WF By going back to my roots. I’m from the country and live in the city, but we have a cabin in the woods. Going there brings everything back into perspective, because I’m in a business that’s constantly spending money—it’s a consumer industry. To strip it all away and have a moment to myself to reconnect to the earth, that translates into my work because then I go back with new perspective and ask myself how necessary pieces are. You don’t have to have the finest of everything. Less can be more. My personal reset and upbringing allow me to not just spend to spend—in today’s market, we need to be really thoughtful where we spend our money, who we spend our money with, and think about how it impacts the earth.
Suit by BCBGMAXAZRIA from www.bcbg.com Top by Phillip Lim from www.31philliplim.com Belt by BCBGMAXAZRIA from www.bcbg.com Earrings by Jenny Dayco from www.jennydayco.com
ER What methods reflect your convictions when sourcing interior décor?
WF Here’s an example: I ask myself, “Does it make more sense for me to make a custom sofa from scratch or to find an original and recover?” What’re the emissions and how does this choice effect our earth? I hit a wall with a lot of people who don’t want anything old in their house, but you can breathe renewed life into a piece so it feels new. Sourcing locally gives back to your local economy. Volume makes a difference. Take hotels for instance—there’s a lot of volume, so if you make the decision to start thinking in a sustainable way, your impact is quite large. It’s definitely more work, but I really believe in that sustainable life.
ER Share how you are leaving your mark.
WF People think everybody wants to be famous, and I disagree. The number one thing I’m doing to leave my mark is raising a really good boy—that’s my most important job, and even more so today with everything that’s going on. We’re a biracial family. I am raising a son that is somewhere caught in the in-between, and he’s a male. It’s my job as a mother to create a child that leads with kindness and the right intent. One of the biggest things that my husband and I have talked about during this time is the intent behind anything we want to say. People fight each other on social media about their stances, but what’s the intent behind it? If you’re not leading with kindness, I don’t care what side you’re on and what you’re arguing because the truth is never rude. People may not understand, and you need to educate them. It’s important to teach our kids to just be kind and truthful, and you can get your point across by doing so. We need change, we need love, we need each other!
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Features Contributor Elisabeth Ross
Photographer Josh Williams
Stylist Jenny Dayco
Hair Scott King with The Only Agency using Oribe
Makeup Anthony Merante
Assistant Michael Vogue
Josh Williams
Photographer
Josh grew up right outside of New Orleans and has taken his love for its culture anywhere he goes. He started his dream in photography in Sarasota, Florida at Ringling College of Art and Design. Directly after, he moved to Los Angeles, California, where he began building his photography career. After 10 years in Los Angeles, Josh has relocated back to the New Orleans area, but continues to travel, finding the beauty in everything he photographs.
