West Elm serves as communal hub for celebrating local creativity and craft

The furniture and decor you choose to make your place a home are personal, on many levels. West Elm, with two local retail stores, has searched out Las Vegas artists to make you feel even more at home with your interior design purchase.

In Nevada, home means wood, canvas and other furnishings from local artists that are motivated by their environment, said Nicole Sutliff, director of public relations for West Elm, which has stores at The District at Green Valley Ranch and Downtown Summerlin.

“Before opening a store, we have a team dedicated to growing our local initiative,” she said. “They seek out inspiring and quality makers and designers that align with West Elm’s aesthetic and mission to promote community and consciousness.

“Now that the Downtown Summerlin store is open, the store’s (general manager) will be responsible for connecting with other makers and designers in the community and its surrounding areas to grow and refresh the store’s local assortment.”

Kerm Sablan was working construction for more than a decade before he was laid off four years ago. To make ends meet, he started making custom furniture from reclaimed wood in his backyard in Henderson. His wife, Nicole, and their six children, ranging from 9 to 19 years of age, helped him build his word-of-mouth business.

“I wouldn’t call myself a carpenter — more of a builder and designer,” the 39-year-old said. “I found a lot of upcycled wood when I was unemployed and started making (furniture) and selling it on Craigslist. After that, it was people just talking and sharing my information and we were happy to have that.”

For three years, as he and his wife looked for work, they sold their handmade wood tables and other designed furnishings to locals. He began working with a glass designer, Blue Marble, who referred him to West Elm. After completing a local artist’s pop-up event, West Elm asked him to create some pieces for West Elm at The District in Green Valley Ranch location.

“It was exciting, and a lot of work,” he said.

He is drawn to upcycled material for his pieces, which are now available at both Southern Nevada locations.

“There is so much character, history to the wood that I use and that I can find,” he said. “There is a story to every piece. You can’t just go and buy this wood and make a piece for your home. The wood is weathered, distressed in such a way. It’s got its own feel.”

The Sablans are still surprised at their luck.

“I never saw this as a full-time thing,” said Sablan, who continues to work in construction.

“Since being with West Elm, it’s been good,” Sablan said. “My wife comes out and helps me work more than before because we are getting more and more work. We did this together. Now if we sell more work, we might have to quit our (day) jobs. That would be great. It’s been pretty great.”

Finding local artists also has been a boon to West Elm. Locals are connecting with artists that speak to their sense of home.

“The Las Vegas and Summerlin customer base has loved the local assortment of art and handcrafted pieces,” said Nathan Dehaan, general manager of West Elm Downtown Summerlin. “Customers consistently take a moment to look through the local items and read about the local makers. This is just one of the many ways that West Elm is committed to engaging with our community.”

Las Vegas-based artist and illustrator Anna See is highlighted at the front desk of West Elm Downtown Summerlin. Her birds and nature-inspired art have resonated with locals, Dehaan said.

While See is still working on other pieces, the West Elm immersion has been an interesting part of her career.

“I am excited for any products of mine that they choose to carry, but I am particularly excited about one of the rejected ideas for the West Elm tote bag, featuring an array of Nevada animals, that was able to get new life as an exclusive print only available at West Elm Summerlin,” See said.

Her muse is more than the landscape or Las Vegas. Her tote bags invoke a sense of an untouched rural Nevada.

“I am greatly inspired by nature, specifically what I see in nature — the colors, the shapes, practically everything, including all kinds of animals, people and the human form,” she said. “I love simplified, clean design, and the flat aesthetic of artists like Mucha, all art nouveau, the Renaissance man that is Da Vinci, interesting shape designs of Poiret, Erte, fashion illustration, Hokusai, Hiroshige, Japanese wood block prints, and perhaps my biggest aesthetic inspiration, the great Charley Harper and the vintage graphic aesthetic. But, honestly, anything and everything can be a source of inspiration!”

The longtime local artist had been working with West Elm when the store first came to Nevada. She has an exclusive print available only at West Elm Downtown Summerlin, featuring an array of Nevada animals.

“What is absolutely wonderful is the respect West Elm gives toward small micro-businesses like myself and the willingness to support and shine a spotlight on local makers,” See said. “At the end of the day, it is always an artist’s wish for more people to be able to view and enjoy one’s artwork.”

If local artists are interested, West Elm is always looking for new local artists for their shops. Go to WElocal@wsgc.com for more information.