Between splendiferous and fanciful – An inside look into Fine and Dandy Co.

Bound by the same passion, Shelley Weinreb, Carla Morano and Jill Steinberg joined forces in 2016 to create Fine and Dandy Co. Having launched at this year’s Interior Design Show, we had the pleasure to meet the ladies who created this unique commercial wallcovering that pays homage to Victorian, Mid-Century, Art Deco, Art Nouveau, Post-Modern, Gothic and Modern Art genre. Not only do their commercial wallcoverings elude beauty and quality, their visual identity is strongly represented throughout their entire brand. Fascinated by Fine and Dandy Co.’s story, we explore the brand in an exclusive interview with Chief operating officer Jill Steinberg.

Fine & Dandy Co. tips its hat to classic, timeless design, and re-imagines it.

Unfold: Describe in one sentence what you do.

Jill Steinberg:  We are purveyors of fine wallcoverings and dandy designs, who transform rooms into experiences and take people places they’ve only imagined.

U: How long has your company been in business? Tell us a bit about your company, its mission, goals.

JS: Fine & Dandy has been a dream in the making ever since the three of us found ourselves living in the same Art Deco building over a decade ago, bound by a shared passion for the same variety of strange beauty. We recently reunited to form Fine & Dandy Co., combining our collective expertise in advertising & creative design, consumer goods, interior styling and desire to create products that aren’t available anywhere else. After a year of designing a wallcovering collection that falls somewhere between splendiferous and fanciful, we recently launched at the Interior Design Show this year.

U: What’s your superpower?

JS: Our superpower is creative storytelling and knowing how the right wallcovering can make any room feel grand.

U: What is your target market?

JS: Interior Designers, Architects, Real Estate Developers or anyone who wants to transform a space

U: What influences your industry?

JS: We can’t speak for the entire design industry (who has the strength?!!) but we can tell you that we’re influenced by everything from nature, history and architecture, to music, films, and even our children. They designed two of our wallcoverings for the junior set and have a starring role on our website fineanddandycompany.com.

U: How did you know your visual identity was the right fit for your company?

JS: We combined symbols that represented us individually and as a creative entity to form our logo. Each element has a significance and meaning to us and this was particularly important to us because of the serendipitous nature of Fine & Dandy Co.’s formation and reason for being.

U: Why is brand important for your company, and in what ways is it executed?

JS: We have a specific voice and perspective and weave that into every design and piece of content we create.

We are undeniably ourselves and this is very much a part of how we create our brand.

U: How has your brand evolved/adapted in time?

JS: Our brand has definitely evolved since its inception, and continues to do so. We are enjoying the journey immensely and look so forward to where it will lead!

U: Is there anything you haven’t yet tackled, but want to do soon?

JS: We’re barely out of the gate and we want to do it all! But right now, our focus is on making more rooms feel grand using our debut collection of murals and wallcoverings. We’re incredibly grateful for the attention we’ve been getting from design media like Canadian House and Home, ORIGIN, and Interior Design magazines and are taking it all in stride as we remain focused and follow our passion.

U: What are some of the biggest mistakes you see new companies make in search for their identity? Can you offer any tips you have learned for new companies to consider when creating their identity?

JS: When you build a brand you live and breathe all aspects of it. There’s a tendency to want to change things up because internal fatigue of the brand materials can set in.

It takes hard work and patience to build an identity and consistency is key, so just because you may have grown weary of looking at the same thing(s), consumers haven’t.

It takes time to build awareness and recognition. Keep things simple and establish your voice and point of view before you change things up dramatically. Once you have found your brand identity and are happy with it, run with it for a while.