Willkommen

Welcome to Art Haus Design, a blog created for those interested in international design and artist driven merchandise.

My life is in transition.  I have been married for less than 3 months and in that short time my husband has been offered a research fellowship in Berlin, Germany.  It sounds exciting, like a dream come true, so why the apprehension?  As it turns out, it is harder to leave a career you have spent the last 10 years building than you might think.

I am leaving my job as the head buyer for the Virginia Museum of Fine Art Shop, in Richmond, VA.  This is the job I have dreamed of since I figured out it was a job someone actually got paid to do.  I have been in museum retail for 10 years doing everything from inventory control to floor management, visual merchandising to buying and all the other little duties that keep museum shops running.  I carefully crafted the merchandise identity for the newly renovated VMFA Shop.  Focusing on our artist driven mission, I built our store on a mix of traditional museum store products, artist made pieces and cutting edge design that cut across price points, cultures, and personal taste.

I have decided to use my expertise in a new way while I am overseas.  I am going to show you how the other half lives, the European world of design.  Through this blog you will see how they use artistry, design and culture to create influential product and merchandising trends that will affect the future of our business.

Willkommen!