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OUR FOUNDER, ERIN

The Story Behind Mulberry & Oak

Home has always been more than a place to me. It is where we seek comfort after long days, gather with the people we love, celebrate life's milestones, and find moments of rest in between. The spaces we inhabit shape our routines, influence our

Erin, founder of Mulberry & Oak Interiors a business that makes custom lampshades located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

wellbeing, and become the backdrop to our most meaningful memories. That belief has guided every chapter of my career and ultimately led to the creation of Mulberry & Oak Interiors.

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My earliest experience in design didn't begin in beautiful homes. It began in nursing homes. Working closely with older adults while caring for my own father during the final years of his life gave me a profound appreciation for the ways our surroundings influence comfort, dignity, and quality of life. I saw firsthand that the design of a room could offer reassurance, encourage connection, and make difficult days a little easier. Long before I understood the language of design, I understood that the places we live matter.

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That perspective stayed with me as I moved into the construction and renovation of senior living communities. Working alongside architects, builders, and project teams showed me how decisions that can seem small on paper, from the layout of a room to the quality of its natural light, change the experience of living there. It was here that my appreciation for the relationship between design, craft, and daily life began to deepen.

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Wanting to understand that relationship more fully, I pursued a Master's degree in Industrial Design, followed by accreditation in the WELL Building Standard. My studies gave structure to something I had already witnessed throughout my career: our surroundings affect how we think, feel, and live. Good design is not simply about appearance. At its best, it makes everyday life better.

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Over the years, I have worked in luxury residential interiors, renovated and restored homes, and designed spaces where beauty and function have to coexist. Again and again, I have found that the rooms people remember are rarely defined by a trend or a perfectly finished scheme. They are the rooms people want to stay in: the ones that invite us to gather, linger, and enjoy the life taking place within them.

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Mulberry & Oak Interiors grew from that belief. Lighting is one of the most influential, yet often overlooked, elements of a home. It changes color, reveals texture, defines atmosphere, and alters how a room feels from morning to evening. A well-proportioned textile shade does far more than conceal a light source; it becomes part of the composition of the room itself.

Every collection begins with a sketch in my Edmonton studio. I work through proportion, silhouette, textile, and hardware together because none of them exists in isolation once the fixture is hanging in a room. Our shades are sewn by hand in the studio and built over frames produced by Canadian makers, while our luminaires are developed with the same attention to scale, material, and detail.

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Outside the studio, I'm happiest spending time with my husband and our two young girls. They remind me every day that a home is ultimately defined not by the things we put into it, but by the life that happens there. That remains at the heart of Mulberry & Oak.

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