For Robin Wilson (SCPS ’04), Home Is Where the Heart Is

Robin Wilson (SCPS ’04) is CEO of Robin Wilson Home.

Good advice can be hard to follow. But for NYU alumna Robin Wilson (SCPS ’04), taking a piece of sound advice became the cornerstone of her success after graduation. It was a casual and brief meeting with NYU Professor Matthew Sheehy that first set her on the path to becoming who she is today—one of the most sought-after home design entrepreneurs in the country.

When Sheehy encouraged Wilson, a student in his class at the time, to venture out of her comfort zone, he would have never guessed that it was this advice that would lay the foundation of her future and inspire the eventual launch of her award-winning brand, Robin Wilson Home.

“Working in real estate was always a dream of mine. I used to read the real estate pages like people read sports,” said Wilson. “And at NYU, I was given the encouragement I needed to fulfill my dream and become an entrepreneur.”

Wilson has loved all things pertaining to the home since childhood, something that should come as no surprise given that she is the fourth generation of a real estate family. An early glimpse into her family’s properties ignited her imagination. At the age of seven, her great grandfather brought her to visit a block of shot-gun shacks—small studio-like homes built for oil workers— he was renovating. He asked her what color to paint them, and the subsequent transformation of these properties into a young girl’s Easter-egg-colored dream was seminal.

“It was the first time I realized that I had the ability to create something,” said Wilson. “It also made me understand that it doesn’t matter how much money you have. Your home can still be a pleasant refuge, a real home.”

The first dwelling Wilson worked on was her own. As a child growing up in Austin, Texas, she enlisted the help of her brother to regularly reconfigure the rooms in their house. “We’d move the furniture around and my mother would come home and say, ‘No. Put it back now!’” she said.

Wilson first tried to break into the real estate business while completing her graduate study at NYU’s Real Estate Institute and balancing a career as a headhunter. But in this male-dominated field, she encountered obstacles at every turn, including being repeatedly rejected as a creative leader and often relegated to jobs as a real estate broker, which were viewed as more suitable for women. Undeterred, she remembered Sheehy’s vote of confidence and continued working to carve her own niche.

“The series of professors I had at NYU pushed me to find my passion,” said Wilson. “They encouraged experimentation and gave me the confidence to challenge myself.”

In just a few short years, Wilson launched her own brand. As CEO of Robin Wilson Home, a premier renovation, project management, and design firm, she focuses on creating spaces that are elegant as well as eco-friendly.

“Learning to trust myself and my instincts was huge,” said Wilson. “When you try to start something new, you have 5,000 doubters saying, ‘You can’t do that.’ I never know if I can, but I do know I’m going to try.”

No project is too large or too small for her thorough, hands-on approach. And her unique styling combined with superb craftsmanship have garnered her a portfolio of projects that include former President Clinton’s Harlem offices, multimillion-dollar penthouses, and even a 400-square foot studio. Wilson is now a sought-after expert, who has been featured in Oprah Magazine, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Daily News, and the Chicago Tribune, and who has appeared on ABC, CBS, NBC, and CNN.

Named as one of The New York Post’s 50 most powerful women, Wilson is also the national spokeswoman for Hearst Magazine’s home and shelter division, which includes such titles as O at Home, House Beautiful, Veranda, Town & Country, Country Living, Good Housekeeping, and Smart Money. Recently, Wilson was called upon by Esquire Magazine to help create the ultimate bachelor apartment on Central Park North. Wilson is currently writing a book that expands her vision of bringing chic, efficient, and eco-friendly design solutions to the general public.

Never one to sacrifice style, Wilson’s use of sustainable, recycled, and energy efficient products integrates a respect for the environment with a passion for design. Her interiors are timeless yet modern, and are characterized by their elegance and calm, as well as by their use of the smartest and most efficient home solutions to maximize space and budget.

“The best part of my job is when people walk into a new space and their eyes light up because they know they’re home,” said Wilson.

To learn more about eco-friendly living and Robin Wilson, visit www.robinwilsonhome.com.

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