Olu Wimalasena, the Owner of Blooms & Butterflies, is one of the many who are excitedly looking forward to the bright and elegant future of interior design. Sri Lankan cultural and native design principles and the sophisticated beauty entailed in all magnificent detailing finally see global stages. Finally, they receive the attention and recognition they should have all along. 

In her eyes, interior design in terms of local principles is progressing rapidly. However, she believes that there is more hidden potential that the industry is yet to tap into. It takes one to indeed have a front-row seat to the wonders implemented by years and years of experience gained by working with various talented individuals. According to her, when Sri Lankan designs surface, there is truly nothing to compare to, given that we add colours and texture that sets us apart from the rest of the world.

Olu says that she gradually entered the Apparel Manufacturing Sector by narrating her success story. With the support of her husband, who was a prominent personality in the industry, and her children she got herself into a venture that would gain her recognition for her abilities. After setting her sights on identifying voids in the industry, the area of local markets for baby nurseries caught her attention, and Blooms & Butterflies was able to rectify the situation. 

The initial design and the creative details that complemented it helped the brand stand out effortlessly, as she confirmed, “Art plays a massive role in my life and my brand. It has been an outlet for me my entire life. I have always believed that one should do what they love for a living, and I’ve been lucky in that. “

In terms of the culture filled with an abundance of love in Blooms & Butterflies, Olu and the team are renowned for their speciality in catering to newborn babies and parents who are expecting. In her opinion, this specific side of the industry includes ‘a lot of cosiness and light.’ 

“I love the tradition of storytelling; it brings families together and plays an integral part in a child’s development,” stated the protagonist, wording the role played by Blooms & Butterflies in a newborn’s life. 

“It is my firm belief that cultivating imagination at an early age leads to well-rounded adults capable of thinking outside the box. In my small way, I hope my work contributes to this by helping children develop their imaginations at a very young age.” Then, backed by the creativity of Olu and the team, the parents are encouraged to treat the babies to bedtime stories using the original designs and characters in her drawings. “That creates memorable moments for parents and helps babies develop their imaginations almost from birth,” added Olu, joyfully and confidently.

The store itself focuses primarily on the journey of motherhood filled with many new decisions to make, assisting parents in picking out the best for their child. Olu dedicates her time to conducting experiments with shades of light, prints, and designs to create a soothing and welcoming atmosphere for the newborn. Moreover, she also allows comfort, relaxation, and an abundance of love to the parents who trust her with the job of designing their new baby’s homeroom. The team, of course, is ready to cater to the personalised needs of the parents, making sure that these families and their new babies receive a relaxing and memorable set of first experiences.

In her opinion, functionality is more important than form when it comes to this specific side of the industry. Maintenance is especially difficult for parents with a newborn child; they will tend to the baby’s care with the extra time. Therefore, whatever she tends to, Olu makes sure that her designs are easy to maintain and do not need much attention to stay clean and taken care of. Thus, Blooms & Butterflies designs are easy to use, easy to work with, and manufactured to avoid adding any more pressure on the exhausted parents or the new child. In addition, Blooms & Butterflies pays special attention to the quality of their products, making sure they last as long as possible with as little attention necessary.

As much as the best of interior designing is yet to come, the most challenging times are also ahead of us, as per Olu’s point of view. According to her, the development of existing interior design methods and the continuous emergence of new ideas and concepts open doors for more complex projects. The protagonist believes that changes are fast-paced, brought along by the availability of ideas, abilities, technology, and creativity and are full of demands that need to be met. 

While multi-functionality is promoted, living spaces are getting smaller simultaneously, given the population and land/space scarcity. In Olu’s opinion, the undiscovered elements such as environmental issues and the increasing interest in integrating AI into daily life will irreversibly alter the way we engage with our living surroundings. All these challenges that come with changing times and necessities also come with different demands that must be met by interior designers practically and efficiently. According to Olu, reaching those timely limits that such requests may push interior designers will effortlessly make them problem solvers, eventually finding ways to adapt to innovative living spaces and deliver what customers need.