Gracious Home Adds 2 to Creative Team

November 11, 2015  by in Designer Weekly   

Designer China Young has been named creative director, and  Carianne Hynes has been named divisional merchandise manager. Both report to Dottie Mattison, CEO.

“China’s proven track record in creating innovative products and business opportunities, and Cari’s extensive luxury home goods background, complement our existing team and align with our commitment to providing expertly curated merchandise that customers can’t find anywhere else,” Mattison said. “Further, China’s expertise in private label will be instrumental as we build our own Gracious Home branded products, while Cari’s early digital experience will prove extremely valuable as we continue to expand our e-commerce business.”

With more than 20 years of design expertise, Young was most recently the founder and creative director of Dubbel Design Studio, where he acquired, rebranded and reestablished the 1970’s accessories label Dubbel Duffel. Prior to that, he was head of design at Olivet International, where he increased its private label business 30 percent with brands for Gap, Old Navy, and Victoria’s Secret/Pink.

Young was previously creative director and co-founder of LOOP, where he grew the accessories company with licensed, branded and private-label products. Earlier in his career, Young was design director of accessories for Tommy Hilfiger and Old Navy.  

In his new role, he will be responsible for overseeing Gracious Home’s creative vision.

“I am excited to join Gracious Home and look forward to leveraging my design expertise as Gracious Home expands its unique brand and exclusive products,” Young said. 

Hynes brings more than 20 years of merchandising experience to her position from high-end luxury and home retailers, including Bergdorf Goodman’s decorative home division and Bluefly.com, where she was a founding team member and divisional merchandise manager. She most recently was director of sales and merchandising at Burt’s Bees Baby, and was previously a founding team member and vice president of retail and merchandise manager at SeaCloth, a home furnishings store, specializing in design services and proprietary textiles. 

In her new role, Hynes is responsible for all bed, bath, tabletop and seasonal merchandise.

“I have long admired Gracious Home and am pleased to help build on the company’s position as the preeminent home décor destination for interior designers and design enthusiasts,” Hynes said.