about the owners

cutting edge design

Jim Wallace

Jim Wallace is an artist, furniture designer and builder. He and Carole, his wife of 50 years, have lived in Austin, Texas for 46 of those 50 years.

In 1973 Jim received a masters degree from "the cradle of American modernism," Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, MI, (near Detroit) standing on the shoulders of the greats of 20th century design. He shares his alma mater with the likes of the Saarinens, Harry Bertoia, Charles & Ray Eames, Florence Schust Knoll and Styphen Frykholm. 

He taught interior design at the University of Texas at Austin for several years before moving into the commercial interior design industry, spending 25 years designing the interiors of skyscrapers, banks and hospitals in the heart of downtown Austin.

After retiring from his commercial career in the early 2000's, he devoted his creative energy to designing and building furniture for sale and competition. He has won multiple awards from the Texas Furniture Maker's Show in Kerrville, Texas. His work has been featured in Fine Woodworking and Woodworker West Magazines. He designs and builds unique, limited-edition furniture from his home shop and studio. Visit his personal website and view his portfolio at splintersdesign.com.

splintersdesign.com

love and inspiration

Carole Wallace

Carole Lee Wallace, a lifelong lover of art and design, grew up in Thiensville, Wisconsin. She earned her bachelor's degree in Home Economics with an emphasis on Related Arts from the University of Wisconsin in 1966, followed by a master's degree in the same field in 1968.

Her academic journey led her to the University of Texas at Austin, where she began her teaching career in the Interior Design program. It was during this time that she met her future husband, Jim. After four years at UT Austin, they moved to Michigan, where Jim pursued his graduate studies at Cranbrook. They married in 1972.

Following their marriage, Carole worked in the wall coverings industry before the couple relocated to Fargo, North Dakota, to teach at North Dakota State University. Their family grew with the birth of their first child, and they returned to Texas in 1977. Carole continued her academic career at UT Austin, filling in for a professor on sabbatical.

In 1978, she transitioned to a full-time homemaker role, dedicating the next two decades to raising her two daughters, Anna and Katie. In the early 1990s, she re-entered the workforce as a design specialist for Builder's Square. Later, she became a representative for Moore Supply, a high-end plumbing store. Today, Carole enjoys a well-deserved retirement, cherishing time with her family, including her two children and four grandchildren.