Emily Barton studied studio art at Coastal Carolina University where she explored a variety of different mediums—from drawing and painting, to sculpture and textiles, she never wanted to be tied down to one specialty or concentration. Her senior thesis work focused on knit and crochet installation art. This was the first time she had created a piece where she witnessed the viewer explore and interact with her design. This experience sparked her passion for installation art and the way people engage with an environment that’s designed for them to do so. 

In 2013, she began working as a Display Coordinator for Anthropologie in Greenville, SC where she honed her creative skills further by learning to build custom furniture and retail fixtures in conjunction with designing window displays and large scale interior installations for the store. In 2017, she moved to Waco, Texas to take on the role of Senior Display Coordinator for Magnolia. She worked for 1.5 years alongside a team creating custom installations for various entities within the company. The team created work for events, and retail display within Magnolia Market, Magnolia Bakery, Magnolia Seed & Supply, and the Magnolia Homes Showroom located in High Point, NC. While Emily worked for Magnolia, she had the opportunity to create custom work that was featured on the series Finale of Fixer Upper.

In 2019, she made the leap to full-time self employment for Emily Barton Design after years of freelance and commercial design work for other companies and clients. She’s had the honor of designing for retailers like Clad & Cloth and Provision, where she designed custom fixtures, surface finishes and art installations to transform their physical locations into interactive, elevated experiences.