Street Style: Meet Campbell Shepherdson
When we first meet Campbell at the door of Courtney Cox Interiors, she’s a little hurried because she’s just finished styling her hair. She is a vision in head-to-toe white and delicate beige shoes with elaborate bows. I could never pull this look off, I would inevitably find a spot of ketchup somewhere in my ensemble. Campbell is incredibly sweet and accommodating and her love for art is clear as she speaks; we immediately see why Rachel Gang nominated her for Street Style.
Born and raised in Alexandria, Campbell attended St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes from kindergarten through 12th grade. She proudly shares, “My grandfather went there, and my dad…and my aunts, and then it merged into one school.” Her first venture from home was to Denison University in Grandville, Ohio where she studied art history and visual culture. “I’ve always been into art from a young age. My dad is a very creative person, and because we’re both left-handed, he jokes we were meant to be creative individuals.”
Her fiancé Sam, whom she’s been dating since middle school, also attended St. Stephen’s, “and my dad went to school with his dad. The Dysons and the Shepherdsons are two Alexandria families that have been friends forever.” This December, they’ll have an even deeper bond when Campbell and Sam marry at the National Museum of Women in the Arts.
Campbell Shepherdson
Photography: Renée C. Gage Photography
Self-styled
Shoot location: Courtney Cox Interiors
“We’re getting married one year from the day we got engaged. I had a very hard time selecting a venue and was going in circles. They had just renovated the museum, and there’s no place better to get married than locally…and half the guest list is Alexandrians. I really wanted a space that would let me dictate all the creative decisions from tablescapes to flowers to furniture. They don’t provide anything, we’ll bring it all in. I have complete freedom with the floor plans and CAD drawings, down to how far apart I want the tables to sit. As for this museum in particular, I wanted to be surrounded by something that represents me.”
Campbell says they are hoping to stay in Old Town. “Sam and I are renting now, but we really want to buy in Old Town, I don’t think we’ll ever leave.”
When I ask how she began working at Courtney Cox Interiors (CCI), she shares. “I knew her (Courtney) from various areas of my life. My dad’s dad would go into Hysteria (her old store) and he loved her, and would see her in Palm Beach every now and then. My uncle on my mom’s side worked with her husband and would always rave about her. And when I was 14 or 15, I started babysitting for her kids, she had just moved from Belle Haven to Old Town. One night after returning home from babysitting, I made my mom stay up all night with me to find an artist I had seen displayed in her home. It was Hunt Slonem and I became obsessed with this painting…it was a painting of bunnies.”
Campbell continued to babysit for Courtney and also began to draw bunnies. “My art teacher at St. Stephen’s said I should look at art schools, but I was playing lacrosse at the time and very into that. When I got to Denison I knew I wanted to do something with art, so I chose art history because I also love history.”
During her freshman year of college, she studied abroad in the south of France and started painting. “I was painting the interiors of the cottages we were staying in, and my professor encouraged me to look at architecture and interior design.” She later did dual enrollment, also taking online classes at Parsons to get her certification in architecture design software. After finishing both programs, she applied to get her masters of fine arts at Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) and graduated last summer.
It was during a holiday weekend home from Georgia when she ran into Courtney again. “I was having dinner at Landini’s and I walked right past Courtney and her husband. And she stopped me and said, ‘Oh my God, what have you been doing?’ I shared that I was getting my masters in interior design and she said, ‘You’re going to work for me when you graduate.’ Once I moved back here, I reached out to her immediately.”
Campbell joined CCI last October, and shared that two businesses they have been working with recently to refresh their space and layout are The Hive and Sarah Akram Skincare. “I love helping with the commercial stuff and my favorite part includes assisting with the floor plan drawings. I also really enjoy sourcing furniture and pulling together fabric seams, because everything is customized with Courtney. Pick a sofa frame and we customize the upholstery and same for drapes and window treatments. The customization element is something different that sets us apart and adds so much interest to the projects…it’s creative freedom.”
Check out Campbell’s Street Style:
ABOUT CAMPBELL
Neighborhood: Old Town, Alexandria
Hometown: Alexandria
What would surprise people about you? I’m half deaf.
Favorite book or movie: The Princess Bride
Guilty Pleasure: Facebook Marketplace
Latest binge-watch: Harry Potter
Bucket list travel destinations: Tuscany, Fiji, Japan
STYLE
Define your style in three words or less: Comfy, classic yet unique.
The go-to piece in your wardrobe: An old Cleobella skirt.
Favorite trend: Flats
Beauty product you can’t live without: Anything Trish McEvoy.
Boots, sneakers, or sandals? Always sandals.
WELLNESS
Go-to way to de-stress: Yoga
Most fun way to stay active: Pilates or walks to the park with my fiancé and dog.
Wellness goal: To walk to the CCI studio more than I drive.
Want to try: Tennis
Proudest wellness achievement: Received 800 hr. yoga alliance instructor certification.
HOME
Favorite room in your home: Art studio
Antiques, modern, or a mix? Antiques always
Last item bought for your home: Vintage W. & J. Sloane Sofa
Favorite way to entertain: Dinner parties (with a theme of course)
Clutter-free or well-lived in? MIX
Next planned purchase: Vintage bathroom cabinet hand painted and stenciled from Evolution Home.
ALEXANDRIA
What do you love about Alexandria Stylebook? Learning about new people and places in our community.
Favorite spot in Alexandria: Old Town, all of Alexandria is special to me, really.
Your go-to shop: Lowery's Dial
Best food spot: Landini Brothers has a special place in my heart, and Fontaine is also a favorite for Courtney and I to unwind and regroup.
Favorite local organization: ARMA Australian Shepherd Rescue of the Mid-Atlantic. It’s where my fiancé and I got our first dog, Bailey.
Annual Alexandria event you most look forward to: Art on the Avenue in Del Ray
