We recently connected with Jennifer Horstman and have shared our conversation below.

Jennifer, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

Life is always about taking risks. I have taken a few major ones in my adulthood. In my mid-20’s, I was working for a large insurance company – Making good money for my age, had great benefits, allowed me to own my own home and…. I was miserable. I cried at my desk almost every day. So I quit and went back to school full-time while working 3 part-time jobs to pay the bills. After 2 years, I graduated with my second Bachelor’s Degree, this time in Interior Design. It set me on a course with my current career and I have never looked back – Best decision ever!

I recently took a very calculated business risk. I had been working out of my home for the last 8 years and I really wanted to have a separation between home and work life to help create more balance for me. I stepped into having a shared office with another designer for a year to see how it felt and this spring took a big risk – I opened my own studio. I now have 1200 sq ft of bright beautiful space to showcase our design sensibilities and welcome clients, builders and colleagues into a inspirational and fun space to talk about amazing design. It was a big financial risk but I LOVE coming to the office every day and recite myself the motto daily – if you build it, they will come!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a creative. What sets me apart from other creatives – people get to live in my art. They live in homes that were designed to be functional, beautiful and thoughtful while being bespoke just for their families and lifestyle. I was always a creative. Growing up, my folks fostered my love of art and reading. As an adult, I immersed myself in culture, art museums and traveled as much as I could afford. When working in a non-creative industry, my soul hurt. It led me to ask questions and follow the direction of some wise older women – go back to school to do what you love. Now over 2 decades into my career as an Interior Designer, I love going to work. I enjoy working with people and surprising them with ideas. I love collaborating with my fellow tradespeople on details, changes and challenges. I tend to be more involved in the design process while a house is being built then most designers. I love the nitty gritty details and seeing things evolve. When you provide full service interior design, you select everything from roof shingles to door stops, garage epoxy to window treatments. The idea is to create a cohesive environment by carefully considering every layer of the home. The details and thoughtful solutions are where I thrive. As a brand, my firm Lenox House Design, is approachable, quirky and colorful. We love to say “We design with Dogs” as so many of our clients have furry members that often times are an afterthought in the design process. We make sure to keep them important in the process – always considering their unique needs along with the family. We want our clients to smile knowing that we have a special bond as fellow animal lovers.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

Technology – things have come so far since I first started in Interior Design. Revit was in its infancy and Chief Architect didn’t exist. This software, along with Sketchup and so may other Ai driven platforms have transformed our field. They allow the client to view designs with so much detail and applicable materials. Many tend to over design things that wouldn’t work in real life, but they do look cool. I always try to be realistic with my clients when they show me Ai images – letting them know what can be done or can’t be done. I wish that my brain was better at wrapping itself around embracing technology and figuring out a way for it to work better for us. I’m still a bit old school in some things we do, but I will always be a work in progress.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

About 12 years ago, I moved from one firm to another and the new position required 50% travel. At the time, my daughter was 1 yr old. My husband and I knew that it would be challenging and he really embraced being single dad half the time. This position allowed me to flex my design muscles in a new territory and actually across 5 new states. I got used to working in teams rather than just solo and was exposed to some amazing projects, vendors and places. But the burnout rate was high – so after 2 years it was time to part ways. The knowledge I gained led me to becoming who I am today. Having the resilience to endure the long days, late nights, weekly travel and constant prep work and client sales prepared me for owning my own firm. It also showed me how important it is to find balance between your work life and your personal life.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.lenoxhousedesign.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lenoxhousedesign/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lenoxhousedesign

Image Credits

All photos except the last one – Chelsie Lopez Photography.

Last photo of the tiled fireplace – Spacecrafting