We were lucky to catch up with Jennifer Rhode recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jennifer , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to start by getting your thoughts on what you are seeing as some the biggest trends emerging in your industry.

During the pandemic our homes became much more than residences – they served as offices, schools, concert halls, movie theaters, dance studios, wrestling forums, discos, gyms, spas and restaurants. As such, more than ever they needed to be flexible to address so many needs. While the world is opening up again, we have now learned that it is possible and sometimes necessary to redesign the way we live and work in ways that are much more centered in our homes.

As an interior designer, I have always been an advocate for spaces with adaptable furnishings. After living through several years of covid, I think it is imperative for our homes and our living rooms in particular to be elastic and super functional. I love multi-purpose pieces that allow for flexibility: extendable tables, “secretaries” or fold down desks, murphy beds, ottomans or “poufs” that also work as extra seating, side tables and foot rests. It is useful to include furnishings that are easily moveable so you can handily redesign your space to best serve your current needs.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, but my parents “immigrated” to Berkeley, California when I was a small girl so my father could teach at the university. As such, my childhood was a mix of Mid-Western traditions and comfort food (I still LOVE creamed chicken and mashed potatoes) with the kaleidoscope of ideas, creativity and diversity that comes from living in a college town so close to San Francisco. My mother is a fabric artist and we spent a lot of time visiting museums and traveling exhibits as well as attending dance and theatre performances. I adored going into “the city.”

After college I was determined to live in America’s biggest city so I spent my twenties in New York working in fashion at Calvin Klein and then as a free-lance wardrobe stylist for print and TV commercials. I loved the energy and dynamism of New York (as well as the simple grid pattern of the city because I have a TERRIBLE sense of direction.) It is still one of my favorite places to visit.

I spent my thirties first back in San Francisco doing the windows for Banana Republic and then in Amsterdam where I remodeled our apartment and had two babies. I was captivated by the innovative ways the Dutch architects and designers melded exteriors built hundreds of years ago with clean, modern interiors.

We moved to Boulder almost 12 years ago and when I was ready to go back to work, I decided to pursue interiors, rather than clothing. (Boulder is consistently voted the most exercised, but worst dressed city in the country!) I began working part time for the architect who had designed our Boulder home. Six years ago I started my own interior design business.

My aesthetic and approach to interior design has been heavily influenced by both the minimalism of Calvin (we ONLY wore black and gray and everything was pared down and consistent: one font, only white flowers were allowed – i got red roses for Valentine’s once and had to keep them under my desk until I could bring them home) and the idea of “gezellig” from Amsterdam, which is the Dutch word for “coziness.”

When we moved back to the states I wanted to create my own “modern gezellig” in our family home, and now, in the homes of my clients. I like to build off of pieces that have meaning for my clients: their grandmother’s desk, a painting they found on holiday, a quilt sewn by their favorite aunt. I want to help my clients create warm, personal spaces that reflect their family stories, loves and interests while making sure the interiors are also peaceful, highly-edited and modern.

I also love collaborating with artists and connecting them with my clients. I like to help my clients find art that is meaningful to them – whether it is depicting something they care about or made by someone they can meet or represents a special time in their lives.

In addition to my design business I have a blog: https://www.jenniferrhode.com. My posts toggle between interviews with artists, product round-ups, design stories about my projects or stories about my children and my cheeky dog, Hank.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

My business came to a near standstill at the beginning of the pandemic and I decided to fill in the holes in my design knowledge and skills while work was slow. I took AutoCAD, SketchUP, In Design and Photoshop (I had a STEEP learning curve since I am a total luddite – it was humbling!) as well as a design fundamentals class. All of the new information was super useful and completely elevated the way I work and present ideas to clients. My class also really dug into design industry standards, which was both validating and clarifying. But the best part was the exposure to the creative ideas of my teacher and classmates – it was so nourishing and expansive for me, especially after being cooped up and isolated during covid. So if I could go back, I would take all of these courses before launching my business… I kind of did things backwards.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Each time I make a mistake or there is a miscommunication or something goes awry I try to analyze it, see what I can learn from it and adapt my process so that it doesn’t happen again. Sometimes it feels like I am pivoting and “learning” all the time and I wish there wasn’t so MUCH learning. I had one client that will forever be remembered as “the rotten apple.” That was a miserable experience, but was also the most instructive project I’ve ever had. Afterward I completely revamped both my process and my policies so in the end, I am truly grateful for “the rotten apple” (although I would REALLY prefer not to have any more!)

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jenniferrhode.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenniferrhode/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jenniferrhodedesign
• Other: blog: https://www.jenniferrhode.com/blog

Image Credits
headshot: Ashley Shires interior shots: Heather Knierim of HBK Photography