We were lucky to catch up with Jessica Becker recently and have shared our conversation below.
Jessica, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.
In 2009 I left the design industry where I had been working in high end showrooms for over a decade. I moved out of NYC and out of the industry to open restaurants with my former partner, which I designed and helped brand.
It had always been a dream of mine to own a tea shop, and finally taking the plunge, we opened a small cafe in a historic building, albeit crumbling, in Providence. It was my first commercial design job and I loved creating the space and the brand, The Duck & Bunny. Combining a tea salon, creperie and bakery, we crammed all of our favorite things into one business plan and crossed our fingers. It was a real trial by fire learning experience to run a full service restaurant, and while I enjoyed many parts of it, it was the design and branding that appealed to the interior designer in me. The design was classic but quirky. A nod to a quintessential English Tea Shop, and it appealed to many guests aesthetically, which was both humbling and flattering. Patrons would photograph the place as if they were in a museum. It was quite something.
A few years later we opened Ogie’s Trailer Park, a spin on a mid-century modern bar that was classy on the inside and kitschy on the outside. We started with a raw warehouse and I turned it into a swanky bar with mid-century details, both vintage and recreated. The exterior was designed with facades of a trailer that was cut and painted to emulate three different trailers, in front of which guests could sit and enjoy a cocktail. Designing this space took a lot of effort and passion, and I feel that it’s the crowning achievement of my design career. Branding of a third restaurant followed before I left the restaurant world and returned to design full time. I do mostly residential now, but really enjoyed the freedom a restaurant space allows when designing. It’s a place that can be a little over the top and you can evoke a truly authentic atmosphere, one that brings you back in time. Designing those spaces was a passion, and without having taken the risk to open the restaurants and shift careers, I wouldn’t have discovered my potential in the design field.
Jessica, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
The revelation that I wanted to become an interior designer came to me the week I graduated college. I had taken fine art classes throughout my college career, and had always been creatively inclined. Having focused on decorating my room, perhaps more than my school work, I realized it was where my passion lied. Armed with an English lit degree, I set out to work in NYC and became an executive secretary. It was clear I was not cut out for the corporate world. I was miserable, left the job and became an assistant to a party planner, and a server in a popular and notorious bar on the UES. Through a friend, I scored an interview at the NYDC to work as an office manager in a high end trade only furniture showroom, and my design career began.
I learned everything about the industry through the back end. If you don’t know about product–furniture, wallpaper, textiles, etc. you cannot be a good designer. I learned how to sell, and how to work with designers. I learned from the owner, who was also a designer, what to do and what not to do. I supplemented my knowledge with courses at FIT and eventually moved on to a fabric house in the D & D building. I did some freelance design work on the side, as well, but the real knowledge came from living in the showrooms and being exposed to beautiful furnishings and textiles daily. It was inspirational and set me up for the career I have now.
Everything we do gives us an experience that leads to something else. It became clear that even the small jobs I had in my formative years: floral designing at a flower shop, assistant to the drafting department at an engineering company, customer service in the restaurant industry, all contributed to what I learned, future opportunities, and how I work today. Even my English degree was not wasted, as it’s so important to be able to communicate with clients and customers. I’m also a freelance writer for publications that feature my knowledge of design.
Throughout my life one thing has remained consistent: Everything should be visually pleasing. We have five senses and I try to address as many as possible when designing a space. First, to evoke an atmosphere that is comfortable, comforting, energizing, calming, or whatever it is that the client needs or wants. Second, to ensure the space is efficient and flows, the perfect blend of form and function. I believe organization is the key to calm. I believe a space should reflect the client’s tastes, not mine, and I help them achieve that while staying true to the space they inhabit. I carry what I’ve learned with me every day, and it’s reflected in my work.
https://burrowandnesthome.com
Have you ever had to pivot?
A challenging part of my journey was leaving my restaurants behind and relaunching into design full time. I had put a lot of work into the restaurants, the relationships I had made, and I was attached to them, creatively and emotionally. Unfortunately my partnership had become untenable and the healthiest choice was to move on and forge my own path. I left just as the pandemic hit and it was slow going to re-establish myself, but I took the time to learn new skills and programs that have helped me level up my design career; how I present and communicate with clients. It all worked out well and I am now happily working for myself on my own terms.
What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?
A great source for new clients has been through houzz. It gets my business in front of clients that are looking for designers and are ready to move ahead with their projects. It’s a way to be discovered on a very targeted platform.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://burrowandnesthome.com
- Instagram: @burrowandnesthome