We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jessica Nakata a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Jessica, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

When I decided to start my own Design Studio, I had a referral from a Designer I had worked for and with for several years. I always call this my graduate school in Design. I was thrown into the fire and leaned so many aspects of the business while working for her.

I was referred to a large job that entailed gutting a substantial home on a very special property. While I had confidence in what I could do, this was a large project for any Designer much less one who just started out on her own. I was working with a veteran contractor and client who did not know he had hired such a green professional. They say “fake it till you make it” and I went in with my head held high while butterflies flew around in my stomach. It was a long and very detailed job. The contractor was awful to work with, verbally abusive and patronizing however I successfully completed the job down to accessories and ended up with a very happy client.

The job was special not because it was my favorite home I have ever worked on, or my favorite client experience but because many years later the house looks exactly the same. The client hasn’t changed one thing I did. I gained a longtime client, confidence and experience from it.

Jessica, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I always knew I wanted to be an Interior Designer, even before I knew that was an actual professional. I went to school for it, and worked for a small form for several years really learning every aspects of it, from the business to the client side and everything in between. After many years with this firm, I knew it was time to spread my wings on my own.

It had always been a dream to have a retail presence, a brick and mortar space that people could enter and feel like they were in a special environment. I pursued that dream, found a location, renovated it to make it my own and opened The Black Door in Studio City, California. I juggled the store while still working with high end residential clients,I loved purchasing special home decor items and furniture to sell while also getting my name out there and meeting so many wonderful clients that I have been lucky enough to grow with as their needs have changed.

Once the lease was up, I knew I wanted to focus one hundred percent of my time with my design clients.It has been over 15 years since then and I feel very fortunate to be able to do what I love, meet wonderful suncontractors, artisans and clients and be creative.

This is all I have ever wanted to do and it truly is part of who I am . I feel very confident in my skill because it is such an integral part of me. I pride myself on being very honest and straightforward with clients as well as practical in the way we establish their homes. I work in a myriad of ways depending on the clients needs; from starting with an architect and a hole in the ground and building from there to furnishing a clients existing residence. I have been on home renovation TV shows multiple times which is quite a challenge but a fun change of pace.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is when I work with a client that truly values what I do, and what I can bring to their lives. Working on someones home is very personal, and I feel the most invested in a project when I know a client respects my time, and my talent. I enjoy when I work with clients that ask why I think something would work well, or even push back on something because it gives me the change to explain my choices and my vision in a collaborative way. That pushback and collaboration makes the project so much more fulfilling for me. It is vey easy as a creative to be treated as though your chosen profession is a hobby. I am lucky to have worked with and currently work with homeowners that value my expertise .

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

There is so much minutia involved in the business of Interior Design. There are so many moving parts. It was a good lesson to learn how to manage the details early in my career and to fail and work my way through the issues that would arise .

There is always something out of your control that can happen, whether it be furniture being delayed, or when it does arrive there being damage and having to deal with not only that issue but an unhappy client. As I moved through my career and gained experience, I navigated how to best manage those issues. When I didn’t feel confident going into a project, and then competing it successfully with happy clients, it made the new time I felt that way easier until I no longer did with experience.

It wasn’t one thing that built resilience but navigating through the challenges along the way.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.theblkdoor.com
• Instagram: theblackdoorinteriordesign