For interior designer Jessica Schuster, her meteoric rise in the interior design world is perhaps best explained by her mix of self-confidence and youthful audacity. Creating interiors that are both refined and playful, by boldly mixing eras and styles. Having built her career from a very early age with legendary designers Tui Pranich and Kelly Wearstler, Jessica has harnessed the power of social media, designing highly Instagrammable spaces that evoke a sense of timeless reflection and unexpected juxtapositions of modern and traditional decor. Her effortless confidence and experienced taste at such a young age have given her a unique opportunity. She designs spaces for the new generation of clients that are seeking a different approach to existing norms. Considering her tremendous success in this area, we wanted to get her thoughts on how the millennial generation is changing norms in interior design, looking back in time, and thinking local.
Juxtaposition of Color, Texture, and Materials
Jessica argues that mixing hard and soft materials – metal and wood with upholstered walls creates unique combinations that millennials crave. Therefore, she believes in unexpected juxtapositions with different color combinations and modern and traditional pieces.
Vintage Pieces With Local Sourcing
Jessica sees her millennial clients loving the richness and the story behind vintage pieces. She says millennials want to up-cycle and reuse. This makes them feel like they are doing their part to have less of a carbon footprint, while still achieving successful and high design. Hence, brands are embracing this by focusing on sourcing local vendors and antique collectors to feature under their brand umbrellas.
Multiple Genres Are In
According to Jessica, millennials are abandoning the idea that you have to stick to one genre/era of design. Hence, they understand the importance of mixing styles and period pieces intentionally to tell a personal and thoughtful story about their own style.
Looking Back
Jessica says millennials are also going back into a more traditional sense of design with both minimalism and Danish influences.
Kitchens Are Evolving
With kitchen design, Jessica sees more openness, with shelving used as both storage and display, multi-functionality of items, and less seriousness. She says millennials are more carefree and not follow a specific formula for kitchen design.
Liveable Meets Chic
When it comes to decor, Jessica sees millennial women demanding more soft fabrics and rugs. Hence, the decor pieces are livable but chic, and impactful lighting in their spaces.
Ideas Require Research
With millennials taking to Instagram and Pinterest and becoming more educated than ever, Jessica argues that researching a designer’s expected fees and timelines is critical for millennials to understand the often complex process of achieving such Instagramable spaces.
