JNR Designs is not bound by trends or design genre. Rather, founder and president Jennifer Markowitz bases each project around the client. Clients’ visions, style, and comfort form the foundation of the interior, and from there, Markowitz and a talented team of designers at JNR craft a sophisticated, comfortable space. Markowitz believes the interior should reflect the heart of the inhabitant – not merely the pristine exterior but the whole, rounded individual. She creates one luscious, distinct design at a time from this principle. Meet this week’s Designer Friday, Jennifer Markowitz.
JNR Interiors builds a lively dining experience in the use of bold patterned wallpaper, matching green curtains and vases, and heavy blue chairs clustered around a floral pop of color.
Andrew Joseph: You’re the newest Crayola color. What color are you and why?
Jennifer Markowitz: I LOVE this question because I LOVE color! I’d be called Enigma. Why? I’d start off looking like one color and then change into a different one! Is that even possible? I don’t know but I love the idea. Transformation is an underappreciated process, but it can be so fun and inspiring!
AJ: If you could guest star on any TV show -on or off air- what show would you guest star in?
JM: Let’s just say I’m an avid Bravo TV fan and I love reality shows! If I could pick a show, it would be The Real Housewives of New Jersey. Maybe because I grew up in NJ or maybe because those ladies act [crazy], and it’s so fun to watch. Who knows? But I would definitely want to help them design their houses. Hey, that’s a fun idea! Bravo? Let’s have a meeting.
This airy bedroom sheds the vivid colors and busy patterns of the first design for subtle prints complemented by two peach-toned pictures and a cool green ceiling lamp.
AJ: What’s your design pet peeve?
JM: My biggest frustration is people who are ruled by trends. Yes, I do understand trends are fun and new but classics will last a lifetime. Trends can be fleeting, and while they may feel fresh, they sometimes lack history, substance and context. I don’t appreciate a home that has no soul. When you come across a space that doesn’t feature anything personal or feels too trendy, it ends up feeling like a showroom, not a home. A home should reflect the people living in it!
AJ: If you could live in any home in a movie or television series, what would it be?
JM: It is so hard to choose just one! But if push comes to shove, I would love to live in Kate Winslet’s English cottage in the movie, “The Holiday“. It’s just the cutest, quaintest home with so much character. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been watching the movie and I hit pause to study the design and decor of that home. Each time I see something new and I fall in love with it all over again. I swear, I’m an old, English granny at heart!
Pale, soothing tones provide a backdrop for the colorful accessories dotting (perhaps soon filling) this nursery.
AJ: What’s your favorite cocktail?
JM: Anything that looks beautiful and tempting! I’m a working mom of two young kids, and most days, I just need a drink – any drink! I am partially kidding of course, but you do eat and drink with your eyes first and foremost, and as a designer, I do want everything to be beautiful. That said, if I had to pick my signature cocktail, it would be a margarita. Simple and delicious, every time!
About The Designer | JNR Designs is a boutique interior design firm founded in 2012 on the North Shore of Long Island. Our design mantra has been, and will always be, design begins with our clients. A well-designed home is a well lived home. A place to rest your feet and a place that feels like you. This is what we strive for, and where we thrive-to find a balance between form and function. And, to create a home you will love to live in.
Jennifer Markowitz, founder and president, believes that a home should reflect the client. She is careful to listen to their needs and use her design skills and experience to translate them into a well curated, thoughtfully decorated home. Mixing old and new-modern and traditional, she finds a balance that becomes a unique design specifically tailored to her clients taste and budget.
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