Hi Jennifer, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I was always obsessed with interior design as a child, and as I got older and realized it could be a real job and I could go to college for it- I was thrilled! My dad played an instrumental role in helping me research colleges and select one that would be great for interior design education. I attended Stephen F. Austin State University, where I received my degree in interior design and art. After college, I began work as an interior designer at Laura U but didn’t stay long. I decided to leave and do something that surprised even me- plan weddings. I opened Jennifer Laura Design and have spent the last eight years planning fine art weddings all across Texas. I loved it, but I kept itching to get back to my real passion for interior design. It was tremendously scary given that I had built a name in the wedding industry, had amazing clients, had just moved into an office space that I loved… but I knew that to move forward in my life, I was going to have to take a few big steps backward first. So this October, I started my interior design and DIY blog Jennifer Laura Living. My goal is to take my readers along for the ride of decorating my own home while sharing DIY ideas, tips, and interior design knowledge along the way.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The biggest struggle so far has been shutting down my wedding planning business. As a wedding planner, I was always booked over a year in advance, so deciding to stop planning weddings was not something that could happen overnight. It took me actively deciding to stop taking on new clients for six months before I even had time to start thinking about my ideas and work towards starting to build something new.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My personal interior design style is still blossoming. I like to call it Modern Traditionalism, or Grandmillenial Style. Basically, beautiful French antiques mixed with clean-lined traditional pieces and enough personality to bring it into a modern-day aesthetic. In sharing my DIY tutorials and tips on my blog, I have such a broad background to pull from- one day, I might be showing my readers how to style a shelf while the next day, I’m teaching them how to arrange flowers or greenery in a vase.
Contact Info:
- Email: hello@jenniferlauraliving.com
- Website: www.jenniferlauraliving.com
- Instagram: @jenniferlauraliving
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jenniferlauraliving
