As a child, Jennifer was privy to her Italian mother’s passion for designing and redesigning her home. She painted the walls, put up wallpaper and decorated to establish “happy spaces and happy surroundings” (her mantra). She never held too tightly to any certain “aesthetic” and certainly didn’t bow to the whims of trends. Decades later, Jennifer’s interior design firm, Century Park Interiors, does the same.
Some of life's hardest trials, including divorce and later identity theft, brought Jennifer to her successes today. The loss of an old life and everything she had worked for brought her to her knees.
"I thought, 'If I had a dream and I could do anything, regardless of money, regardless of where I was or what has happened, what would I want?'" says Jennifer.
She envisioned a life working for herself, bringing her dogs to work with her every day. One where she could use her talents to create beautiful spaces like her mother had always done in her childhood home. Whether it was the mantra or her mother’s ways that stuck with her, Jennifer developed an infatuation with furniture and home decor. She wasn't scared to experiment with textures or forge unlikely pairings. She enrolled herself in design courses, learned the rules and jumped in, taking on her first few design projects free of charge for anyone who was interested. She quickly developed a reputation in the industry, and Century Park Interiors grew legs.
Like her mother, Jennifer refuses to confine her work to one style. The way she puts it, “We are not fastened to one single design aesthetic. Being able to emulate different designs is what makes a great designer.”
Jennifer doesn’t approach any of her projects with a set goal or look in mind but instead works to uncover each client’s style and bring it to life on their terms. She spends hours getting to know her clients, pulling inspiration and sending questionnaires that give her a better idea of their needs.
Century Park Interior’s discovery process entails a series of steps before agreeing on a retainer. The process starts with a free discovery call with Jennifer to familiarize herself with each client’s wants and needs, followed by a free questionnaire the client completes based on style preferences. After this, Jennifer hosts what she calls “The First Date,” an official sit-down consultation to meet in person, scope out the space and review photos. She then compiles everything discussed in the first three steps to present a 3D rendering, furniture placement, size indications and sourcing for the project, where the client can choose whether or not to move forward in the design process.
With such an in-depth preliminary process, it’s not surprising Jennifer has mastered the art of replicating a vision. Though she’s done it for dozens of clients, perhaps her most challenging client has been herself as she navigated a recent kitchen and home redesign in her townhouse. After her 26-year marriage ended, the fixer-upper became a saving grace of sorts to her. What started as a flip-and-sell project became a home of eight years and counting.
After taking the time and money to make less noticeable yet vital updates to the foundation of the townhouse, it took a while before Jennifer got to work on the pretty parts. She spent seven years deciding on her kitchen selections before officially committing to the redesign on demo day. The kitchen’s eye-catching transformation is a testament to her expertise as a designer and a great example of Jennifer’s personal flare.
Though she subscribes to none of her own, Jennifer stays in the know regarding current trends. She’s ecstatic about the industry’s recent adoption of an “anything goes” mindset. According to her, the greys and beiges of modern luxury and farmhouse styles are past. Instead, these modern design elements can and should be mixed with unique and thought-provoking pieces; think eclectic art and funky antiques with captivating backstories.
Trendy and timeless are merging, making way for an era of “no rules,” and no one is better equipped to bring it to life than Jennifer. From the ever-changing walls of her childhood home to Century Park Interior’s commitment to bringing any and every vision to life, it’s a sentiment that will always ring true to her.
centuryparkinteriors.com
" Being able to emulate different designs is what makes a great designer."