Laura Day :: Rooms :: Guest House :: Meet Jennifer Delonge

MAKING ROOMS FOR LIVING

Guest House

Outdoors

Meet Jennifer Delonge

eet Jennifer Delonge
I FIRST DISCOVERED JENNIFER DELONGE WHEN SEARCHING FOR FRONT-FACING BOOKSHELVES FOR OLIVIA'S PLAYROOM. I LOVE these bookshelves, which really helped Livvie learn to read faster, by being able to SEE the titles. I could tell these were designed by a Mom, and was thrilled by her entire collection of kid-scale furniture (featured below).

We interviewed the LA-based designer to find out more about her philosophy on design for people large and small, how her kids inspire her and provide the perfect test market, and how she balances work and life as a rocker wife and mother of two.

And don't miss Jennifer's Soundtrack for Change in the MEDIA ROOM! (listen while you read)

The AVA TODDLER CHAIR AND OTTOMAN are Jennifer Delonge's staple piece. Look no further because you won't find a chair and ottoman better suited for your tot anywhere else!

The AVA CHILD SOFA lets your little one have a sofa of their very own!

BOOKBOUNDS are the perfect way to display your child's books in a way that they can see the cover! They're sleek, slim space savers that everyone is "bound" to love!

The GRACE RECTANGLE SET is the perfect place for anything from snacks to clay!

How did you become an interior designer, or decide to?
As a child I was always involved in the arts without even realizing it. From mixed media classes to hours spent on homework assignments that were all about presentation, I always had a love of the project. My emphasis in the interior angle began in high school. I took an interior design class and I was hooked, straight A’s all the way. When it was time to declare a major in college, I did a 180-degree turn and majored in Accounting. That lasted about three weeks and then I changed my major to Interior Design and never looked back.

What sort of interiors were your favorites to create? Why?
My favorite interiors are ones that have meaning, as cheesy as that may sound. And a room has to speak to you whether it’s through a mixed use of relaxed materials such as linen, down pillows and grass cloth walls or through the personal feeling attached to it.

I know that you have been a product designer for a very long time? What made you decide to start designing products?
I have been designing products my whole life, starting with scrunchies in 6^th grade! I owned a high end letterpress store as well and found myself creating my own stationery even though I had a beautiful store full of the same and I realized I need to continue to focus on creating products full time.

Was there a moment of inspiration that made you sit down and start drawing?
For my children’s line it was more of a lack of products on the market and a frustration as a style driven individual. I realized there was a market I could tap into and make a big impact from such a simple item, the Ava chair. Designing product is easy, it’s the understanding of whether an item can withstand a price point, the distribution avenues and the production quality that can make or break you.

Why children’s?
I have two children and they are my muses. It was a natural progression once I did research on what was missing in the retail side of modern child design. And besides it’s so much more fun! To create a moment when a parent says I have to have that for my child is so rewarding! And parents will always spend money on their children, that’s an important part of the equation to succeed as a business.

How has family life affected your design?
My children, Ava and Jonas Rocket are my constant target group testers! They know instantly, no holds barred, what they love and don’t like.

After you decided to design product, what was the process like for you to start actually producing the products? I know our readers would love to hear about that since so many people have dreams of doing what you have done and just don’t know where to start.
Once you have designed a product you need to get pricing and production figured out. You need to understand the strengths of each manufacturer and develop a trusting relationship. Every single factory is going to ask you, what quantity you need to produce. When you are a new company, this is the point where two things can happen. Either you promise a factory numbers you can’t produce because you have no buying history and you run the risk of losing them or you sit on loads of inventory. Whether you are targeting big box stores or independent specialty retailers, hands down I would say figure out your distribution strategy first! Everything depends on it. Understand who you are going to partner with to sell good numbers of items, it’s the only way you will survive. The production process is meticulous. I have to watch every single detail and make lots of decisions to be sure our quality is top-notch and that we maintain design integrity while always considering cost.

How do you marry family and work?
My children are my #1 priority, and because of that I do not work full time. I have an amazing team that works hard and we all have an amazing amount of respect for each other that allows us to do our job and get excited on almost a daily basis about what we do! We get to be creative, I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. And, my husband and I work in the most amazing creative space. We gutted the whole interior, opened up all the walls and now everyone works in a light, bright white space that allows for creativity each day. I have my design studio in the space and my husband has his recording studio….

What is the favorite piece in your collection of each of your children?
Ava loves the bookbounds for sure, she is an avid reader and keeps two by her bed, one full of books she hasn’t read and then one when she is done - she transfers books from one bookbound to the other as she finishes reading them. Jonas’ favorite is the Ava toddler chair. He loves to sit and relax with his feet on the ottoman.

How much input do your kids have on your final decision to produce something or not?
They are the first testers! So many variables go into what makes it to the market and what doesn’t but their perspective as children is a very important part of the equation.

What is your idea for what the perfect home should feel like?
The perfect home for each individual can vary so much, but for me my home is my haven. Because we live such busy lives as a family with two growing children and a musician husband, our lives can sometimes be very unconventional. At times our home is the one place where we can feel like we can away from it all and be comfortable in. We are a hands-on family when it comes to the interiors - child size parker chairs and grace tables are integrated beautifully with a Minotti sofa or Milo Baughman chairs. The perfect home for me is about time too - the more experience you have in a setting the more memories you create and the more of a connection you have with the space.

HERE SHE WORKS
SO IT'S OBVIOUS THAT JENNIFER'S HOME IS TRES CHIC AND FABULOUSLY FUNKY, BUT HER OFFICE AIN'T TOO SHABBY EITHER! Aside from being an aesthetically pleasing place to work in, it's also a safe, healthy, and uber inspiring environment The Carlsbad, California office (featured below) is focused on reducing, reusing and recycling. The staff is working towards decreasing their carbon footprint while increasing their design savvy stride!

Here are some of the ways that the team over at Jennifer Delonge are being eco-savvy:

Using environmentally safe cleaning products
Not using plasticware
Using mugs instead of paper cups
Using recycled paper
Using garage doors for ventilation
Recycling/Reducing/Reusing
They're even growing their own organic produce in a garden behind the office!

LDL: What's the story on that awesome "B" in the entry?

Jen: "The big B that sits in the middle of the wall that hangs as a partition was from a Blink-182 tour. Many years ago the band opened the show with a big, very inappropriate saying lit up on fire as the curtains opened. Inappropriate but fun! It was the perfect way to incorporate a piece that has memory into a space as a repurpose. It acts as a nice pseudo-wall before you enter the main part of the office space."

I love how she made "walls" with such simple elements. A metal frame, lucite, and lighting inside makes for an organized and cool space.

LDL: So tell us about your "cafeteria."

Jen: "The Dining Room table is actually two tables put together from Ikea. It was Inexpensive and created the space we needed at lunchtime. The chandelier-wow, only $150 at an estate store. It is literally eight feet tall! I changed out the old-school light bulbs to round ones to give it a modern look and instant glamour!"

You might also enjoy these:

Mudroom