Monday 28 July 2014

WHAT INSPIRATION IS ...

This blog post is dedicated to a true supportive friend, who was an inspiration to everyone she met. She is the brightest star in the universe. 

I spontaneously had to step away from blogging and work for the last part of July as I had a lot of things on my mind, which to be honest were taking up a lot more space in my head then anything to do with work. I honestly have been struggling to bring myself back to focusing on work a lot and if I was to tell you the amount of times I have actually sat in front of a full blog schedule but with no words, no desire or inspiration to write about anything that is happening you would be very surprised. It is not because I have lost passion for it or because I cannot be bothered. It is because this July has been full of life lessons that are far more important than any other kind of news and so more deeper than words can actually describe.

After hearing some pretty devastating and horrible news a few weeks back, I had a reel running through my head of last conversations, facial expressions, laughter, hugs and could not bring myself to think what I was hearing and then read through my phone was actually true. It was one of those flash things that you often hear people describe when they hear bad news or something horrible happens... where you think, really "your life flashes before your eyes?" Well, turns out, there is real meaning behind that saying, which has the most profound effect in brining you straight back into the present moment in an instant. After a few hours past, I could not sleep and got this really funny feeling where everything just seemed so surreal, because when someone passes who is in your circle, whatever part of the circle it may be and is on your wave length it has a profound and impacting effect, that I believe will never change.

I got to thinking about inspiration because even though her friendship was special to me, as all my friendships are, it became more apparent then ever. Over the last two years I have learnt so much more about what authentic and true friendship means. I am a relatively open and very giving person, who is transparent and I do not like bullshit so have learnt the art of quality controlling my friendships especially who I opened up to. She was a friend who I opened up to as did she, which I will always cherish as she was truly a pure example at living life to the fullest of your capabilities. I always knew this and I always appreciated her support so much, even her unwavering faith in me and my business, which to me meant so much. I know it was true as we shared the no bullshit policy, no pitty, no crap, just raw truth. It becomes so interesting how those moments are so much more precious once they are the only ones you have left because she no longer with us.

It is for these reasons and many more that she is truly without a doubt an inspiration and why everyone she encountered in her journey has called her inspirational. I know without a doubt, her humble and modest personality would not believe that I am writing this right now, as she would always say, "come on Jeanette " when I did tell her in person... but it is undoubtedly true. She showed many of us so much strength of character and what life is truly about... also to really NOT sweat the small stuff, life is just way too short.

Loss is a funny thing, and not in normal sense of the word, it is something that grounds you profoundly and quickly. It shakes up the little world around you just like when you turn a snow globe upside down. It allows the flakes to fall into completely different positions and configurations which ultimately change your outlook, perspective and path. It is for this reason that I have been saying that the world will never be the same again, for hundreds of us that were beyond privileged to have shared moments with her.

It also shows up very quickly who are the people you can count on for support and the unwavering strength that can come from those who truly love and want to be there for the ones closest to her, who are hurting so much more than anyone can imagine.

It is for this reason that I will never give up and carry that unwavering faith she had in me forever.

It is so important to love your life, not just on the outside but on the inside, build something that is true for you and do not waste time in going around and being unkind to others. There is no room for it, there is no room for fear, there is only room for love and appreciation.

Do not wait until tomorrow to do what it is you wanted to do today. Time is a very precious thing that too many of us take for granted.

In support and in memory of a special person her family have put together a page for her, as an everyday hero, which you can check out here.

Or help me make a difference by donating here, every cent matters!  







Friday 11 July 2014

SPACES ARE ALL ABOUT CONVERTING





I came across a post on Facebook the other day about how a film studio in Toronto has been turned into a loft style home that is now worth over $5 Million Dollars! When I saw the post I could not believe what I was reading about the convert and it got me thinking about how spaces are all about change.

What do I mean? Well, one of the amazing things I love about Interiors is the ability to take any space ... ok let's be realistic, it has to be within reason, but really any space and convert it into something completely different and unimaginable. I often see it as brining a composition for a really good artwork to life by giving it dimension and depth that we can relate to and inhabit. So today I wanted to share with you this Toronto home, not because I love the furnishings, because I am going to be honest, I don't really love it, but I do love the concept of the space, the grand nature of the ceilings, the textures, the layers and the bathroom.... not to red one, the concrete one. I like how the space flows and how you can be standing in the living room and you get a really lovely view of the bedroom space. This is what Interior Design to me is all about, the experience of moving through the spaces in a really clever and artistic way. Relationship between zones and different uses of space are imperative when designing, which I really think the artist who now lives here and the architect have done a great job.

It is so interesting how spaces can have multiple lives and multiple facades just by stripping it of certain elements and then all of a sudden what the space was once associated with no longer exists. It is a great way to gain a clean slate, don't you think?

You can check out the full feature and details on the property here, but below are some of the pictures I love, sourced directly from the article.

Have a great weekend!!

J







Wednesday 9 July 2014

WONDERLUST // THE INTERIOR TRAVEL DIARY

To say I am excited about my upcoming trip is an understatement. So much to do and see, I do not even know where to start. I thought I would share with you all today, what is inspiring me about going on this trip and how I am going to use it as a breath of fresh air. It will be assisting me to inject some new exciting things into the business. We are really going to be going with the flow the whole time, I am not over planning or locking things in because we really want to immerse ourselves in the cultures that we are going to experience as well as see as many authentically beautiful things as possible. I am going to be looking for great little local furniture stores, suppliers and really immerse myself into the architecture of these ancient places. I cannot think of a better way to be inspired spatially, then staying in old ruins and exploring monuments that I have studied and admired. 

Here is the start of my Travel Diary series, where I will be eventually sharing my own travel interior guides to all the places we are visiting, but first, we are to start from the beginning. What are some of the essentials a Designer takes on holiday with them... well, I am a bit of a wellness freak so of course, I wont be leaving without my own little snacks and herbal tea bags BUT most importantly, a camera, a visual diary, pencil, good tunes and pre organised meetings with suppliers that I have made contact with over the years.  You can find all the images below to where I am heading on my Pinterest. 

In no particular order, here is where I am visiting: 

Trieste, Italy

Santorini, Greece 

So much inspiration to be recorded  
Milano, Italy 

Taking our time 

The Interior Designer


Verona, Italy 

Rhodes, Kos and Kalynmos, Greece 

Lake Como, Italy 

Venice, Italy 

London Town, UK 

Friday 4 July 2014

JDZ STYLE : HOW TO GET THE LOOK

Over the past three months, I have been working really hard on a couple of large projects - display suites for apartment developments to be exact and got such a great response on how I styled the fake "living room" that I thought I would share with you all how I achieved the look and where I got all the pieces from.

I am not going to say always because it always varies, but majority of the time I begin with a neutral base, but in this case I worked off the lovely render that was generated and that I designed for this project ( which you can see a snippet of below ) It was to be vibrant and inviting, utilising colours from the actual logo as well as from the render, so it was a pretty easy transition when designing the look in real life as it was already set for me. I love when future Jeanette benefits from past hard work... it is really a great feeling.

I ordered everything online and used my trusty resources to find me the perfect matches.
Three main stores were Zanui, Sparkk and Ikea. I also utilised these stores, as I had a really strict budget and needed to make sure I didn't over spend.

Below is where you can find the items yourself to create the look.





1 //  Two Seater lounge

2// Wallpaper

3// Cushions ( Hint both are Sparkk )

4// Side Table 

5 // Lamp 

6 // Vases ( Hint both are Ikea )

Tuesday 1 July 2014

HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY

I cannot believe that only a year ago the clicked publish on my Facebook page for my business, JDZ Designs. I published my business website as well as made it all live/public to everyone, which was I have to admit as one of the scariest moments in my professional career. All I could think was, far out, am I doing the right thing? Should I be doing this? What will people think?! Well, turns out it was definitely the right decision... no matter how many times I have questioned wether it was throughout the year... it has been the most rewarding and developing time for myself personally and as a business. It really is a journey, I know it sounds cliched, but it actually is, because I am not just doing this for a job, it is because I want a particular lifestyle at my finger tips, it is a dream and ambition as well a career. It is what I have always wanted, so I thought to myself, why should I NOT start now? What would 5 year Jeanette have on present Jeanette that would make it easier to start later in life... the answer was not much, some more experience, yeah sure, but it is not really anything that I don't really know already or can learn along the way for myself.

The truth is, it is not easy despite what some might think, growth and business success takes time, so for someone who is often not very patient and wants to see results straight away, it is scary. You have to hang in there and "Rome was not built in a day."

There are heaps of changes and different things I want to do/achieve, so I aim to make them all happen and come together. The essence of JDZ Designs is an Interior Design studio that specialises in Residential environments but has experience and worked in commercial interiors. We offer the whole thing, but also can do property styling/ evaluation, e-styling ( online styling ) and events.

We have the blog "Behind The Designer" where we share all that we love and inspires us in the design world, which we aim to update weekly.

We also now have a monthly Newsletter that shares lots of tips and tricks as well as all the news!

I am currently re branding, changing things up and making a new website, so make sure to keep up tp date with everything by signing up to the newsletter right here. 

Thank you to everyone single on of you who read my posts, stop by my blog, my site, my Facebook page, follow me, love me, support me and call me constantly to keep encouraging and believing in my dream. ( Including all my wonderful clients! )



 
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