Designer Crush: Clara Jung of Banner Day Interiors
Author:Lindsey ShookCreating spaces that generate happiness and a healthy outlook on life are the fundamental design principles at Banner Day Interiors. Known for blending traditional and whimsical elements with pops of color, their work exudes cool, comfortable and approachable. We spoke with founder and principal designer Clara Jung to uncover the source of their inspiration and how they are finding the positive in the pandemic.
–We love that your design mission is focused on bringing happiness to spaces. What element in a room do you think lifts people up the most?
Indiscernible and often hard to pinpoint, but I find that creating layers in patterns, textures or colors in any room makes one feel like being welcomed by an old friend.
–Which other designers or creatives inspired your career the most and why? I’ve been loving the work of Beata Human. The way she designs spaces seems like a modern take on English sensibilities in a very lovely and playful manner. She also feels like a kindred spirit since I also like using doses of strong color in my own designs.
I’ve also found great inspiration lately in landscape design. I’ve especially been loving romantic, overgrown and somewhat wild gardens. Ian McEwan’s garden has a permanent place on my Pinterest board. It’s not just limited to the texture and color palettes referenced in nature, but also the general mood the outdoors can evoke, it can easily translate into wonderful, stimulating interior design.
–How would you describe your signature style? Thoughtful, bright and a dose of whimsy.
–Any brands or furniture/decorative artists you are obsessing over right now?
I’ve been slowly growing our own art collection and one of my most recent additions is a piece by Gigi Mills. She is a painter based in Sante Fe and I learned of her work during one of the Fort Mason art fairs. When I saw one of her pieces it immediately stunned and captivated me. There is something so primitive yet sophisticated in her pieces, they slowly draw you in into a quiet magical moment.
–How have you shifted your business during the pandemic that will remain a part of your process? Without the ability to work in the office on a daily basis, we’ve implemented processes through tech applications that allow our team to work remotely for the most part without disruption to either our clients or building partners. Although we will all be back in the office once it’s safe, we will most likely keep some of these processes in place to allow for maximum flexibility.
LIGHTNING ROUND!
-Favorite S.F. restaurant for the design? The Cavalier
–Must-have daily essential? Can there be life before coffee?
–Favorite design book? More out of sentimentality than anything else, “Domino: The Book of Decorating.”
-If you weren’t a designer, you would be? A lawyer oddly. Prior to being an interior designer, I was a corporate attorney for a handful of years. And I pivoted to interior design after becoming somewhat jaded by the legal profession. Yet, there are some parts of the law I definitely do miss and I strongly believe if I needed to pivot again, I would return to practicing.
