Designer Crush: Jennifer Wundrow
Author:Lindsey ShookCalifornia native Jennifer Wundrow‘s extensive career in design is impressive. Having worked for Tucker & Marks, Rebecca Bradley and her own former firm Nest Design Co., her projects have spanned from Sonoma to New York. She prides herself on curating each space with classic soul and modern edge, with function top of mind. Here, she shares more about who inspired her foray into design and what is keeping her inspired.
-What or who inspired your design career? I have had an affinity for design since I was a young child, always rearranging the furniture in my room. Both my grandmother and my mom dabbled in design so it seems as though it was in my blood. During my early college career, I started interning with Suzanne Tucker of Tucker & Marks and that was it for me. I was hooked! I was enthralled with all of the details that go in to designing and building someone’s home. I began working for Tucker & Marks full-time upon graduating with my degree in interior design and that was the start of it all.
–How would you describe signature style? Timeless. My intent is to design spaces for my clients that will stand the test of time. I don’t design spaces that will fall in and out with the trends of tomorrow. Hiring an interior designer is an investment and the project(s) we are hired to help with are not something our clients will want to turn around and re-do in a few years.
–You have created very impactful showcase design moments. How has showcase design contributed to the success of your business? Participating in the San Francisco Decorator Showcase House allowed me tremendous growth as a designer in both stretching my design limits, as well as learning to work under very tight deadlines. Dreaming up spaces that I was ultimately designing for myself allowed me to really create and experience different aesthetics and fall in love with new techniques and details. Our first showcase, we came in with a bang, eye-catching, bold and a lot of fun! The last showcase in 2020 was much more reminiscent of something I would do in my own home—a play on textures and patterns giving the room a lot of interest, but keeping the colors neutral and calming.
–Any brands or furniture/decorative artists you are obsessed with? My current obsession is with Elise Birnbaum’s sculptural, biomorphic shapes and vessels and have a number of her pieces in my own home. They are abstract and no two are the same which make each piece uniquely special. Shoot, the secret’s out!
–How have you shifted your business during the pandemic, that will remain a part of your process? We have always been able to design from a distance, we helped design a home outside of Denver, Colorado without ever stepping foot in it. However, the platforms we are using, zoom and Google meet, have really elevated our ability to meet with clients virtually and I don’t believe that will change going forward.
LIGHTNING ROUND!
–Favorite SF museum or gallery? There are so many galleries and museums to love in S.F., it’s hard to choose. I work a lot with Simon Breitbard Fine Arts and love visiting the deYoung.
–Must-have daily essential? A walk! I have to get outside and move. This is also usually the only “me” time I get during my day so it has become increasingly important.
–Favorite design book? Rooms to Remember and Suzanne Tucker Interiors. I love having been a part of some of the projects in both of these books and I cherish the personal notes Suzanne wrote to me in both of my signed copies.
-If you weren’t a designer, you would be? A photographer. For anyone that knows me, I am obsessed with taking photos – of people, homes, architecture, landscapes, details, etc. (just not myself). Those snapshot memories give me all the feels from the day the photo was taken and I can easily escape back to that moment.
