Custom Design in Today’s Economy

The idea of hiring a designer to help you transform your home can be scary—especially if you assume “custom” means “expensive.” But it doesn’t have to, says master designer Jeanese Rowell. For her, custom design is all about making your home fit your lifestyle and reflect your personality. And that’s something that can be quite affordable, especially when you approach it with curiosity, creativity, and 25 years worth of connections in every area of home decorating, finishing and furnishing.

It’s that combination of unique vision, broad experience, and a vast network of fabricators, suppliers and contractors that keep Jeanese Rowell Designs incredibly busy. Even during the economic downturn, she travels all over the Bay Area and beyond to meet and work with new clients. She also travels the country and the world to stay on top of design and pricing trends, learn about new products and materials, and build relationships with artisans, fabricators and suppliers who offer both great design and affordable prices.

“I don’t leave any stones unturned,” says Jeanese. “And I can tell you that pricing right now is incredible. In today’s market, nothing is impossible as long as you use some imagination and determination.”

A Palo Alto native and graduate of Stanford, Jeanese started her career as an interior decorator, but soon branched out to offer complete remodeling design and build services. Today she does it all, from drafting a design and taking the plans to the city building department, to construction and product selection. She has her own team of cabinet and furniture makers, so she can design the perfect piece for a particular room and have it built locally to save time and money. She has nurtured relationships with suppliers large and small, from Nepalese villagers crafting hand-made rugs to an Italian stone merchant who goes out of his way to find high-quality and unusual granites and other stone at reduced prices. She seeks out green alternatives, like a woman who collects old railroad ties across Australia and New Zealand and mills them into unique and beautiful hardwood flooring. She’s even been featured in a multi-part television series called ‘Bay Area Living: Home Improvement Edition’ on KRON-TV.

Jeanese throws all that energy and passion into every project she works on, regardless of size. She begins each project with a two-hour consultation, asking questions about the client’s goals, lifestyle and budget, and observing their lifestyle. “I need to come in, look at the color of your eyes, see what surrounds you,” says Jeanese. At one such meeting, she noticed that the husband and wife had different seating habits. “She likes to curl up in a chair,” says Jeanese. “He likes to spread out in a chair. And they wanted to sit together.” So she had them sit down as if they were watching television, with his arm around his wife. Taking measurements, she had her furniture makers create a sofa that is the perfect fit.

“I love the challenge of finding new things and of creating a new look for someone,” says Jeanese, who is as proud of her work as she is of her seven children and 18 grandchildren. “It’s like watching children grow.”

In addition to complete interior and exterior redesign and rebuild services, Jeanese Rowell Design offers landscaping servies and staging of real estate for sale. For more information, contact Jeanese Rowell Designs at (877) 323-1066 or on the Web at www.jrdesign.com.