Jay Jeffers is a busy guy. But somehow, between his cross-country interior design projects and running his shop Cavalier Goods in San Francisco, he found time to publish his first book: Jay Jeffers: Collected Cool. While he may be residing in California, (spoiler alert) he hails from the fair state of Texas, Dallas to be specific. Jay Jeffers: Collected Cool was written with the DIY-ers in mind — Jay shares his inspiration, creation process, and gives tips on how to recreate the looks in your own home.
We had a few questions for Jay, in preparation forthe book, which is available at Nuvo, Forty Five Ten, and Barnes and Noble. Read on for the scoop.
D Home: What is your background?
JJ: I’m a Texas native. I grew up in Dallas and attended the University of Texas. I started JDG in my guest bedroom 14 years ago with one client. My design and my clients have evolved over the years, but my original goal hasn’t changed: to create beautiful, livable homes that are well-edited, collected, reflect my clients’ personalities and have a touch of whimsy. Design doesn’t have to take itself too seriously.
D Home: When did you first notice a love of interior design?
I designed my dream home at age 8. I coveted my architectural digest magazines and kept them in my closet for years. Fast forward years later to a business degree and working for Gap headquarters in marketing and PR. I needed something creative in my life and knew, that the job wasn’t for me. I ended up taking a night class that served as an intro to interior design. I fell in love with it on the first day of class and realized I might actually be able to make a living doing something like this.
D Home: How would you describe your style?
Some words that best describe both my personal and professional sense of style are: playful, fearless, well-edited, collected, whimsical, curated, bespoke, cool.
D Home: What interior design trends are you loving for spring?
While general décor trends aren’t quite as seasonal as say, fashion, for springtime I’m always exploring linens and lighter colors. A new set of pillows and fresh cut flowers can do so much to revitalize a room for spring.
D Home: What projects have your worked on in Dallas? Do you have a favorite?
While I haven’t yet done a project in Dallas, my favorite Texas project is my mother’s home in Austin.
