[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
[00:00:10] Speaker B: Welcome back to the Interior Collective, where we go behind the business of interior design with the most compelling voices in our industry. I'm your host, Anastasia Casey. Today's guest is a force of creative energy and intention, Jessica Schuster, the visionary behind Jessica Schuster Design, based right in the heart of Soho, N.Y. known for her fearless use of color, sculptural form and soulful storytelling, Jessica has carved out a design identity that's instantly recognizable yet deeply personal. In this conversation, we're diving into the power of personal brand, how Jessica's recent rebrand became an anchor point for growth, the strategy behind her website and visuals, and how boldness and clarity can translate into business success in one of the most competitive markets in the world. We're also pulling back the curtain on her design process, where inspiration begins, how she balances client identity with her own signature style, and why her work always begins with the story behind the space.
If you've ever felt like your design voice was too much or worried about breaking away from the status quo, this episode is for you.
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[email protected] and Interior Collective. Listeners get 50% off their first month. Hi Jesse, welcome to the show. I'm so excited to have you on the Interior Collective.
[00:02:23] Speaker A: Thanks Anastasia. I'm so happy to be here. Thank you for having me.
[00:02:26] Speaker B: I'm super pumped for our topic today as we dig into like the power of personal branding. Especially as an interior designer, I just think that you have such a well articulated eye through Avenues that aren't necessarily as obvious as most interior designers would think to go. So I just can't wait to dig into how you have mastered that.
[00:02:48] Speaker A: Thank you. I'm excited to. To explore that with you.
[00:02:51] Speaker B: So before we really dig into, like, the power of your personal branding, I just. It's always helpful to know how you got started in design. What drew you into this world and kind of how did you get to having your own studio?
[00:03:03] Speaker A: Yeah, so it was sort of an organic start for me. When I first came to New York as an undergrad student at nyu, I really was passionate about working in fashion. That's kind of. You know, I grew up in the era of Carrie Bradshaw and Sex of the City, and, you know, I was starting this life in New York. And part of the attraction to NYU is that you had internships all throughout school. So I got my start working for Tory Burch when she was just starting her studio, and there were six people. And then I moved to Ralph Lauren. And, you know, interior design was something that. It was always of interest to me. I had sort of grown up around it. My mom had worked with many designers. My grandmother worked with one designer mostly. And it was something that I always thought was very exciting. But my sort of foray into it was I was at nyu and my parents were working on a home in Palm beach with their interior designer at the time. Who was Tui Pranich, was a, you know, semi famous designer a while ago. He was very well known in New York and Miami. He had offices in both places. I kind of grew up with him, known him since I was, like, 13 years old. And my parents, my mother kept coming to New York. She was coming to New York every two weeks to meet with him and go to the D and D building and pull fabrics. And so that was kind of how we would spend time together. I would meet her there, and Tuohy said to me, why don't you intern for me? And I had never really thought about that. And I said, okay, great. He said, you have great tastes, and I love what you pull, and I love your input. So I started interning from him, for him. And one thing led to another, and when I graduated, he hired me full time to work and run his New York office. And that's sort of how I got my foray into interior design.
[00:04:48] Speaker B: How did you. How did you decide to put fashion, like, back up on the shelf? I mean, you were at incredible fashion houses, if you will, and like to just be like, yeah, let's go. This totally different direction. How did you feel about that question?
[00:05:04] Speaker A: You know, it's honestly such a long time ago.
It feels like sometimes it feels like it was yesterday, but it really was, you know, almost 20 years ago. But, you know, I think I really loved Tuohy's passion and energy and, you know, what he brought to a project. He was so exciting. He's like kind of what you feel, thought about when you think about like, you know, a designer, an interior designer. Like, he just was so fun and exciting and enthusiastic about design and it was contagious. And I, I, you know, I loved working in fashion, but I thought this was kind of a great opportunity and I seized it and, you know, I switched gears completely and just fully moved into working in interiors. I mean, you know, I think fashion and interior design, there's a lot of overlap in terms of, you know, the creativity and the design process and the things that go into it.
So it was sort of a natural progression for me. I didn't feel like I was like leaving one industry behind, but I was sort of exploring a new industry.
And yeah, it was very exciting at the time. And it was exciting to be working on a project with my mom. And you know, it was, it was, it just, it just felt like the natural progression, really.
[00:06:13] Speaker B: Jesse, I'm wondering, in hindsight 20 years later, do you ever mourn the loss of your Carrie Bradshaw life or did you kind of build that in a whole new industry?
[00:06:25] Speaker A: Yeah, I think I built it. And I mean, I won't compare myself to Carrie Bradshaw. It's funny, I, I did live on Perry street and I grew, I lived for five years on Perry in the west side Highway. And someone wrote an article about me once saying, like, you know, she's a modern day Carrie Bradshaw on Perry street. That I was like, wow, that's a huge compliment. I'll take it. But no, I don't, I think, you know, I really don't mourn my, my lack of work in the, in the fashion industry. I think I sort of jumped into this industry and never looked back.
I, I really found like a real calling here and it was an organic start. But I, I, I, you know, have worked really hard through many years. And so from working from Tui, I started my own business. Like, really, I wouldn't even say I started my business. I, I started to do small projects on the side. And then I decided I wanted to go back to school and I went to Parsons and I got a degree and you know, I went to art school, which was like the coolest thing for me since sliced bread. I grew up in Boston. I went to a very, you know, intense prepped school. Everyone I went to school with went to MIT and Harvard and Yale, and, like, there was no really room for, you know, the arts per se. I mean, the arts were like. All the art classes were conducted in trailers, like, outside of the school. You know, it was really, like, a secondary thought. And that was never an option for me. I didn't even know that art school was a thing. And so when I went to grad school at Parsons, it really just felt like, oh, my God, this is where I was meant to be. This is so cool. This is amazing. I loved it. I felt really at home and like I was doing what I was meant to be doing, so. And that I was, like, thriving in it. And it's really hard. Art school, it's not easy. It's very intense, but it's just like a completely different muscle and way of using your brain. And it was so exciting for me.
[00:08:13] Speaker B: Jesse, fast forward to today. What does your current team look like, if there is a team? And what role do you play on the team? And what roles are filled on your team?
[00:08:22] Speaker A: Yeah, so I think, you know, over time, the team has evolved. When I first started my company, we started small. I started just myself. I did everything.
Today, we're about 11 people.
[00:08:33] Speaker B: Yeah, that's a lot.
[00:08:35] Speaker A: A big. It's. It's a lot. Yeah. I'm happy with the size of our team. I don't think I want to be bigger, but I think right now it's like, we're in a really good flow, and we've definitely sort of. We just restructured and kind of changed the way we did things. So everyone's kind of just getting into this, like, new rhythm and pattern again. There's sort of, like, no standardization in the industry. Everyone runs their firms differently. They have different names for different positions. So it's really, like, complicated in that, you know, in that way. But what we've found. And so originally, for the past, like, three or four years, we've divided the teams. I've had. I had three teams, three different groups of people. I had two residential teams and a hospitality team. I recently decided to stop working on hospitality and just really focus on residential. Obviously, if the right project comes along, I always, you know, consider it. And I do love doing hospitality, but I prefer doing residential ultimately. And it was kind of a hard decision, but I think at the time it made a lot of sense for us to sort of, you know, refocus our energies on just doing high end, high end residential. So instead of having two different teams that were split, now we're all one big team. So I have two intermediate designers, a senior designer, a studio, a design director, a studio director, a procurement, someone that does strictly procurement, a cfo. Let me think. We have two interns. I have a personal assistant. How many people is that?
[00:09:58] Speaker B: That's getting, that's getting close. That's a lot. Are those all full time employed people? Are they contract?
[00:10:04] Speaker A: Everyone's full time employed.
[00:10:06] Speaker B: Wow, that's a big team.
[00:10:09] Speaker A: Yeah, it's a big team, but it takes a lot. I mean it's, there's a lot of work and at the end of the day, I mean, you know, everyone's super busy. It's not like any, nobody has anything to do. You know, we're working on between six to 10 projects at a time. Every project ranges in S. But you know, on average we're working, you know, between like 1 to $5 million FF&E projects. And so it's just a lot of work. And it takes a team, you know, it takes a village, it really does, to get it right.
[00:10:39] Speaker B: Especially in New York. The logistics of doing this in New York is just so much more complicated than, than so many other markets. Another question I like to ask everybody just cause it's the things you cannot Google. How are you charging for your services? Are you working off of flat rate hourly? A hybrid model?
[00:10:55] Speaker A: Yeah, so I think it's a, it's more of like a hybrid model. We have, you know, pretty secure contracts, proposals in place that are just, you know, it's also, it's been an evolution. You know, you learn, you grow, your proposals change. And I work with someone who, you know, works on my contracts and you know, we're very sort of, we know what it takes at this point, you know, to get a project done. So the way that we work is that in SD and D, so schematic and design development, you know, we basically work off of a flat fee that's based on an hourly. I think I do find, and this is sort of like the question for everybody in the industry.
You know, I think when you work on an hourly budget it can, it can rack up like, you know, very quickly and clients can get, you know, very alarmed when they start getting these hourly bills. So I think what makes everybody more comfortable and what's sort of like a more fair way that we've worked out is that everybody on my team keeps track of their hours in a program called Harvest that they're logging all day long for every project that they're working on. So yeah, so we work on a flat rate that's based on everyone's hours for those phases. Right. So it's kind of fair. It's like the average of what it would be for that size project that the client agrees to upfront for those months.
And then we move into purchasing. And so the purchasing or the decorative fee, you know, we work on a 35% commission. And so that takes starts to take effect when we begin the purchasing ff&e part of the phase. And then we go into a construction administration where we charge again. We revert back to charging like a flat fee that's based on hours. And you know, sometimes we get it wrong and we're being, you know, charging too little for the time and then we'll always have to go back and just talk to the client and adjust it. But yeah, I mean, I think what's super important for designers is just like understanding that contracts can sometimes be flexible. Right. And, you know, it's always important to just make sure that you're being paid properly for your time. It took me a long time to figure out how to do that properly. It's not easy. It's one of the hardest things about our business. Definitely billing.
[00:13:11] Speaker B: And yeah, I have a couple follow up questions. So the first way totally makes sense. Flat rate based off of your hours. Love that you still make your team track their hours so that you can actually analyze your project to see if it was profitable or not. Procurement, you said you're working off of a 35% commission.
Is that, are you saying you charge a 35% procurement fee or 35% is what your markup is?
[00:13:35] Speaker A: That's my markup.
[00:13:36] Speaker B: Got it. So you are not charging for the time to actually order, track these items.
[00:13:42] Speaker A: That's the fee that, and that's how we do it. And I don't know if other people do it differently, but that fee is what covers that part of that process.
[00:13:51] Speaker B: Yeah. And are you basing 35% off of the cost to you, your designer pricing, or off of retail?
[00:13:57] Speaker A: It's off of cost, yeah. So it's off of what, you know, our net is. We charge a 35% markup, but it applies to, you know, on some like accessories and things like that, we don't get, you know, 35% off. And a lot of places have stopped giving designers, you know, 50 off, 40 off. Like we're, you know, we're getting 20 off in certain Places. But that's our fee, you know.
[00:14:19] Speaker B: Perfect. That totally makes sense. Okay, so with a team of 11. Yeah. Talk to me about where your role within the business looks today. Like, are you still hands on with every project or has that been handed over to your seniors and how, how involved in like client communication are you still?
[00:14:38] Speaker A: So I'm super involved in every day to day. You know, I think the goal ultimately is for me to really just be like the creative driving force behind all of the projects to bring in, like, that. The goal is for that to be my role and for me to bring in the projects and, you know, you know, be the creative director. But ultimately, you know, I think when you're running a business and you're a control freak, you know, it's still, I still feel the need to be extremely involved. I'm not involved in the procurement. I'm not involved in, you know, all the nitty gritty work that gets done every day by my, you know, incredible arc. Oh, and I have an architect on my team. I forgot to mention that. But I'm in the office every day with my team. I'm over seeing everything. I know what's going wrong, I know what's going right. You know, I'm constantly in, in meetings from 9 to 5. Like I don't have a free minute throughout the day. So I'm super involved, super hands on. And you know, in terms of client communications, it's really, you know, a lot of clients have become friends, but I do, you know, like to be involved with them when we're, you know, basically I see my clients when we have meetings and we're presenting. I'm not involved in like the daily communication between my clients and they're really dealing with my studio director, design director, et cetera.
[00:15:56] Speaker B: So perfect. That's so nice. That's the dream.
[00:15:59] Speaker A: It took some time to get there, but we're there.
[00:16:02] Speaker B: You mentioned that ideally your role is bringing on new clients and really being like the face of the brand. Creative director. I want to talk about what your onboarding process looks like from that brand perspective. How are clients, like, first introduced to Jessica Schuster experience? Like, are you getting mostly referrals? Have they found you via. I know you have an incredible PR team. Have they found. Found you via Instagram? Like, how are they first coming to you and how are you onboarding them to have this really lux experience from the very beginning?
[00:16:33] Speaker A: Yeah, I think that's a great question. So, you know, I've been so lucky because the majority of my work really comes through word of mouth. And we have a lot of clients that we've worked on many projects with, you know, three, four. So that's a great sign, right? It means you're doing something right. I have been. I think Instagram is a great sign tool. And just, you know, it's become so integral, like in the design world, to show your work, and it generates a buzz. It's like your own, you know, pr, in a sense. And I do think from time to time I get work, you know, I get a lot of inquiries from people that I have seen articles written or things like that. But the majority of my clients come in through word of mouth, you know, through other clients, things like that. For the onboarding process. When we start with a client, it's. I love to meet my clients in person. I love to understand the space that we're designing. So if the project's in Florida, I'll travel to Florida. If the project's in London, I'll travel to London. You know, I think that that initial meeting, getting to know somebody, that's so important and integral to what we do. For me, like, understanding who my client is, how they live currently, kind of figuring out through different processes, you know, how they see themselves and want to live. Because ultimately, what we do is like an education, right? I mean, we're, you know, people live nicely, etc. But as designers, we're building them a home, a lifestyle. Like, we do everything from custom furniture and interior architecture down to, like, the nitty gritty, down to, like, you know, your butter dishes, your tabletop, every detail. So it's really just like figuring out. Because everybody's different, everyone has different needs, everyone has different, you know, desires of just, like, getting into the nitty gritty and really, like. Like understanding my client, understanding their. Their processes, and like, figuring out how I can create something incredible for them that is going to sort of push them into the next element or phase of their life. Right? I mean, it's a big financial commitment working with somebody and doing interior design. It's not for the faint of heart. And so it's really just understanding them and feeling it out a little bit. It's a lot of. It is like, you know, intuitive and. And big vibe jacks, you know, and then.
And then it's introducing everybody to the team. I mean, there's a team of people that are working on their project, making sure that they know that. That they're constantly supported. You know, it's. It comes down to bringing in the right contractors a lot of times. You know, we're asked to bring on people that we recommend that we trust. It's bringing on the right AV people, it's bringing on the right lighting designer. So it's creating a team around my clients needs that's like first and foremost, right? And so really making sure that they're surrounded by people that are trustworthy, worthy, that do great work. You know, people that I trust and really like believe in, that's number one. And then, you know, we get into doing our first presentation. So normally it's more of like a vibe presentation, a mood board, a concept, an initial furniture plan, and really sort of starting to like build that out from there. But that's kind of how our onboarding process goes. If that gives you.
[00:19:47] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, it definitely does.
[00:19:48] Speaker A: A better idea.
[00:19:49] Speaker B: I'm curious, based on the fact that a lot of your work is coming from referrals or past clients, how do you get to the point of deciding it is worth my time to travel to this location to have this initial meeting? Like, do you have an initial call at all? Is it just via email?
[00:20:05] Speaker A: So normally what happens is my studio director will take a meeting on my behalf just to sort of vet the project, understand the needs of the project. If, if, if, you know, depending on how busy we are at the time, like do we have the time to take on a project? You know, we normally are looking to take on projects that are more like ground up projects or gut renovation. You know, we've been taking larger projects on. I think that's the goal for me ultimately is to be taking on less projects and bigger projects, you know, but there's always like a point in time where we need smaller projects to sort of like, like subsidize what's going on. Because some projects take four years, you know, like they're big, big long processes. So, you know, we'll subsidize here and there. And I like to take on sort of smaller projects here and there because they're quicker and you, you know, it's more rewarding. It's like you, you get it done and it's exciting and you know, so, yeah, so I have my team sort of vet out the project, then we talk about it, make sure that it makes sense for us. Is their budget, you know, you know, substantial enough. Like, you know, there's a point where we, we don't take on projects sort of at this point that are like less than a million dollars, just financially. For me, I'm running a big business and it doesn't really make sense for us. So I have to just be cognizant of that. And yeah, that's sort of how we go. So if, if, if it feels like it's the right client, if they're asking the right questions. I've also gotten a knack for, you know, understanding who's going to be a good client, who's not going to be a good client. You know, like, I only want to work with, like, great, honest people that are going to be easy to work with and pay on time. You know, I'm not in the business of chasing people for money. This, this only goes, you know, a project only moves and works as smoothly if a client's paying. Right. I mean, we have, it's just so.
[00:21:55] Speaker B: You know, yeah, with 11 people, you have a big overhead.
[00:21:58] Speaker A: You have a lot of overhead. Especially in New York City, you know, there's a lot of overhead. And it's not even that, but it's like, you know, I, I, I run in. I'm sure everyone, designers have experience at some point in their life, you know, where you're proposing things and it's all this work and then a client, you know, is very slow to pay. Like months and months and months. That doesn't work. You know, like when we're hiring, when we're signing up a client, and it's an interview process both ways. Right? I mean, we're interviewing them as well and it's like, okay, you know, in our contract, it clearly states that, like, once the proposal goes out, we expect payment within a week because we have things on hold, we have deadlines to make. Like, this project only moves as fast as my client, you know, approves a proposal and pays. So, you know, that is like, one of the biggest things that we sort of suss out and feel. And again, in that, like, interview process.
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One of the things you mentioned earlier in the show is that you're just super lucky that you've had a lot of referrals from past clients. I'm curious as to someone who's has been lucky to have a great and well earned like lead, lead flow. Why, why would someone who's getting the clients of the caliber that you are invest in pr? What do you, what do you feel like you are spending money on when you're hiring a publicist? And in turn, what does that kind of ROI feel like for you? Because I know that PR is just absolutely not something that you can say, great, this happened and this turned into this much money. And so what made you decide that like PR was necessary when you already had a really strong client base?
[00:24:29] Speaker A: Yeah, I think, you know, it's so, it's such a, it's, it's an interesting question. I've always sort of had PR. I worked with somebody else. I worked with Michael McGraw for many years, who I love and adore. He's fabulous. And I switched over to Dada Goldberg, who I love and they're great and they represent a lot of designers and I think ultimately, you know, marketing myself is not, it's just, I'm not great at it. I'm you know, my own worst enemy. You know, like they do my, they handle all my Instagram, they make me post my work. I'm very shy person, I'm very private and you know, if it were up to me, I wouldn't be posting anything. I, I, I second, you know, not that I second guess, but like when, when I see my work photographed, I'm always sort of critiquing it and oh, the flower should have been like the, you know, I'm not seeing the full beauty that other people see in it. So I'm very like shy myself to do those things and post it and be my own, you know, advocate. So there's that need because the world has become so social media focused and so driven by that as like, you know, a sort of benchmark of success and something that I'm unable to manage myself. Right. That's also like a full time job of which time I don't have to do.
So I really felt like I wanted to be aligned with the right company to help me bring my brand to life. Right. And help me. And by the way, it is still a full time job even though they're doing this full time for me. It's a huge, it's a huge Commitment, you know, I have multiple meetings with them a week and, you know, we're. We're talking about not only pr, but social. And it's, it's just a lot of management and it's like a huge part of my business and I think it's a very important part of the business. It's just not something that I'm good at that personally or have time to do. So it really was necessary for me to bring on the right partner to help me, you know, producing videos and content. Things that, like, you know, for me, these are not things that I think about. You know, these are not things that are necessarily on my radar or that are important to me. Like, my days are just like jam packed and I just feel like I'm against the clock every day and I have a million things to get done. Getting videos of taken of me, like in the middle of this is not ideal, but it is what people want to see and what helps you generate new business. So I think just, you know, having a PR team and I think Dada has been so amazing and so integral to like, my rebranding and thinking about the future of my business and licensing deals and, you know, a monograph, starting out, doing a book, and all of these things that I necessarily wouldn't be doing. So am I seeing, like a direct conversion to, like, money?
Not necessarily. Again, like you said, it's very hard to see that even like when you do, you know, Kips Bay or you do a designer show house, like, are you seeing that return? No, not necessarily. Like, I did Kips Bay in Palm beach, and it was a great marketing tool and it was fabulous and fun and a way to give back and a way to be a part of the community. But, like, did I get my money out of that? No. With pr, I think maybe it's. It's a bit different because it's more of an organic approach to my brand and to building this brand and to creating something that's sustainable, sustaining and lasting.
[00:27:46] Speaker B: So I love hearing that thought process, especially as someone who's, you know, taking projects all over the world and has this huge team. It's just really helpful to know for someone who's maybe not at that level yet or doesn't think of themselves at that level, how that can be a tool that they can use. You mentioned that your PR team helped you recently complete a rebrand.
And your rebrand was just something I was super fascinated with because. Because that is part of what we do at Idygo. But I'm curious what Prompted that decision and what did that process look like behind the scenes? Why was there a conscious decision of we need to make a look, we need a look?
[00:28:28] Speaker A: Yeah. I mean, so that came about, about, I would say maybe like six years ago. I was like, oh, I need a brand. And I worked, originally worked with this really great team out of Paris, these girls who did my original branding, which I loved. And I thought it was like at the time, fabulous. And it was, it really was. It worked for me for like six years. And you know when you come up for air and you know all these things and you're like realizing, okay, wait, my website's really outdated, maybe my brand looks not like it's reflecting who I am today. You know, it's like, oh, okay, I gotta work on this again. This is like another full time job time, which you have to find and navigate. But, you know, if it was something sort of that just felt like it was necessary, I think my branding was. I've had it for about five or six years and as much as I loved it, I just felt like it started to feel a little young. Right? I mean, it was representative of me five years ago. My business has really changed and grown in those five years. You know, I've been taking on larger projects. I've grown my team to 11 people. It's just a different time. You know, we're moving into a different era and I needed that to be updated to reflect who we are, who I am, and, you know, be more reflective of our aesthetic today.
So it was really important to me to partner again with the right people.
And I have a girlfriend who's super, super talented. Her name's Claire Olshan and she has a company called the Drawing Room. And she does really exceptionally beautiful work. And she's very thoughtful about the way she approaches design and branding. And she presented me with like five things that she thought were representative of me. And it was so hard to sort of like narrow it down because I wanted them all. I'm like, how do we incorporate this into this? You know, and it just, it was really like they all really felt like different versions of me ultimately. And they also felt similar to what we had originally. Like my first branding. It's not like completely different, right? It's, it's a, it's a more evolved, it's a more mature reflection of who I am today. But it is still, you know, an ode to what was. So we kept the colors the same. You know, we changed the font. We.
It just, I think if you look at My old branding. And you look at my new branding today, you're like, okay, it feels very similar, but this is like the newer, more mature version of Jesse, and that's sort of where we go to. Yeah. Do you like the branding?
[00:30:52] Speaker B: I love it. I think it's so cool. I do think it's really interesting because data clients definitely have a look. And when I. When I came across your website and your new branding, I was like, oh, this is like out of the look. And I really love that. It was really exciting. I was like, oh, this feels so individual and specific and bespoke to the type of work that you are working on. And I thought that that was just really amazing.
[00:31:17] Speaker A: Thank you. That means it's all working, right? I mean, it's all natural and organic and working.
[00:31:21] Speaker B: So that's absolutely. I'm curious how you feel.
How important do you think it is that the branding itself, like the actual artwork font of the branding, represents the spaces you design? Like, do you feel like those two have to go directly, hand in hand, or do you like them to kind of have some tension?
[00:31:41] Speaker A: I think tension is always good. Right. Like, there's so much tension in my work in my day. Like, tension is the sort of the word. Right. Like, the branding is more this ode to, like, art deco, which. I love Art deco, right. And. And I've never done, like, a full deco project. Even though we're working on an art deco project right now, we just need the right client, you know, to go there. I mean, that's sort of like what I grew up with. My grandmother was very into art deco and all of her homes were deco, but not my. My projects are not art deco. Like, there's odes to deco throughout, but that's okay. You know what I mean? I love, I just, I love, you know, I. I don't think that, like, the lettering had to be mid century, you know, I don't think it feels off. I think that there's, you know, attention, like you said, and it's sort of just a blurred line. It's blended, you know, there's. It doesn't have to be so severe or so like correct or exact to what it is that we do, you know, but it's a feeling. It creates a vibe, it creates an energy. It's a feeling of what we do.
[00:32:45] Speaker B: So, I mean, being in, like, the most competitive design market in the world, how do you that, like, having a strong brand, that's like telling where you're going, not necessarily where you've been, has helped you stand out because, again, I noticed it, like, really quickly when I looked at your stuff, and I'm curious as to how. How much you paid attention to what other people were doing versus what felt right for you.
[00:33:10] Speaker A: I don't really pay attention to what other people are doing, although I probably should pay more attention. I always see what my. My peers, my colleagues, my friends are doing, and I think, oh, they're. That's beautiful and amazing. But I really just sort of, when it comes to myself, just go at it with, you know, integrity, authenticity. It's an organic process.
And I knew that I was in good hands, right? Like, I hired Claire, who I really trusted, and, you know, I hope that's, like, how people feel when they hire me. My clients feel like, I trust you, right? Like, lead me in this direction, and that's kind of where we went. And I felt very sort of supported in that way and felt like this was really appropriate and spoke to who I was today and who I will be in the next five years.
[00:33:55] Speaker B: Do you feel like when you made the switch, after that initial branding that you had for five or six years, when you made the switch to new branding and you sent out, like, that next proposal, do you feel like it changed your confidence level or how you approach the proposal, was there a shift in the way that you feel like you communicated with your clients, or was it a very organic, like, oh, now there's a new logo and, like, we're just moving on?
[00:34:19] Speaker A: No, I think it felt really sort of institutional. Like, for the team, it was really exciting for, you know, we. We. It was a whole process, right? It was like. It was our. It was our presentations that were updated, our formats were updated. You know, our plans and our IDs, and the plans are updated. Like, it just. It felt exciting for everybody. It felt like, this is the new chapter. It wasn't like, oh, there's just a new logo. It felt like, this is who we are. This is a really exciting, cool place to be working at with a lot of, like, fun, collaborative young people working on cool projects, putting out awesome design, and this is who we are. So it was really, like, monumental in that sense, you know, because it did set the tone for me, for everybody. It set the tone to the clients, like, hey, we're serious. We're, you know, this is legit, you know, and it's hard sometimes. You have to stop as a designer. Like, I've been doing this for 15 years on my own, and I'm so busy normally that I just don't Even have time to, like, look up and have a thought. And, you know, it's nice to sort of, like, say that this is a milestone, right? Like, wow, we've come a really long way, and this means something, right? I mean, it was a lot of work to get there. Like, the branding took time, and the. The website took time, and, you know, it's a lot of work that goes into it. So I think appreciating it, understanding it, and realizing the enormity that. And the importance that it has for you, your team, your clients, all of that, it's important.
[00:35:51] Speaker B: I love that you took the time to, like, be in that moment, because as a business owner, it's so. You've been working on something for years. It's so easy to be like, well, we're already on to the next thing by the time that that first thing goes live, that you can just skip right over it. So I love that, like, you had a whole moment with your team to be like, this is us. We are here. This is legit, and let's go out and kill it with our next projects. I really want to talk about your understanding and use of color and form and story.
One thing that I think really sets you apart is your use of color and form. And even again, I hope everybody's listening. Goes to Jessica's website. So you can see the branding, see that you chose red that has always been a part of your brand, but also see how that carries across. Not necessarily red, but the concept of being fearless in color. Over to your projects. How did you develop such confidence in your design voice, particularly when we're talking about shape and color?
[00:36:51] Speaker A: So interesting. You know, first of all, I think confidence, right? It's like. Like, you as a designer, you just have to be confident, right? I mean, like, you're the expert. People are paying you. They want your, you know, input. And so confidence is just key. But secondly, you know, I've never been afraid of color. I have. You know, I have a lot of clients that have different experiences or understanding of color. I have people that will come to me and say, oh, I don't like brown. It's like, brown is the best color. And that there is. It's my favorite color, right? It's like, it goes with everything, and it's perfect and it's neutralizing, or, you know, I don't like yellow. Like, people have really strong. I had a project that I did and that was just featured in Architectural Digest that was, like, my client only wanted primary colors, and that was a challenge. In itself, right. I don't see color like that, right. I. I think in a lot of my projects, if you look at it, I'm able to sort of neutralize color. Right? Like, use color in a way where it feels soft and subtle and lovely and you're living with col and you're not thinking about it as like a distraction to anything. It just feels nice. It has a great energy. Right. And I think that's sort of like my intent as a designer is to not. Is to create in these, these homes, these settings for people that are enjoyable, that are livable, that are, you know, articulate and that are composed, you know, in a way that I see fitness fit for the space, but that don't overwhelm. Right. Like, I. My goal as a designer is to not, like, create something where you walk into the space and you're just like overwhelmed, right. You don't know where to look and there's so much going on and the, you know, I don't. I'm not trying to create tension in that way, right. I'm. I'm trying to create a space where you walk in and you just feel like, oh, this feels great. Why? I don't know, but it just does. Right? And that's because there's texture, there's shape, like you said in forms, and there's colors that are all working together to create this overall vibe. So I think just something that I was, you know, obviously I've worked on and honed over time, but it's just sort of my own experience and my own understanding of. Of color and of being able to use things that I think work together and work nicely. And, you know, always my preference is when clients don't have, you know, their own preferences on color. Like, I love to just sort of be able to do, obviously, what I want in a space and how I feel the space should feel. But I think ultimately, as a designer, that never happens, right? And people have a lot of preferences and a lot of weir, weird hang ups about color. Ultimately, I think, though, the greatest reward is being able to teach your clients, right. And to, oh, you hate brown. But wait, let me show you why brown is necessary in this room and how it's going to ground everything else and play off of the red and play off of, you know, the navy and all these things. So I think understanding colors, understanding that, and you learn this in design schools, that they all interact together, right? And how they work together and play together in a room, it's very important. And so it's Something that I love to do and bring in through stone and bring in through fabrics and flowers, books, you know, I mean, there's so many ways to bring in and introduce color to a project that is a.
[00:40:03] Speaker B: Perfect segue because you. You talk on your website and on your social about kind of the art of storytelling through your work. And I'm curious if you could give us an example to those listening, like, what is an example story that a project has. Has told? Or how have you sold the story to a client to, like, really get the design, to get that, you know, a plus approval to be able to see that project come to fruition the way that you envisioned it?
[00:40:35] Speaker A: I mean, I think that's the story, right? That's part of the fundamental and intuitive way of, like, understanding your clients, understanding their desires and needs, understanding who they are and being able to tell this story, to weave together this program for them. This, you know, home that feels collected and lived in and feels like them, but feels like a different version of them. Like, how do you convey that story? How do you understand them in a way that, like, pushes that forward? And all my clients are different, and they all have different stories to tell that we're able to sort of tune into and plug into. But, you know, I'm working on a couple of projects right now with a client who's also a dear friend, and, you know, he is a surfer, and surfing is like, you know, one of the most important things in his life, right? I mean, it really defines who he is.
And we're working on a project with him in Barbados, which is a super exciting, cool project which we can get into later. And we're working on a project for him in New York City, right? So it's. How do we tell this story of who this person is in the context, right, In Barbados, it's one thing, right, because we're literally building a home on top of a. A. A very famous wave in Barbados. And so the whole concept and the whole thought and story behind this is about surfing. But how do we bring in the storyline of surfing into a project on the High Line? How do we convey that this person is so passionate about surfing, but also is a serious, you know, human that that lives in New York City, that. That lives on the High Line. And it's like, you know, I want to be able to convey that. That in a way where someone works, walks in, and they understand that my client is so passionate about this sport, and they feel it in every fiber and every piece of furniture that they sit on. Right. So it's really about that curation. It's like, I'm feeling this, like, 70s vibe, but it's also this, like, sophisticated New York City apartment. And so it's the blending of materials. It's the plaster that we put on the walls, and it's. It's, you know, the custom furniture that we're designing. It's the vintage pieces that we're picking.
Everything is sort of working together, the fabrics, the rug, to tell this story that, okay, this guy is the sophisticated New York City guy. This is his apartment in New York. But he's like, you know, this really cool, like, surfing dude. But I don't have, like, surf birds on the wall. Do you know what I mean?
It's like every. Every the. All the fabrics are working together. Even the art that we're working on and placing with our art advisor, you know, is sort of telling the story without being obvious. So it's just like, all of the components working together where you walk into the apartment, and it's an energy. It's a feeling. Like, you get the feeling like, this guy is really cool and that he likes to surf without seeing, like, a surfboard on the wall. Do you know what I mean? Yeah.
[00:43:28] Speaker B: Yeah. That was actually a fantastic example. Thank you for sharing that. About that. Two really cool projects. I'm curious how you handle it when someone.
When a client doesn't have such a clear identity, like, such a clear love for a single sport or a single location. How are you still pulling a story out from them? And where in your process are you, like, learning those details to help craft that story?
[00:43:57] Speaker A: I think, again, like, it is a process about learning. Right. A lot of it comes from my initial meeting with the client, but also it comes as we design, as we, you know, are in design development and as we get to know our clients better. And I think sometimes you're right, it is less obvious, like, the story that someone wants to tell. But what I think it is that we do as designers and part of our job is, again, understanding, like, the ethos of our clients, understanding where they are in their life, understanding what this new piece of real estate means to them, this new project means to them what this is going to do for their life. Right? I mean, this is elevating them, and this is taking them into the next, you know, era.
This is, you know, a culmination of lots of money, of hard work. It's a labor of love. Like, how does that story come about? And I think it's a natural process where it really, through understanding your client, it comes out. Right. I mean, it is. There is always a story there. And whether that comes out in the art or just, like, the general feeling when you come into the place, like, it feels like this person, but it feels like the elevated next chapter of this person, you know, and that's. That's the story. I don't know how to articulate it except to just show you in photos. But it is a process. I mean.
[00:45:23] Speaker B: I mean, I'm curious if there are any, like, specific rituals or routines that you start a new project with to get grounded in the client's story. I know that you like to have that initial meeting in person. Like, do you have a series of questions that you always ask, or have you been able to navigate to the point where, like, you know what to ask based off of what you're seeing?
[00:45:48] Speaker A: For me, it. A lot of it comes from, like, the mood, concept, development of that and understanding, like, what this person is responding to initially. If I haven't worked with them before, right. And it's like, I do a lot of research. I sort of expect my team to do research. Like, we're reading books, we're studying the architecture, we're getting deep into Pinterest. We're pulling hard materials, soft materials, like, really trying to pull a whole story together and see what. But how the client responds in that initial meeting. And that. That tells you a lot and takes you to the next step, right? I mean, if they're, like, not responding to what you do, okay, you. You shift gears, you come up with another story. But, you know, it's. It's partially an intuitive process, just sort of trying to figure it out.
[00:46:36] Speaker B: Do you prepare more than one story, visual story, for those initial concepts, or are you, like, here's our best and brightest. We will go and revise. If this is not hitting.
[00:46:48] Speaker A: It's. It's an interesting question because I think as a designer, if you overwhelm your clients with too much option, it becomes too overwhelming. So I think having a clear focus and a clear, like, board and concept of what you want to present is the best direction to go. If they don't like it, then you pivot and you present something else. But I think overwhelming them with multiple things and concepts is too much.
Right? Like, they're coming to you for directive. This is what we do every day. Like, put it together, come up with something new and creative, and let's go from there. It's, you know, again, part of that process. But I think there's something to be said for keeping it concise and keeping it tight and not giving too many different options.
[00:47:32] Speaker B: Right.
[00:47:33] Speaker A: Some clients like to see options, of course, but I think keeping it as narrow as possible, especially in the beginning, is really important to. To the end result. Right. Until, like, getting to the end result.
[00:47:45] Speaker B: Yeah, you can. You can pivot things along the way, but getting that initial moment with them is really important for them to not feel super overwhelmed going back to your own brand and just your own studio. How do you approach creative evolution? Like, staying consistent with your brand while also continuing to evolve and explore, like to push the boundaries with your project projects, but also having this kind of signature self that you've. You've crafted and carved out and built and worked so hard on. How are you? How do you handle that when you're like, no, I need to stay on brand, or like, this is what my signature is, but actually, I really want to do this wild thing.
[00:48:22] Speaker A: You know, I don't have a signature, and I never think about staying on brand when I'm designing. Right. Because I'm not designing for me. I'm designing for my clients. Right. So I'm designing what's on brand for them. Them. And it's a collaboration.
So, you know, I think when you look back at all my projects, you can see there's, like, a common thread, right? Like, there's something similar, but no project is the same. No project looks the same. Like, they can't necessarily be identified. Like, oh, that's, you know, Jesse's work. I think, like, you can look at it, and there's, like, an energy to my work. There's something sort of distinctive about it. There's a thoughtfulness and approach to it that, you know, know you can feel in all the projects, but they're also different in terms of the design, and I'm not scared to try anything. I love doing traditional. I love doing modern. I love, you know, working in different genres of design. I never want to be tied to one thing or be known for one thing. You know, every project, we're trying new things. We're pushing the boundaries. We're working with different vendors. You know, we're thinking outside the box. You know, I want to look back in 20 years and. And see that evolution that naturally happens. Right. So, yeah, I'm. I hope that answers your question.
[00:49:35] Speaker B: But, yeah, it definitely does.
[00:49:37] Speaker A: Yeah, it's kind of.
[00:49:39] Speaker B: Do you feel. Do you shoot with the same photographer, all your projects, or try to.
[00:49:43] Speaker A: As we're sort of starting to put together, like, the narrative for this book and start bringing it together. You know, there needs to sort of be like, that common thread where the photos look the same. I have not always worked with the same photographer.
I have worked with different photographers on different projects. And right now we're trying to figure out for the next four projects that I'm about to shoot, you know, what is going to be the best, you know, move going forward? Is it going to be working with the same person?
So it's a little bit complicated, I think. You know, obviously there is something to be said for people that just work with one photographer, because in a book, that really does look beautiful, but ultimately that's not always the case. Right. And so it's like, how do you put together this narrative, this story, this dialogue with different photography? And that's sort of where I'm at. And I think different photographers serve you right, at different times in your life, in your career. And there's photographers that are better at some things than others. And I've loved getting the experience to work with so many really talented and great photographers and. And I just never wanted to, like, limit myself to sort of one photographer.
[00:50:54] Speaker B: But I feel like with your projects being, like, so diverse, just all over the world, that just logistically speaking, having the same photographer can be tricky, I'm sure, as well. What do you want, people. What do you hope people feel when they experience a Jessica Schuster space?
[00:51:10] Speaker A: I hope that they feel good. Right? I mean, that's the intent. I hope that when you come into a space that I've designed, that you feel the energy, that the energy of the home is positive, that you feel, you know, like this is a collected space.
You know, that it's not just like a designer showroom, that it feels lived in, that it feels approachable, but also, you know, well thought out, that it's comfortable, that every seat that you sit on or surface that you touch has a cool, you know, sense sensitivity to it. You know, the leather's marbled, the sofas are down, covered in mohair. You know, like, there's. I want you to experience the spaces that we design, and we create and experience them in the way. And with the amount of. I know this sounds cheesy, but, like, with the amount of thought and love and planning that goes into it, because that's really what it is. So, again, no two spaces that I design are ever the same, but there's always so much to explore. You know, even when you open a cabinet, there's things to explore, there's custom things that we do on the Interiors too. So I think it's that sort of exploration and that experience is what I.
[00:52:22] Speaker B: Want people to feel before we wrap up. I know you've already teased a couple of things, but can you share any exciting, top secret projects or collaborations or anything you have coming up that we can look forward to watching you?
[00:52:36] Speaker A: Sure. I'm super excited. I'm actually in the process of installing my own apartment, which is very exciting for me. I've been working on this for the past nine months. So I'm moving in on the 27th and very excited. It was really a labor of love and a unique experience to be doing it for myself. So I'm really excited to share that with everybody. Something that we're also working on is our own furniture line. So just figuring out like the best way to get that up and running because that's a new business for us. So that's something that's in concept that we're talking about and working on. And then we have so many exciting projects that we're working on. But again, I mentioned this really cool project we're working on in Barbados and I can't wait to see it come to fruition. It's just, it's. I think it'll be five years since we've been by the time it gets finished. So it will be really exciting to share with everybody. And yeah, there's so much coming out. There's two new projects that we're shooting in the Hamptons that I'm so excited to share with the world. A lot of fun things and if coming up soon. So.
[00:53:40] Speaker B: Girl, you are busy.
[00:53:42] Speaker A: Tuned.
[00:53:43] Speaker B: You are busy. Wow.
[00:53:44] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:53:45] Speaker B: Well, Jesse, this was so lovely. It's really incredible to watch you just like stay in your lane and I really very much admire that. So I can't wait to see all of these things you're getting to roll out. I'm so excited to hear that you're talking about a book. I can't wait to get my hands on it down the road when it's ready. And just, just thank you so much for your time and your candor today.
[00:54:07] Speaker A: Thank you. I appreciate it. This was really fun. So thank you for having me.
[00:54:13] Speaker B: For more in depth analysis of this interview, including exclusive downloads, examples and more, don't forget to subscribe to the Interior Collective on Patreon. We are building an amazing private community of interior designers and industry experts open to candid conversations and answering questions.
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[email protected] the Interior Collective. Thank you so, so much for tuning into this episode. Producing this show has truly been the honor of my career and I cannot believe I get to have these conversations. A big, huge thank you to our production team at Idyco Studio and Quinn made. Your contribution literally makes this podcast feasible and the biggest thank you to to you, our listeners. Your sweet notes, DMs and reviews mean so much to us as we work to keep our show free and always accessible.
Until next time. I'm Anastasia Casey and this is the Interior Collective, a podcast for the business of beautiful living.
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