We're kicking off the Autumn season with an all new installment of our Collector Profile series, and this time, we chatted with Designport Founder and Head of Content, Jen Berniker. With an ever-expanding reach, Designport has evolved from a social media community into a gorgeous online hub for all things interior design-related, helping people in Fairfield County in the design and renovation process - particularly with the little unknowns that pop up along the way. Learn about how Jen found herself in Westport building a design-loving community, her unique approach to designing (and re-designing) her own home - and take a peek at how her taste and personality shines through in each room.
Plus, now you can shop original artwork and prints which were hand-selected by Jen in her own Guest Curation on sorellegallery.com! Explore the collection to see her picks.
Our Conversation with Jen
Tell us about yourself! You’re a Westport native now – are you from the area originally? What is your background prior to starting Designport?
Hi! We moved to Westport in 2016 after spending 15 years in New York City and having two kids there. I was raised in New Jersey and still get excited whenever I meet another chatty Jersey girl here in New England.
How did Designport come to be? When and how was that interest sparked?
Out of college I wanted to be a documentary producer. I started at CNN and moved up the ranks at various news networks through my 20s in their long-form divisions. Separately, I’ve always been obsessed with architecture and design and more than once I found myself voluntarily rearranging the company office. An opportunity came up to field produce on a show for HGTV and I jumped. I spent the next handful of years working on home, fashion and lifestyle series as a Director and Writer.
When I moved to Westport with little kids I didn’t want to commute. I took some time off, just doing some magazine writing and working on my house. When the pandemic hit, I delayed my job search again and decided to launch a Facebook group devoted to design questions because we were all stuck at home and it seemed everyone in Westport was on Facebook. I had learned a lot as a first-time homeowner and found friends asking me questions like, “who should I hire for this?” or “where did you go to find that?” It was clear that art and design are a love language for so many of us here in Fairfield County and a welcome escape. I also realized that there was a need to “crowd-source” advice on small questions and professional referrals. Designport was born, the name a nod to Westport, but with the idea that the group could grow into other communities to inspire each other with ideas and share information. A year later Instagram (@my_designport) was launched to collaborate on a more professional level with creatives. I partnered with my amazing friend Annie Ford, who also comes from the network television world but with a focus on Marketing. We created the website and newsletter, and most recently our online design directory, The Designport|folio.
Discovery by Bri Custer in Jen Berniker's Westport dining room.
Is Designport different from how you initially envisioned it, or has it changed since it first began? If so, in what ways?
I didn’t anticipate how many super interesting people we’d end up crossing paths with when this first began, and that’s really what’s pushed me to continue. I also hadn’t envisioned so many opportunities for fun community events popping up, for example, our recent “Upscale Garage Sale” at MoCA CT. We have so many more ideas on deck and the challenge is figuring out which one to do next and how to make it economically viable.
What do you hope to accomplish for the people you work with?
The mission of Designport is to take some of the stress out of homeownership and replace it with creative ideas and connections. For the professionals and business owners we partner with, the goal is to reach an audience of enthusiastic, and often new homeowners who might not have heard of you, and to provide a way to communicate your vision and personality with the community via original social media content we create. The most fun part for everyone is seeing inside neighbors homes – as well as designers homes - with our home tours, or “Snoops.”
Landscape paintings by How would you describe your personal style?
My style is generally simple and modern, but not cold. I love solids, stripes and lots of texture. For my own house I chose warm white walls, mid-tone woods, and neutral fabrics with a mix of iconic modern pieces and some everyday finds. But for me, no space is finished without colorful accents and original artwork/photography. I also love a little element of surprise, like one room that’s painted a totally different gorgeous, bold color or a fun wallpaper statement somewhere you least expect it.
Jen Berniker's modern living room in her Westport, CT home. Artwork includes an etching on paper by Sebastian Black above the fireplace and cyanotype photographs by Andy Meerow. The sofa, rug, and coffee table were designed and sourced by Atelier Roan.
What kind of artwork do you tend to gravitate toward – is there any particular style, aesthetic, or palette that speaks to you most often?
I love large-scale color photography, graphic handmade prints, vintage posters and some abstract painting, to name a few. I’m really still learning about art and trying to encourage others to do the same.
Why do you think artwork is important in a space?
The artwork is the personality and what makes your home yours. Also, it’s an investment, and you can take it with you. Plus, your little kids won’t smear peanut butter on your artwork because they can’t reach it. So while an artwork might cost twice as much as a sofa, you will have it for ten times as long and it might go up in value.
Jen Berniker sources artwork at Sorelle Gallery in Westport, CT.
How do you identify the artwork that will fit in a space well? Do you tend to have an “aha” moment when you’ve found “the one” that fits best?
I generally walk around with measurements in my head for spots where we need something exciting. The big aha moment is when my husband and I both like something (or one of us doesn’t hate it). Then, regardless of what it is, if we can afford it, we find a spot for it! I should also add that my brother, Andy Meerow, is a NYC-based painter, whose work I am lucky to get to hang in my home. His insights and access have helped give me confidence in making purchases. Though when it comes to collecting art, I do feel like I am really just getting started.
Clean and unique corners in Jen's modern Westport living room. Art includes a painting on canvas by Andy Meerow [left] and a framed fabric swatch by St. Frank [right].
What about current design trends? Are there any you like, dislike, or are keeping an eye on?
I love all of the color and tone-on-tone rooms! I have always been a fan of greens, especially olive, and I love seeing rich colors like olives and browns now standard upholstery for some in stock furniture pieces. I also love the trend towards curved corners and soft lines, which remind me of some things my mom picked for our house in the 80s. Are striped tile patterns becoming a thing in bathrooms? If so, I’m here for it! Also, I think the emergence of semi-custom options from brands like Interior Define, Benchmade Modern and Ernesta to name a few have made it easier and faster to order custom sizes in items like sofas and rugs which is a win for the consumer and for designers.
Do you ever run into any challenges in your own creative process? If so, what are they, and how do you overcome creative or conceptual roadblocks?
For someone who spends a lot of time thinking about decorating and scanning the options, I am very indecisive, and a perfectionist and I have a very hard time checking projects off my list. I see so many ideas I love, and I tend to spin in circles, much to my husband’s dismay. Whenever possible I’ve enjoyed working with a designer to help me find things I might not know about and to also just get stuff done faster with fewer mistakes. But my own house never feels “done” to me, and I am actually ready to redecorate some of the rooms!
Jen's comfortable family room space with subtle pops of color and her black-and-white goldendoodle pup, Benny. Featured print of painting by Sam Glankoff.
Who are some of your favorite artists of all time (contemporary or throughout history)?
Some of my favorite famous artists are Matisse, Joan Miro, Helen Frankenthaler, Cy Twombly, Donald Baechler and street photographers like Lee Friedlander, Diane Arbus, William Klein and Henri Cartier-Bresson.
What about designers – any designers or design-related heroes?
I love everything that Chango & Co designs because their work is soothing, simple and “Scandi” but always feels fun. I love to follow Brigette Romanek because each design is more creative than the last. And Emily Henderson is my “everyday design” blogger hero. If we had a staff or writers and photographers, we’d emulate her blog because it’s so practical and accessible.
What do you find is often the biggest challenge for you, or for the people you aim to help at Designport when addressing the interior of their home?
Budget! We all want what we can’t have. Finding professionals whose fees you can afford, and who can actually get your style and help you execute it in a way that mixes some splurges with some smart saves is the golden unicorn, in my opinion.
A close second is style. There are so many things I like! My personal taste leans clean and contemporary, but I’m also influenced by the coastal casual look we are surrounded by. Then again, a mid-century home done well makes my heart speed up, and I can also fall in love with a more bohemian, Moroccan rug situation. The best designers and most stylish homeowners I know have a way of just following their impulses and blending it all together to create something unique. And they always have tons of art everywhere, and plants! But I think it’s so much harder than it looks to curate and it’s an on-going process, just like a wardrobe.
A portrait of Jen's own pup sourced from Etsy in her Westport home dining room.
What about advice for someone who is just starting out – looking to start buying art or moving into a new home, for example?
Rome wasn’t built in a day. Take it room by room. Not everything needs to match or be finished as soon as possible. “Settling down” doesn’t mean you need to settle for things you don’t love.
If you could give any advice to your younger self - as a professional, an individual, a collector, a design lover, or all of the above - what would it be?
I would tell myself to always buy the art, especially if you see something while traveling. If you love it, you’ll never regret it, and you will always find a spot for it.
What’s your favorite room in your home?
My bedroom, definitely. The walls, bed, rug and bedding are all cream colors which gives the room a soft look, but then we have a big, cozy wine-colored Womb chair in the corner [pictured below], which is the one spot in the house where I feel like I can really relax. Our nightstands are olive. Our favorite piece of furniture is in there too because it wouldn’t fit anywhere else – it’s a walnut and white low credenza from BDDW which we got before they became a big deal. I also love our primary bathroom which we renovated in all creamy tones with light wood cabinetry and white ship-lap on the ceiling. The spaces are calming but interesting and how I want my whole house to feel.
Jen's wine-colored bedroom womb chair with framed photograph William Klein.
You are a Guest Curator for a new Collection at Sorelle. What inspired your collection, and how did it come together?
I tried to pick a range of styles and price points that felt like pieces I could envision in my own home. Also, fall is approaching and it’s my favorite season. I tried to loosely theme my choices around fall colors and that crisp feeling of crunching leaves.
Now for a few fun questions. First: Coffee or tea?
Tea.
Paint or wallpaper?
Paint if it’s a large space, wallpaper if it’s the powder room or other small space/nook.
Morning person or night owl?
Night owl!
Test the waters or dive in the deep end?
Test the waters, then dive in.
Rom Com or True Crime?
Drama or documentary.
Your Saturday mornings usually look like…
Ideally, and occasionally, walking to a yoga class in town with a friend, then coming home to make a healthy lunch and spend some quality time with my family. The reality: go to make tea, forget I made it, start cleaning up the mess of the week (because I can’t relax in a messy house!), catch up on emails, texts and DMs I missed and then shuttle kids around or do errands. No wonder I’m stressed!
Your favorite book?
Too many to choose but I know the first time I read the Prince of Tides as a teen-ager I cried for days.
What’s your favorite place on earth?
Anywhere in Italy. But also still searching…
To keep up with Designport content, follow along on Instagram @my_designport. Check out past feature stories and sign up for the "DP Dose of Design" newsletter (so you never miss a new story) on their website here. You can also join the local "hive mind" to ask and answer design questions. And shop Designport x Sorelle artwork in the Curated Collection here.
Primary Image: Jen in the dining room of her Westport Home. Photo by Maya Porrino Photography.
0 comments
Post a comment