2015 Design Awards
Judges | Details | Exteriors | Interiors | Commercial Interiors
Homes | Rising Star | Reader’s Choice
Ask any successful interior designer if he or she needs good people skills for their job and they’re sure to say, absolutely! Some even admit that they often become their client’s “designer/therapist” during the redesign process. That may be exactly why interior designer Marianne Jones, the 2015 Brian Killian Rising Star, has flourished in her relatively newfound career.
“I worked for many years in advertising and sales, and found myself enjoying the account side,” Jones explains. “I loved working with people and developing strategies for success for my clients.” Her “strategies” today include everything from finding the perfect pillow pattern to planning and creating efficient and useful space for a busy family to overhauling a lakeside getaway.
Jones received a B.F.A. from St. Mary’s College in Indiana with a concentration in printmaking and a minor in business. After working in the advertising and sales arenas for several years, she left her job to spend more time with her three children.
Relax & Restore Clean and fuss-free is the name of the game in this cozy family room of neutral tones and rich textures.
“My husband and I had purchased a neglected farmhouse on about three acres in Rochester and spent years remodeling the primary home, guest house, and barn,” Jones says. “In our early years of marriage, we flipped houses in southern California.”
While at home, she created custom wrought iron furniture that she sold to the design community and local retailers.
With a knack for all things design, Jones decided seven years ago to return to work and marry her passion for design with her marketing experience. She accepted a position at the Michigan Design Center in new business development. “I promoted the local design community and their businesses, educating consumers on the resources available to them,” she says. Jones worked with Wellington Chase Homes in a joint marketing venture with the Michigan Design Center. In 2010, she opened her own interior design firm.
A Fresh Take This cheerful lakeside space in Grosse Pointe features crisp, bright blues and greens, along with a creative mix of patterns.
Treasure Hunt It’s all about layered texture and one-of-a-kind treasures in Jones’ former showroom at the Michigan Design Center. “Everything in this space has a story,” Jones says. The chandelier is an old wine shipping crate made of metal strapping. “I had it retro-fitted by my electrician.” The chair is classic, with a worn gold patina. The sunflower artwork is watercolor and charcoal. The rug is from Stark. The sconces are from Belgium, while the asymmetrical wrought iron piece comes from an old railing in Chicago. The large cement bowl is from Classic Country Antiques in Birmingham. “I love using large over-sized pieces.”
“Opening my own firm was the culmination of my design, renovation, and business experience,” Jones says. “A beautiful home is a collaborative effort (that’s) inspired by the family and guided by the knowledge and strengths of the design team.” She eventually moved her business to Cole Street in Birmingham.
“The interior of every home should be a reflection of the personalities that live there,” she says. Some of her signature looks include great attention to details in the way of architectural elements, millwork, large profiled surfaces, a well-placed sconce or chandelier, or a collection of objects that are meaningful and well-edited. “Those are the items that make a house a home,” Jones says.
For more information on Marianne Jones’ designs and business, visit mariannejones.com.
|
|
|
