Colordrunk Designs
Marrying her experience in fashion and her lifelong love for art and design, Jenna established Colordrunk Designs in 2013. The name “Colordrunk Designs” is oh-so fitting as Jenna is known for her playful use of bold colors and patterns. Jenna creates traditional, fresh spaces that are both beautiful and functional, and she is as fun to work with as her spaces look and feel! Jenna offers everything from full service design to streamlined E-Design, whether you are freshening up or starting from scratch.
Jenna and her aesthetic have caught fire in publications such as Better Homes and Gardens, Atlanta HOME, Modern Luxury, HGTV Magazine, and Atlanta Magazine. Jenna has also been seen on the TV show Four Houses.
Southern through and through, Jenna is originally from Columbus, Georgia, and now lives in Decatur, Georgia with her husband, Caleb, daughters, Mary Jennings (10), Lottie (8), and son Wylie (10 months).
(photography by Elizabeth Day)
In Her Words... read on to get to know Jenna Gross!
How did you get started in Interior Design? What is your background?
I went to the University of Georgia and majored in Fashion Merchandising. A lot of my classes overlapped with Interior Design, so I learned color theory, textile science, etc., but I really learned the most about design growing up surrounded by beautiful homes and creative people. My maternal grandfather was an upholsterer and my mother and grandmother had an interior design shop. My paternal grandparents were avid world travelers and collected amazing antiques on their travels. While in college I spent some time in NYC working for Marc Jacobs, and if you are familiar with his designs he uses lots of bright color and vivid pattern- right up my alley! After graduating from UGA and getting married, I worked at Tootsies in Buckhead, had a baby, and built a house. My lifelong love for fashion and art, my childhood surrounded by beautiful things, and the experience of designing my own home brought me to where I am today.
How would you describe your design aesthetic?
I love clean modern lines, and I find myself designing more and more with a cleaner, more modern aesthetic these days, but I maintain an appreciation for more traditional design elements, too. I like to take traditional design elements and turn them on their head by introducing bold colors and patterns. For instance, in my own home, I insisted on having both a formal dining room and a formal living room; however I needed those spaces to reflect our family: young, fun, and comfortable. I tried to achieve that balance primarily through the use of color.
Color is the backbone of most of my designs and is at the core of my design philosophy. Color brings so much life to a space, and I really believe that color affects the way people feel. I often ask clients to think back to a favorite memory or piece of clothing for color inspiration, and I will then use that color or that palette throughout a space to invoke those memories. Maybe it is a blue from your Caribbean honeymoon or the yellow from your grandmother’s kitchen growing up. Color can completely transform a room by invoking those sense memories.
On any given project, I try to take my inspiration from the client. It is their space, and they will be living with it, and in it, long after I am gone. While there are certain hallmarks of my design style - a playful use of bold colors and patterns, and a focus on spaces that are functional and livable - I try to determine what the client wants and needs in their space and follow that muse throughout the project.
What do you love most about including original art in your designs?
Original art really makes a home yours. It describes your personality and gives guests an introduction to who you are. Are you serious? Are you playful or somewhere in between? It is so personal. I am careful when I select art to show a client for each space, as I won’t be appreciating it every day but they will. Artwork needs to be something that makes them happy when they see it, or evokes a feeling of some sort for them.
Dream Project?
Hands down a bright fun mid century modern house in Palm Springs. Think Trina Turk or Jonathan Adler. Dream client? Mindy Kaling
Favorite thing about living in the south?
In a few words: Summer dresses, Honeysuckle, Fine China, and Manners.
I am certainly a southern girl. I grew up in Columbus, GA, went to college in Athens, GA, and now I live in Atlanta. I believe Atlanta captures the best of Southern culture; it is so cosmopolitan, but still very southern at its’ core, and it is such a welcoming city. Because Atlanta is such a melting pot, I feel the traditional, southern aesthetic of “old” Atlanta now serves as the base upon which design styles and influence, from literally all over the world, can be added to create something unique. I love the mix of Traditional, Modern, and Urban design that permeates the city.
What are some design upgrades you recommend to clients that won’t break the bank?
Try some new throw pillows, fresh paint, or an accent wall of wallpaper!
How to Contact Jenna...
Email: colordrunkdesigns@gmail.com
Phone: 706.247.5432
Website: www.colordrunk.com
Instagram: @colordrunk_designs