Meet Jen Dallas | Interior Designer and Product Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jen Dallas and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jen, what is the most important factor behind your success?
I don’t think I can just mention only one factor that contributed to my success. But I can narrow it down to three. I believe these three things have worked together for me to be where I am today.

1. I have a “I can get it done” done attitude and not a “I can’t do that” attitude:
I have always had a mindset of going for something I want. I believe you are where you want to be. Everyone has the ability to build and do what they love they just have to believe in themselves enough to do it. Belief is so powerful in making things happen. I take pride in figuring out the best solutions for our clients even when I am told it cannot be done. I always do my best to make it happen. We are excellent researchers. That is a huge part of the job. That mixed with creativity takes projects to a whole other level.

2. Work is not “work”:
I enjoy what I do everyday and I love the life I have created for myself. That’s not to say there are no stressful days. We are a hard working studio and always want to create the best solutions for our clients. Doing that comes with stress but I don’t think of it as work. It is fun and exciting and there is nothing else I would want to do.

3. Relationships are everything:
I value my relationships with my vendors, clients and studio mates beyond all else. I have found in the fifteen years leading my own studio that it is my relationships that have led me to the many successful directions my studio has taken.

My Vendors:
I have built many long standing relationships. Those friendships have referred me work; connected me to the right sources or vendors all at the right time. That has all benefited my success greatly. The design community is well connected and when I think back to when I was a young designer learning the business I am grateful I put in that effort because it connected me to a lot of great people.

My Clients:
I value their priorities and what matters most to each one of them. The ability to dream together with them and create a home and a lifestyle that serves them best is the key to my success. It all starts with that relationship and how we connect on all levels.

My Employees:
My relationships to my staff is so key to be successful. We are efficient and we have each other’s back. We have great communication and are all on the same wavelength with our priorities. We take pride in understanding what motivates and supports each of us and how can we challenge one another to do even better

Having those connections within the workplace, friendships with vendors and partnerships with clients are the relationships that have built my brand and what I believe has greatly contributed to our success.

What should our readers know about your business?
I have always loved houses and how some houses feel compared to others. I find it interesting how one house can feel different from another. How one home can feel so comfortable and welcoming and how others don’t. Over the past fifteen years, I have created a home design studio that creates beautiful interior spaces but we go beyond that and we create meaningful and personal homes for people. The home is an extension of the people that live there and I take pride in celebrating my clients throughout their homes. I ask a lot of questions during the design process and have learned to interview my clients as much as they interview me. I find that in-depth interviews of my clients greatly informs me on what steps to take and what ultimately is important to them. Finding solutions and creating something out of nothing is such a rush for me! Something I am very proud to have the ability to do. I love impacting my client’s lives for the better by creating inspiring spaces that help and inspire them.

More recently, my studio launched its own textile line as well as its own ceramic tile collection under the name maplejude.com. I launched my first namesake lighting collection and I have a namesake line of rugs coming out in 2024. The product design is something I am passionate about and have been working behind the scenes for years to make it happen. I find I am most happy to wear many different hats. One of the reasons I love interior design so much is because my days are always so different.

As a business owner and a single mom there have been challenges. Too much work or not enough work – the ebb and flow of life. Learning to not take myself or anything too seriously. I think I have learned to take a day at a time but as the leader of the pack, to steer us forward there is a sweet middle to find and to be. It keeps us present but then inspires us to take new steps to move the business forward. Over the years I have learned to be selective in the jobs I choose to do. Not trying to be everything to everyone. Staying strong in my abilities and choosing clients that I can serve and be proud of what we accomplish together.

Just like the importance of how a home tells the story of the people who live in it, our interior and product design is a reflection of the creators. I want our brands to always feel fresh and inspired. I want people to see what we are doing and want to know more. We are inspired people that get excited about the opportunity to inspire others. Perry Helderman and I have worked together for twelve years. The connection we have is evident throughout the client work we do and all of the designs we create together. I think people are drawn to brands because of the people who create the brand. She and I often start the day saying, we are so lucky that we get to work together and do what we get to do each day. I think this energy we have together is evident in everything we do together.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
First things first would be a drive up the coast to Malibu and stop at Port Dume for a hike and a swim then to Malibu Seafood for a fish taco lunch. That evening would include a movie night at Alamo Drafthouse downtown LA or hitting Let’s Go DIsco & Cocktail Club for a night of dancing.

A true LA experience is to see a show at the Troubador and before have a dinner at Pace in Laurel Canyon. It is such a local spot in the canyon that is romantic and intimate. Laurel canyon is such a good vibe to introduce guests as that is where so many of our favorite 1970s musicians lived.

Being a designer, I love to take my friends on “a day in the life of Jen” and take them to the many shops I love for clients around town. Some of those places are: Nickey Kehoe, Blend Interiors, Obsolete, Rolling Greens, +Coop, Pat McGann Gallery, We will hit Erehwon for lunch and have a combo plate. Fingers-crossed it is an Orange Chicken day!

I always like to take “out-of-towners” on a daytrip or a short overnight. Ojai is great for a shopping trip and we like to stay at the Capri Hotel. Another daytrip I love is to go is wine tasting in Los Olivos. The small town is a fun way to spend the afternoon. I belong to many wine clubs up there. My favorite wineries are Samsara and Carhartt family wines.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I am grateful for my parents and how they showed up for me as I was growing up. I am a parent and I know how you need to choose your kids each day. Chose to show up and to pay attention. To meet your kids where they are and to give guidance and support when it is not necessarily requested. As an adult, I look back and I know they did their very best to show up for me and give me wise instruction. They built a strong foundation of encouragement, support and love that I could launch off of into a life I was ready to create for myself. I think the best thing you can do for your kids is see them as their own person and not as a mini “you”. Seek them out and see what they love and what rocks their world. Then, you know how to guide them and really love them. That is what my parents did for me.

Website: www.jendallas.com www.maplejude.com

Instagram: @jendallas @maplejude

Linkedin: Jen Dallas, Maple Jude & Co.

Facebook: Jen Dallas Studio; Maple Jude

Image Credits
Leslie Bohm (my personal portrait) Steven Rimlinger (both portraits of Perry and Jen together) Manolo Langis (kitchen) Manolo Langis (plaster fireplace image) Steven Rimlinger (JD lighting collection, Wall sconce image-copper and silver) Maple Jude & Co (B/W fabric shot) Steven Rimlinger (cowboy hat and pillow)