I have met Jennifer Duchene online and we have become very good friends. Just recently we have met in person and spent a whole weekend together at a seminar with Brandy Mychals in Pleasant Hill. Let’s welcome Jennifer to my first monthly Creative Minds Interview!

As a graduate of UCLA Interior and Environmental program,
- over 15 years experience in Design Color and Rearranging Furniture. featured in Home Builders Magazine
- named in top 20 Interior Design Firms by San Jose Business Journal in 2009
- Color Benjamin Moore Color Expert/ True Color Expert

What would you like to share about yourself?

What is important to me? To sit at the banquet of life at the leader’s table. To dance like no one is watching. To be present in the moment. To help women and girls to find a space that gives them room to breathe, breathe so deep that they connect with their souls. To honor the Universe, and my inner Divine. To smile with joy every day. To live in gratitude. To walk the high wire. To take chances. To engage and connect. To look to the past and the present, and to focus on the positive.
What I am doing, not what I cannot do.
To change the world so that all of us who are ordinary people can claim joy. Live large, laugh often. Love deeply. To see the best in people & to trust that life and people are good. To color life with a bold brush, to leave my mark. To know I counted. To be fearless in the face of change. To grow with grace. To amuse. To scintillate. To give shelter. To take photographs, travel the world, teach & sing and dance every step of the way.
Africa is where I was born, and you can take the girl out of Africa, but you can never take Africa out of this woman. I love my adopted country USA and I still long to stand in African soil. I think life is full. And I hope to be a fool every day till I die. I believe in miracles.

What color do you claim your own and why?

White – I love white. And I love green.
So I claim two colors (every color has its own appeal- I am a color junkie) white is happiness and summer and effortless chic. Green is nature, green is money, green is growth. Green runs the gamut from glossy brights to secret depths. Every green matches. Makes me think of a bed of leaves of every hue.

Most seductive food (and drink)?

I love food that looks good and tastes sublime. Only one seductive swallow? Oh oysters are a favorite. With a delicious crisp white wine like Sancerre.

Describe your dream house, and where would it be?

My dream house is on a cliff overlooking the ocean. Close enough to hear the waves crashing and to see the changing light. With a big wrap around porch and an enormous great room. A studio tower room that has windows in every direction, with space to paint & write and a my personal dream room retreat.
A home that is filled with laughter and friends & loved ones visiting. With a table that echoes with the sound of conversations, glasses lifted in toasts. Joy & ideas bursting from every corner. A bedroom suite that is soft as a dream, wide as an ocean, a shell that holds me my inner child, my dog and my lover.

The one piece of clothing or accessory you can’t live without:

My tartan shawl. I take it whenever I go, traveling or if I am not sure of the weather. It’s bold, beautiful, warm, light and comforting.

What ignites your fire?

Ah passion. Song of the siren. Conversation. Ideas. Creation. Travel. When someone talks about something that sparks a new idea that is linked to other thoughts. Beauty. In all forms. Nature. Art. Music. Laughter. Meals that evoke an exquisite moment. Friendship. Love. Romance. The smell of life. The taste. Dancing. Helping people to live in beautiful surroundings. We are all better people in spaces that make us feel good about ourselves.

What’s the dumbest thing you’ve ever done (that you want to share)?

Dumbest. So many not sure I can distill it into one. I think the dumbest thing I have ever done is say no, out of fear. Fear of feeling small looking stupid, being too shy stopped me from following my dreams, many times. Now I say yes to lots of crazy things. I am still afraid of too much stuff.
Another dumb thing? Leaving my inner child behind all those years ago. ( Glad I have her back J )

What’s your greatest advice that the world should know about?

That today is the only day to live for. Make it sweet. Don’t wait for someday. Plan yes. But live in the moment.
If you are a woman, stop believing the myths that are holding you back. Create a space. Know who you are under the layers and honor you. You deserve it.

Why are you the best in your area of expertise?

I excel at taking a space that is just ok and using what is already there, turn it into a stylish shelter, in one day. I make women fall in love with their spaces their things. I create spaces for women. I help break the fear of the undecorating cycle.

Where can we find you online?
Twitter
Website & Blog
Facebook
Youtube