Today we’d like to introduce you to Jordan Madison.
Jordan, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I knew I wanted to be an interior designer as early as I can remember. I was creative, but regimented and loved getting to organize my designs into “favorites folders” or earmarking pages in design magazines. While attending the interior design program at the University of North Texas, I interned at Knoll, obsessing over textiles and furnishings. After graduating, I was expected to work at a large design firm and pursued the commercial design path I spent all of my schooling learning about. Shortly into my first job at a tenant development firm, I realized I was meant to work in residential design, hands-on with homeowners. I wanted design to feel personal. After leaving the commercial world, I took a summer contract job as a design assistant with a graphics and interior decorating studio. I developed my styling skills while learning to be quick on my feet. I completely fell in love with design again that summer, surrounded by people truly passionate about their work. After that gig was up, I began working at Stocker Hoesterey Montenegro Architects, a notable architecture firm in Dallas. I was a complete sponge during my time at SHM, honing in on my design skills ranging from detailing to specifications to project management. I started taking on “moonlighting” jobs in the evenings and realized I had the skill set to start my own business, so I did so in early 2016. Since then, I have worked on over a dozen homes from the ground up, while flexing my design muscles in other areas of interiors like decorating and styling.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
My biggest challenge has been with pacing. Ground-up jobs are typically spring through fall heavy for my firm, while decorating projects live during the summer months. The bulk of my business is May through November. I think I’ve finally broken the cycle, as the past year has been an outlier and I am so lucky to be busy during my typical “off season.” I’ve been running a waitlist booking system for almost a year, which is so helpful in managing workflow.
Please tell us about your work.
I work in the high-end residential design world, hired by homeowners and builders. The best part of my job is allowing my clients to lead the design process with their distinctive goals. I work with them to unveil their style, then elevate that style into a cohesive design. While I would happily move into any of my clients’ homes, I think that each home I have worked on is so uniquely “them.” I want my style to living in the nooks and crannies of the final design and not overshadow my clients’ aesthetic world.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I consider myself lucky, as my clients are all referral based. While my ideal client is the one bringing me the project from the ground up to the final styling piece on their cocktail table, I get just as much joy decorating a nursery or helping a friend space plan their new living room. I love getting to share the design with others. I’m so grateful the Dallas community has allowed me to keep doing so.
Contact Info:
- Website: JordanMadisonDesign.com
- Email: Jordan@JordanMadisonDesign.com
Image Credit:
Lauren Logan Photography
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