Meet Jen Turnquist of Grace + Co. Design & Decorum in Frisco

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jen Turnquist.

Jen, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Going back to my roots, I was always a creative kid who loved fashion and design. From a young age, I remember I would ask my parents for new bedding or to redesign my bedroom for my birthday. Thankfully my skills and aspirations took me beyond the pale yellow ceiling and baby blue walls that they eventually let me try. I graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Human Resources Degree but eventually steered my career toward design. When you’re sitting in a classroom or office and your thoughts are on how the wall color is pulling too much purple or that the tones in the carpet are all off, it’s probably a good indication that your focus isn’t necessarily on Human Resources.

During this time, my mother had recently started up her own interior design company in NC. I loved hearing about the fantastic spaces she was working on, her relationships with clients, and about the room for so much creativity. I craved it. So after years of tutoring under her and working alongside her, my passion grew and led to us expanding the company to creating a sister company in Dallas, named Grace + Co. Design & Decorum.

With all of the new construction and remodeling taking place within the area, I was fortunate enough to take on some amazing clients right away.

The freedom, creativity, and most rewarding, the relationships I once saw my mother enjoying are now the motivation for my work. I consider my clients my friends and become just as invested in their home as they are. Through my clients, the referrals came and the company has continued to grow.

Has it been a smooth road?
I like to think that we learn from each experience. I am constantly thinking about how I can improve. It’s important to remember that at the end of the day, I’m in a service based industry. How am I setting myself apart? How can I exceed my clients expectations? The setbacks I encountered early on served as an opportunity for me to learn.

As a company, owner and designer, I always need to be improving myself and techniques. The rules are constantly changing and clients dreams are becoming bigger. I want to be ready to take that on with them. With each client I feel I take away something new, a new method, a new way to communicate, or a new way to operate. It’s a constantly evolving field.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
Grace + Co. Design and Decorum is a full service design firm that specializes in residential interior design. We believe that every home has a story and our goal is to help each client share theirs.

I am most proud of the strong client relationships we have built along the way. Every project is close to my heart. I feel just as invested in my clients home as they do. Each project is unique and should be handled as so.

In working as a team with my clients it ensures that each of their wants, their needs and their vision can be met. Ideas build upon one another, resulting in a beautiful home, and exceeding their expectations.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Dallas is an amazing place for opportunity. With the constant growth and increasing community, the design field has become essential. Whether it be for a new home, or the desire to change up a look, design is in demand. No longer are homeowners having to drive further for the design firms, or product offerings. Dallas has brought an immense variety of style; from boutiques to flagship stores, Dallas has it. So dream big, because you have so much creativity at your hands to work with.

Image Credit:
Jenny Martell Photography

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