On Persistence and Beauty with Corey Damen Jenkins

In this episode of By Invitation, host Caroline Slaten sits down with AD100 designer and ICAA President's Council member Corey Damen Jenkins to discuss the remarkable journey that took him from knocking on 800 doors in search of his first client to becoming one of the most celebrated names in design today.

Corey shares how the classical architecture of historic Detroit shaped his design sensibility, why he compares interior design to working in a hospital (including the art of giving a house a much-needed “nip and tuck”) and how something as simple as paint color can have a surprising impact on relationships. Along the way, Corey reflects on the importance of creating interiors that feel both enduring and deeply personal.

Corey Damen Jenkins is the founder and principal of the internationally acclaimed design and architecture firm Corey Damen Jenkins & Associates. An AD100 and ELLE Décor A-List designer, he is a two-time author, MasterClass instructor, and star of a hit streaming series whose work has appeared on the covers of leading design publications including House Beautiful and Traditional Home.

Join us for an inspiring conversation about perseverance, creativity, and the enduring appeal of classical design.

By Invitation is presented by the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art, an educational nonprofit dedicated to advancing the practice, understanding, and appreciation of classical and traditional architecture, art, and design. With 15 chapters across the United States, the ICAA offers programs for students, professionals, and enthusiasts around the world, including continuing education courses, public programs and lectures, travel programs, documentary films, and more. To learn more or support the ICAA, please visit classicist.org.

Transcript

Corey Damen Jenkins 0:02

Classicism to me means a timeless elegance that just basically transcends every century. And I think classicism is also about the partnering of these more, like I mentioned, neoclassic details with modernity and making it so that you can't tell when a certain room was designed. I think there's something very beautiful about a Saarinen table with a Kagan sofa up against very architecturally detailed Rococo plaster walls, and maybe a master's painting or an old master's painting, and then maybe a deco chandelier. I think all of that over oriental rug and maybe some really unusual clean line sculptural elements that's classic.

Caroline Slaten 0:50

Welcome to By Invitation, a podcast of the Institute of Classical Architecture and Art, where we're dedicated to advancing the understanding, appreciation, and practice of classical design. I'm your host, Caroline Slaten, and in each episode we'll explore the people, places, and ideas shaping the world of classical design. Join us today as we uncover Corey Damen Jenkins' interesting path to interior design, which includes knocking on 800 doors to find his first client, the classical architecture of historic Detroit, why interior design is like working at the hospital, including how to give a nip and tuck to a house, and why your paint colors might be affecting your marriage. And by invitation, here is today's guest, Corey Damen Jenkins. Corey Damen Jenkins is the founder and principal of the internationally acclaimed interior design and architecture firm Corey Damen Jenkins and Associates. He is an inducted member of Architectural Digest's AD100 List, and Elle Decor's A List, a two-time author, has a hit streaming series, a masterclass, and his work graces the covers of design magazines like House Beautiful and Traditional Home.

Corey Damen Jenkins 2:40

My arrival in interior design definitely took a bit of a detour from the traditional pathway. I did study architectural drafting in the mid 1990s, but my father really wanted me to get what he called a real job, and I think the concern was for him, he didn't want any starving artists as children, the eldest of three boys. And there weren't a lot of people who looked like me in the industry operating, you know, design firms, especially at that time. So I can understand why he was like, why do you want to do this? You know? And I think that he appreciated the fact that I love design, I loved decoration, but I do believe he really wanted me to kind of grow out of it and start pursuing something a bit more solid. And we were living in Michigan, that was where I was born and raised. And so Michigan is pretty much a mostly one-note state as far as the economy. We produce cars for Ford GM and Chrysler, maybe cherries if you go to the Upper Peninsula. But for the most part, it's the automotive industry. And so people will work there and they will retire from there. They will put, you know, 30, 40 years in, then they step off the line and get their pension plan. So I started working in the business sector for the big three as a buyer in the purchasing department there for one of their tier ones. And I purchased prototypes and indirect materials for the corporation. And I did that for roughly 10 years. I started out in HR and then moved to purchasing. So about 10 years between the two careers there. And then during the Great Recession of 2007 is when I got laid off. So that is when I realized, okay, the real job had not protected me from the economic storms and woes of what was happening around me. I decided to go back to what I knew I loved, where I had acquired previous education. And also something that I felt could not be outsourced during a recession. I was not going to be another salary on a green and white, horizontally striped spreadsheet for some big powered executive to just cross off to make their bottom line. I started putting together a plan, a grassroots plan of launching my design firm in the greater Detroit area during the Great Recession. People there are very modest, very conservative, very laid back. They don't like to show off. And so the idea of launching a design firm in a Great Recession in a very conservative state like Michigan is definitely an uphill battle. I was ambitious. I really wanted to make this happen. So I went to the local Kravet showroom at the Michigan Design Center and asked for a bevy of swatches and samples, compiled some really nice mood boards, put them in a black leather satchel along with some hand-drawn sketches and renderings and architectural floor plans, and girded myself with the power of MapQuest. And I mapped out the wealthier neighborhoods of the greater Detroit area and just started knocking on doors. I set for myself a goal of 1,000 doors in various subdivisions and communities, rural areas there in southeastern Michigan. And I told myself if I don't get it hit by door 800, I'll just hang it up and wait the recession out. But in that experience, it was very discouraging as far as the what I was encountering in those door knocking experiences. Many people did not answer the door at all. Some would hide when I would knock on their door. I could see them hiding literally like under the sofa or behind a table, whatever. There were some people who came to the door and invited me in and then took all my free ideas for design. And then when I gave them a letter of agreement, they would ghost me. I had a couple of people call me unsavory, racist slurs. I am, after all, on their personal property and, you know, eligible for whatever, you know, harmful rhetoric they might have in store. And there were also a few occasions where people let their dogs out onto the property to chase me off the property. I got really up close and personal with a husky that had a blue eye and a green eye, and I had no business having that much information about that dog. That's how close he was in my face. So um it was very discouraging. And I said, okay, I'll just round the goal down from 1,000 to 800. And on the 779th door, this doctor, anesthesiologist, and his wife invited me in on a very cold winter day, and they offered me a cup of coffee and some scones and let me go through my entire presentation. And they hired me, and I showed up at the beginning of the next year. This was like November of 2009. So January 2nd of 2010. I showed up with my contractors. We did a complete gut renovation of the home, transformed it, got it professionally photographed, put it on my little Godaddy.com website that had been just so thirsty for imagery for, you know, so many months. And then three weeks later, casting executives from HGTV saw my work and called me and cast me on my first television show. It was one of those design star reality competitions, and I won. And that kind of catapulted the brand to new heights of opportunity.

Caroline Slaten 7:37

What brought you then from Michigan to New York?

Corey Damen Jenkins 7:40

I realized very early on that the Northeast was probably going to be a really great fit for my brand. You know, I love traditional design, I love neoclassical elements and architecture, and so many of the historic neighborhoods I want to work in are in the Northeast. You know, New York, Washington, D.C., and so forth, Massachusetts, of course. So I was starting to get business out this way. Calls from Connecticut State, for example, to do these beautiful, massive historic mansions. And I think just naturally over a period of time, the business just kind of expanded to the Northeast. And then in 2019, we were named to the AD100 and the Elle Decor A-list. And I think that opened up some new doors because between that year and then in 2021, my first book and my masterclass came out. And so I think all those things collectively broadened our scope of exposure globally, and we just started getting a lot more opportunities to expand beyond Michigan. So for a while there, I was managing two offices. I had one in Michigan, and then I had one in New York. And then I opened the one in New York in 2018. And then in 2021, I closed the Michigan office.

Caroline Slaten 8:55

You design, you've collaborated with major brands, you author books, you have a show, and you've taught a masterclass. So question one, is there anything you can't do? But I'm also curious which of these projects resonates the most with you?

Corey Damen Jenkins 9:10

There's nothing I can't do without my great team. I have an amazing, amazing staff. And we are a work family. We've been through thick and thin. We travel literally the world together for work for our clients. Um so whether it's Amsterdam or London or Paris or Thailand, you name it, we're there together as a team. And I think that makes everything possible as far as our projects. So you have to love what you do and love who you're doing it with to make this kind of firm successful.

Caroline Slaten 9:38

And you mentioned that you kind of lean towards traditional, neoclassical. So how did you get informed in that direction of style?

Corey Damen Jenkins 9:47

Detroit is one of the eldest cities in the United States. In fact, uh our aquarium at Belle Isle is the eldest, still functioning aquarium in the entire country. I think it's like 1870-something, that's when it was founded. So Detroit has a lot of beautiful American colonial revival-styled architecture throughout the city and in the suburbs, a lot of historic homes like Grosse Point, Bloomfield Hills, Birmingham. So I think just growing up in that area really informed me. Detroit has done a great job of preserving its historic architecture in a different way than I say New York. There's not quite as much glass in Detroit as far as glass buildings. They really try to make the historic architecture work. So it's a lot of a canthus leaf detail and Doric and you know, ionic columns everywhere, and just they they really worked hard to preserve that historic provenance. And so I think growing up with that as a backdrop really influenced my design style.

Caroline Slaten 10:47

And what does classicism mean to you?

Corey Damen Jenkins 10:49

Classicism to me means timeless elegance that just basically transcends every century. And I think classicism is also about the partnering of, you know, these more, like I mentioned, neoclassic details with modernity and making it so that you can't tell when a certain room was designed. I think there's something very beautiful uh about Sa arinen table with a Kagan sofa up against very, you know, architecturally detailed, you know, Rococo plaster walls, and maybe uh a master's painting or an old master's painting, and then maybe a deco chandelier. I think all of that over an oriental rug, and maybe some really unusual, clean line, you know, sculptural elements, that's classic. You don't know what year or century that space was designed because it's borrowing from all those different timeless elements. And to me, that's very classic.

Caroline Slaten 11:48

So you are such a lovely person, Corey. Not only are you a blast to hang out with, but you're one of the most giving and humble people I know. Do your client relationships ever develop into friendships?

Corey Damen Jenkins 11:59

I would say the majority of my clients and I definitely enjoy that very close personal bond. I do think it's important though that you are working with people who respect you, who respect the craft. There are some people out there that I don't think have quite the wholesome respect they should have for interior designers and decorators, and they don't always view what we produce as an essential element of great design and construction and renovation processes. I tell my staff, we are running effectively a design hospital. We welcome patients in and we have a creative Hippocratic oath, if you will. For the most part, we invite everyone in, but everyone has different personalities. And some clients, most clients, majority are gonna be lovely patients to work on. They come in, their house maybe need to be, you know, completely torn apart for surgery, or maybe it needs a nip and tuck and some plastic surgery, right? Or maybe it's a newborn baby. We're building a whole new home from scratch where nothing existed before. And if they're good patients, we can build great things. And then there are gonna be some clients every once in the blue moon that will effectively throw their bedpan at you. And so you get through it and then you discharge them from your hospital. So, you know, so yeah, I would say 99.9% of our clients are absolutely spectacular human beings, and we're very grateful for that.

Caroline Slaten 13:20

Now, you you mentioned respect to craft, and that made me think about how much craftsmanship goes into your projects. Like everything from the plaster work, it's all impeccable. How do you work with your craftspeople?

Corey Damen Jenkins 13:34

Oh, with an immense amount of deep gratitude and wholesome respect for what they have to do, and giving them as much lead time and scheduling support as possible so they don't feel rushed to cut corners to produce their magic. Protecting their price points, fighting for their value with the clients to help them understand this is why you need to invest in this particular motif, or this is why this eglomise glass wall panel is so important and why no one else is gonna have this. And this is why we should do this direction with our project to kind of set you apart from everyone else in your orbit. And sometimes the craftspeople will like dumb down their pricing just to get the job. And I'm like, well, what is your actual value here? And let me be the advocate, the ally to help you get across the finish line with the client and just have these comprehensive conversations about what your value is and why we need you.

Caroline Slaten 14:30

That's so great because our craftspeople are so important and they don't always get the recognition they deserve.

Corey Damen Jenkins 14:34

And it's a dying craft. You know, I know that our country is all about pushing university, but I really think we need to do a bit of a course correction there and start pushing our children towards the trades. Because there's a lot of money to be made. I have one plaster worker right now, they're doing this incredible project for us, and I think they're making like over $400,000 because what they're doing is so bespoke. It's so one of a kind. There just isn't a lot of people who can do it. And so to be able to command that price point is spectacular, right? It's a very large project, there's a lot of things happening in the job, but the clients are happy to invest in them. But these people, they have cultivated this niche where they can do this plaster work, and ain't nobody giving them a run for their money. So I think we need to push more trades as a pathway for our young people for professional, you know, jobs.

Caroline Slaten 15:32

And you get to be an artist. So one thing I find really remarkable about your work, Corey, is that you have a really holistic approach where you understand the architecture and how it integrates with interior design. So, in other words, you're not decorating a room, you're considering the entire structure, how the interior interacts with its bones, envelope, and overall flow. How do you bridge and connect those various elements?

Corey Damen Jenkins 15:56

I really try to make sure that when I'm designing my projects, you really can't tell when I did the project. Nothing against rooms are very period. We love those too. They are a moment in time. But I do think the way how people live right now is very different than the way people lived when interior design first became a national industry. So I think that people today just know a lot more about design. They know a lot more about decoration, and they have a much more transient understanding or viewpoint of decor and design. They are not maybe as moved towards antiquity the way how our predecessors' clients were. They want more modernity mixed in in many respects, and they don't want to have to throw away the baby with the bathwater in just, you know, five or ten years. They really want things to last. Young people today are not quite thinking that same way. So we have to pivot, I think, in the way how we approach our projects. Certainly introduce them to bespoke timeless elements that really embrace classicism, but then also weave in those 1960s, you know, Saarinen tables and you know, tulip chairs and the Kagan sofas and all the other elements that they also love because they want to feel timeless and not quite so of the moment, if you will.

Caroline Slaten 17:19

And I'm only bringing this up because you mentioned the internet and its influence, I mean, which is vast on this profession. I'm curious how you feel about things like Pinterest and and people looking at pictures of projects and then trying to mimic them on their own and that whole phenomenon.

Corey Damen Jenkins 17:39

It's definitely something that we have to wrestle with. It can be both a blessing and a malediction. I love when a client comes to us with a comprehensive understanding of what they want from their project, what they want from our collaboration, our partnership, and they come with a stack of magazine tearouts and Pinterest boards and you know, AI-generated imagery. I love that because it gives me a snapshot into who they are, and that kind of cuts to the chase as far as what we need to do to make their dream a reality. Where it becomes a challenge is when they are allowing AI or Pinterest or other designers' work basically hold us hostage and not allowing their partnership with us to flourish naturally, the way how those projects did that they're imitating. I always tell my clients, I am not interested in following trends. I set them. I set the trends. That's my job. And I want to set trends in such a way that others will copy our work versus us copying theirs. So it's about having a wholesome and very comprehensive conversation about where we're going to keep Pinterest and AI and the internet, and your sister-in-law, and your neighbor next door, and your daughter, and all the people you're bouncing ideas off of. They have a role, but just like when you go to that hospital, that designer hospital, you don't bring in a tribe of people into the doctor's operating room for everyone to weigh in on the surgery. They stay in the waiting room. And I think it's very important that we draw a very clear line of demarcation as far as these different tools. And that way the client's vision is basically preserved and we're able to do our jobs.

Caroline Slaten 19:21

Would you say there's a number one mistake people make when crafting their living space?

Corey Damen Jenkins 19:26

Whether you are a New Yorker with, you know, an Upper East Side apartment or having a gigantic, you know, 15,000 square foot mansion in the burbs, egress is still important. So I do think it's important to measure three times purchase or cut once, if you will, and give mind to how people are going to function in the space, how are they going to live in the room. That's very important. I definitely do a lot more sofa sectionals in New York apartments, really taking advantage of those corners. You know, that little L-shaped situation, if it's just snuggling in that corner of that room because you can't always float furniture the way I would want to in New York apartments. Whereas in suburbia, these big McMansion level estates, you can certainly float furniture and have three or four groupings in one room. So it definitely is dictated by the square footage. The most important part of making my interiors look finished definitely boils down to finishing touches. I think great artwork is an absolutely non-negotiable element that every great room should have. And setting aside a sizable budget for that in advance with the clients, you know, to have artwork accounted for, to have accessories, tabletop accessories accounted for, coffee table books, objet, little elements, little layers. I think all of that really helps pull a space together in a comprehensive way that just makes it feel finished and tailored and lived in. But you have to budget for that. And I think sometimes decorators don't always do a good job of making sure they have a line item, finishing the spaces. And the clients often don't think about that either. And so you'll get all the big furniture in, maybe the rug, but then all the spaces, all the surfaces are all like naked. That sofa roll arm needs a throw, you know. Um did you get some ambient level lights for that bed for someone to read at? Like these are things that people need to think about that I think sometimes folks don't always give proper care to.

Caroline Slaten 21:22

Going back to artwork, you mentioned that that's so important to get the right artwork and add that into the space. So do people tend to come in with their own collection already, or are you starting with a client and building that?

Corey Damen Jenkins 21:38

Both, truly. I have clients who have multiple homes all over planet Earth and they have just these massive treasure troves of artwork. I always try to shop from the estate first before we purchase something else. I think it's a good look for our brand to honor what our clients have. Our clients really appreciate that. And if they have really great taste, we love working with their things because I just think it makes the space feel so much more like them versus like us. So I think that shopping from the estate is very important when it comes to art. Our younger clients sometimes don't have as much of an expansive art collection because they just haven't been on Earth long enough and haven't collected enough. So in that case, we will take them to estate sales and to auction houses, certainly shopping online, the galleries, the design centers, to kind of open their eyes to what's possible. And then, of course, making sure we discuss, as I mentioned earlier, a really wholesome budget to be set aside for that. And I encourage them when they're traveling and you come across something, go to that flea market in Saint-Didier in the south of France. You know, go look at things. I don't have to always be with you. Just make sure that you give me the measurements and they'll communicate back and say, hey, I found this great piece of art. It's 30 by 45. Can we make it work? And we'll find a place. Scoop it up.

Caroline Slaten 23:01

What if someone owns a personal piece that you just don't love as much and you have to fit that in the room? Do you do it or do you say no?

Corey Damen Jenkins 23:11

Homes are like brick walls. The client's vision, their belongings, their things they've collected, those are the bricks. I'm the mortar that holds it all together. When you step back from a brick wall, the dominant visual are the bricks and not the mortar. So if the artwork is something that really is very meaningful to them, and I happen to think that it's obtuse, you know, I'm not going to be living there. My opinion, at the end of the day, as much as I am part of it, I am still just the sinew, the connective tissue holding it together. We're going to hang the artwork. And of course, there are some clients. I I had one client, well, I don't know, Caroline, like 15 years ago. They had some artwork that they pulled out of the attic that really was shocking for me. It had Nazi symbolism on it. And they claimed they were not racist. But this particular, this collection of art piece pieces held nostalgic value for them because it came down from my great-great-grandparents or whatever. Um, and so I just respectfully told them, I- I can't even hang that. I can leave a space for you to do it on your own, and then you can work that out. That was probably one of those projects that, again, we didn't really follow back up on for the second or third home, but you still make it work. Ultimately, it's still their house.

Caroline Slaten 24:29

How did they react to that?

Corey Damen Jenkins 24:31

They were totally fine with it. They were like, we know it's weird, we don't want to make you feel uncomfortable, but they wanted to hang it like in their living room.

Caroline Slaten 24:38

So I'm thinking, well, when people come over, you know, just get out of here.

Corey Damen Jenkins 24:43

Yeah, we did photograph that project. But the point is, it's still their house, it's there's still the bricks. We'll pull it together.

Caroline Slaten 24:51

Now be real with me, Corey.

Corey Damen Jenkins 24:53

Always.

Caroline Slaten 24:54

Are interior designers judging us when they're in our personal homes?

Corey Damen Jenkins 24:58

I am not judging you when I'm in your home. I don't care. I'm not working right now. It's like, again, going back to that medical analogy. When a doctor's out of the OR, the last thing he's thinking about when he is at a dinner with friends is looking at them as if they are cadavers sitting around a dining table. He's not looking up at them from the angle of his surgeries and what he just cleaned up from the day. And so when I'm visiting my friends, I don't look at their homes. I really don't care because I'm not being paid to care. Now, that being the case, just like with the doctor, when you're at that dinner table, don't ask him, but I have this rash on my elbow. What should I do about this? And I have this ache and pain in my back, who should I? Because he's off work in a similar way. Like, don't ask me about paint colors at the dinner table. I'm no longer on the clock. And that's the only time I'm gonna start looking at your home as an actual job site if you're pulling the job site out of my soul over dinner. You know, I work sometimes between 70 and 80 hours every week, and I am pouring over these floor plans, Caroline. I'm looking at these swatches, I'm looking at these elevations until my eyes are about to cross. The last thing I want to do is go out to dinner and talk about that more. It's still my job.

Caroline Slaten 26:10

Well, and that brings me to my next question. Do you ever get a day off?

Corey Damen Jenkins 26:14

I'll rest when I'm dead, right? That's what they always say. But I do love what I do. I think there's a difference. I was up till 2:30 this morning sourcing lighting for this duplex we're working on over on the Upper East Side. And it's such an adventure because we had to put a lot of ductwork into the apartment, and so we're lowering these ceilings from like 10 feet to like 9-8. And so now having to source chandeliers for this space is a lot more difficult because the client wants big chandeliers and we don't have the headroom for it. And so I couldn't stop. And I went down this little rabbit hole of some of my flush mounts and you know the whole thing. So I love it. I love it. Um, I will say this though: as as much as we do work hard, we also play hard. So when it's time for vacation, I am completely turned off. I don't bring my laptop and we travel far and away from the job site. So it's about it's a balancing act.

Caroline Slaten 27:06

If you do have a day off or you are on vacation, I know you don't like to go to the beach.

Corey Damen Jenkins 27:10

I am not really a beach person. Um why is that? It's too hot and uncomfortable. I prefer other sophisticated uses of my time. I prefer theater, opera. I prefer going to, believe it or not, flea markets, shopping, even if it's not for design-related things, just going to flea markets and estate sales. Certainly sleeping in. That is a real luxury for me. That's very enjoyable because just to rest and just not have to get up and do anything. That is the biggest luxury in the world for me. And then getting up at you know, one in the afternoon and having a a bowl of cinnamon toast crunch and watching the news or you know, some Marvel movie, those are to me low-hanging fruit pieces of luxury. Music, love concerts. Love concerts, love seeing people perform. And the gym. Yeah, the gym is important to burn off the stress that you do kind of absorb. We are empaths and we absorb a lot of energy from people in our travel. So the gym is a great way to kind of burn off those stressors and to give your body a chance to heal itself.

Caroline Slaten 28:27

So, Corey, you're on our president's council here at the ICAA. You've spoken at our lectures, you've MC'd our McKim Mead & White Awards, and you're such a generous supporter and friend of the organization. What does the ICAA mean to you?

Corey Damen Jenkins 28:40

It is an institution that is absolutely essential for the survival of our industry. Because, as we discussed earlier in our in our chat today, the classics aren't going anywhere. They've survived for centuries for a reason. When you look at the Egyptian, the Medes and Persians, the Babylonians, the Greeks, the Romans, they all had some sort of traditional element in their civilization, architecturally speaking. There's always been some version of a Doric column or Corinthian column, you know, throughout the centuries. And so I think the ICAA really cleaves to this mission of maintaining and protecting appreciation for classicism and for the upcoming generation of designers who need to have a better grasp of the provenance of traditional design. We need organizations and institutes like the ICAA to be around, not just to survive, but to thrive.

Caroline Slaten 29:37

And what would you tell people? Why should they get involved with the ICAA?

Corey Damen Jenkins 29:42

It's it's a great organization. I think people need to be very careful about how they view tradition when it comes to classicism in architecture. I think sometimes people think that automatically equates to stuffiness and haughtiness. And perhaps in the past that may have been the case. But the ICAA is full of the most fun, down-to-earth, lovely professionals. They are interesting, they are well traveled, they are worldly, they have a very diverse set of interests, they are politically grounded, they know where the world needs to go. So there's very comprehensive conversations happening around those dinner tables, and they care. They're charitable people. They have their hearts to the ground as far as what the communities around them need. So, whatever stereotype you may have about classic design when it comes to tradition, it's important that you don't copy and paste that stigma onto the people behind the ICAA.

Caroline Slaten 30:36

That's such a good point. And a lot of what we're doing now is trying to provide more access. Yeah. So the ICAA has been digging into affordable housing, and we're trying to offer free education to everyone, regardless of background. So I appreciate you saying that.

Corey Damen Jenkins 30:52

Yeah, it's important work.

Caroline Slaten 30:56

Tell us about your latest book.

Corey Damen Jenkins 30:58

Oh, my latest book - Design Reimagined: A Fresh and Colorful Take on Timeless Rooms.

Caroline Slaten 31:04

And I love the cover. It's just so good.

Corey Damen Jenkins 31:08

We are thrilled. It's an honor to be able to produce a second book for Rizzoli. We had the amazing and indomitable Amy Astley herself, the editor-in-chief of Architectural Digest, write the foreword. And they really went all out with the production of the book. We really wanted the book to be pretty, like a jewel box. And so when you take off the dust cover, there's this beautiful linen-wrapped peacock motif. The page edges are gilded in bronze. You know, we really want it to be like not just a book full of pretty rooms, but the book itself, as far as the construction, to be equally attractive. And again, hats off to Doug Turshen and Steve Turner, my incredible graphic designers, and of course, Kathleen and Jessica and Charles over at Rizzoli. We have the ultimate A-team in producing the book. I think it really shows. And it's um 10 projects that have all been completed between '21 and late '24. 10 new projects. So yeah, excited about that.

Caroline Slaten 32:05

Must feel incredible when it finally is published. And this is like this thing you're putting out in the world.

Corey Damen Jenkins 32:10

Yeah. It's like a baby. You know, you're putting this new thing out in the world. And what I really enjoy is traveling around the world and seeing the book on bookshelves everywhere. Um I really enjoy getting DMs from people where I have to copy and paste what they've DM'd me on Instagram or through Threads and put it into the Google Translator to convert what they said into English, which shows how the book is resonating around the world. And I love when people send me photos, Caroline, of um, of rooms that they've done in their own homes. So they've tried to implement some of my design techniques and some of my tips and you know tricks and takeaways in the book. And they asked me to kind of grade the work, like like give me a grade between A for excellent or F for failure. What do you think? And of course they always get A's for effort. But I just love, I just love it. I think it's just a spectacular experience.

Caroline Slaten 33:03

That must be so rewarding. I hope you keep a folder with all of those.

Corey Damen Jenkins 33:06

I do, I really do. We save them all. Um, we save all the handwritten cards and notes. We get so many letters from people, again, from all over. We got one from South Africa recently, a really heartfelt note. The young lady was talking about. I can't remember if she was a nurse or a doctor, but it was some sort of medical professional that she had worked really hard at, but was feeling completely unfulfilled and realized that interior design was where she needed to go. And somehow reading my second book, the entry, the intro of the book, moved her to start pursuing an education with design. She's not gonna quit her job just yet. She messaged me and she's like, should I quit right now and just go knock on 779 doors? And I'm like, you better not. Uh, do not ever jump into a pool without water, stay in your current job and stay financially flush for now, and then slowly but surely make that transition. But the very fact that she's going to school after after having gotten a degree in the medical world shows the power of great design and decor and the energy behind creating something new for someone else. I'm very encouraged by that.

Caroline Slaten 34:10

What do you tell a young person, or I guess any age, really, of someone that wants to pursue a career in interior design?

Corey Damen Jenkins 34:16

I would tell them that there's no career, in my professional opinion, that's more rewarding. And I can say that truthfully because for 10 years I was in the business sector. So I know what it's like to do the nine to five and to really view it as a job. But, you know, I get to now be not only a designer, but I get to wear the hats of being a therapist and a psychologist and a financial advisor and a babysitter and um a confidant, a best friend. I can go to fashion runways with clients and watch them pick out things for themselves and then tabulate those finds into drapery, fabrics, and pillows for the sofas and our projects, right? They lay on the sofa in my office and tell me all their problems and confide in me. And then we get to work as far as the actual projects. So I can't think of another career that enables you to design something for someone to enjoy, but then touches on so many other aspects of other professions that are basically human resources with a creative slant. It's quite an adventure every day.

Caroline Slaten 35:18

You told me a story one time that I will never forget, which is don't design your bedroom in red. So what happens if you have a red bedroom?

Corey Damen Jenkins 35:26

When you look at color theory and color psychology, certain colors evoke certain emotions in human beings. Grays and and these more softer but more neutral colors have a certain effect as far as serenity, but it could also, for some people, activate depression, right? Red, for example, is a very passionate color, very sexy, very vibrant. But for some people that perhaps have anger management issues, it could, you know, induce fits of rage. I had a couple who were Italian and they were like, uh, what was that television show with the Italians, the Sopranos? Oh, yeah. Yeah, plate throwing type, like really festive, vibrant, down-to-earth, funny as hell, but very passionate Italian family. And they insisted on having their dining room painted red. And they wanted the walls red, the drapery, and the chairs, everything red. And I was like, well, let's work in some breaks here. Let's maybe do some neutrals. And they were like, no, I want everything red. So we did it, because again, I'm the mortar in the bricks. It's not my house, so I'm gonna acquiesce. And I would say, probably seven or eight months after the project concluded, the husband called me to let me know that he and his wife were on the verge of divorce. And I said, Why? He says, Ever since the project ended, we have been fighting non-stop, just arguing and just having really knocked down drag em out fights. I already knew where this was going, Caroline. I was like, so you know, when you have these arguments, are they happening in the bedroom, or are they happening in the living room? He says, No, it's always in the dining room, always over dinner. I said, Yeah, but it's probably because you're literally seeing red. Like, literally, you're both very passionate people. I warned you about that shade of red, and that could induce passion, whether it be sexual or otherwise. And so we're seeing here the cataclysm of the situation with the red. So, what we did is we ended up making some changes. They brought me back. I adjusted some things, kept the red drapes, but made some other aesthetic changes. 13 years later, they're still happily married. But it showed me that as a designer wielding the magic of color, I can end your marriage. I'm just kidding.

Caroline Slaten 37:34

Corey Damen Jenkins has all the power.

Corey Damen Jenkins 37:37

A little Jedi mind trick, you know, but it does show the power of color and texture and how it does affect the human psyche.

Caroline Slaten 37:44

Oh, design completely affects our everyday life.

Corey Damen Jenkins 37:47

Pay your designers well. We hold your futures in our hands.

Caroline Slaten 37:51

Well, what's next? Tell us where we'll see you next.

Corey Damen Jenkins 37:54

I'm happy to share that I just recently was appointed to the foundation board of directors for Fashion Institute of Technology. So you know I love charities and love getting involved with young people. And so I just joined that board of directors this week. Uh, so we're excited to get to work and rolling up our sleeves. I'm going to be focusing on education from the business side of things for their students at FIT. And whatever else the board wants me to kind of focus on. Still working very closely as a board of trustee for Kips Bay Boys and Girls Club. We're working on some very exciting things there, including filming a very special television special that will be airing here on Peacock very soon. So that's very exciting. I cannot wait. And you know, just really getting involved with the community and helping these young people have the most beautiful environments possible to grow up in and to study and reach higher, further, and faster.

Caroline Slaten 38:48

And I'm glad to hear you saying focusing on the business side of things because they don't teach that in design school.

Corey Damen Jenkins 38:55

I feel like that's kind of an area where we are not delivering for our young people. I can say that as a business owner, as a principal, when these young people are graduating from various institutions across the country and they come to me, they have these really solid portfolios, but they don't understand it all about how to be profitable. And so I have to teach them that the client's given this budget, even if it's a very generous budget, we still have to make that budget work across the entire home. And so I'd rather have like two slices of bread with a very generous amount of peanut butter and jelly and slather it on a really great, wholesome, delicious way than try to spread that same amount of peanut butter and jelly over maybe 12 slices of toast, right? And so you have to understand how to make the budget work. And sometimes these young people, they come out of school, you help them understand what the client's budget is, and they pull nothing but the most expensive things. And so if the budget is X million, they come in at $5 billion. I just paid you to go out there to the design center, but you didn't take into account lineal footage and square footage and yardage and price points and MSRP and the net price and what's the client's budget. You just pull the pretty things. Okay, now they go back and basically do a massive edit on all of it and then teach you why we need to be profitable as a design firm. So we can get that education into their brains and hearts at the scholastic level while they're still in university. I think that's great.

Caroline Slaten 40:26

That's great. Is there anything else you want to tack on and add?

Corey Damen Jenkins 40:30

No, just thank you so much for having me. I'm so grateful for our relationship as a firm with the ICAA, and I'm just so happy to be part of the President's Council. And just really love what you all are doing. This podcast is such a hit, and it's such a huge in estimable honor to be on the podcast and just to share like we're doing today. I think we need more of this in our industry. It keeps us all honest. We don't have a bar like lawyers or a residency like doctors. We only have things like this that keep us as an industry honest. So thank you for having me on the show.

Caroline Slaten 41:04

Well, we're just eternally grateful to you, Corey, for every last thing you do to support the ICAA and for being such a great friend of the organization.

Corey Damen Jenkins 41:12

Thank you.

Caroline Slaten 41:15

Thank you for tuning in to By Invitation, presented by the Institute of Classical Architecture and Art, an educational nonprofit dedicated to advancing the practice, understanding, and appreciation of classical and traditional architecture, art and design. With 15 chapters across the United States, the ICAA offers programs for students, professionals, and enthusiasts around the world, including continuing education courses, public programs and lectures, travel programs, documentary films, and more. To learn more or to support the ICAA, please visit classicist.org.