Introduce yourself
Hi, my name is Jem. I am a Melbourne based interior designer. I love to inspire and be inspired. I find myself daydreaming about a slow-living lifestyle, whilst in the midst of juggling multiple activities & roles which challenges & excites me concurrently. I believe in the power of manifestation and hard work.
My North Star is helping others achieve their interior goals and bring as much joy to others as I possibly can. The path to attaining this vision is channeled through my brand Juthamat by Jem & Jem and Bianca Interiors, which is a bespoke interior design company .
How long have you been doing interior design for?
I have been an interior designer for three years and have worked on many exciting projects with my business partner Bianca. We have progressed via a steep learning curve and have already encountered many highs and lows that come with starting and running a business.
How did your passion with interior design start?
I’ve always loved imagining & creating beautiful spaces since I was a little girl.
I uncovered this underlying passion again in my early twenties when I discovered a true joy and love for interior design and styling. The thought of integrating my passion and work alluded me, and I was intrigued after a dear friend of mine approached me to design and style her dressing room. It was a small room, but it had potential waiting to be uncovered. When I saw the joy that this project brought to my friend, I realised that this was the career for me and I wanted to deliver that joy to my clients moving forward.
What are your favourite interior trends?
There are so many beautiful trends within the interior world right now, all beautiful and amazing in their unique way. One of my favourite trends at the moment is Japandi. Japandi is an interior style that unifies simplicity and nature with the underlying theme of minimalism. Japandi encompasses the varying styles from Scandinavia and Japan, thus creating one calming fusion called Japandi or Scandi-Japanese style.
What are your top 3 tips to creating a timeless home?
Number one would be to invest in quality key items such as your dining table, chairs, sofa, entertainment unit and a coffee table etc. Your furniture should allow you to create transitional looks with only minimal styling changes – whilst possibly incorporating smaller items and decor pieces to alter or refresh the theme.
Number two would be to remain selective with your colours. You can go wild and have an array of colours – but you must consider a good colour palette to achieve a harmonious visual outcome. You need to start off with three solid base colours (key neutral colours). From there you can add and subtract colours to a space.
Number three is to introduce plants into the home. Bring the outdoors inside wherever possible would be my advice. Aside from looking amazing , multiple studies have proven that indoor plants keep you healthier and happier, offering both psychological and physical health benefits.
Indoor photography is notoriously difficult compared to outdoor photography. What tips do you have for getting the perfect shot?
I would say study the natural lighting in and around your home. Which part of the house does the sunrise and sunset? Which area of the house provide diffused light? Depending on the type of content you’re taking, you can use this guide to help create content. There will be days when it’s dark and gloomy outside, so investing in an artificial lighting kit should make it easier for you.
What is an interior design mistake you have made?
To the best of Jem and Bianca Interiors ability, we plan & prepare in order to avoid mistakes because it can become costly and it delays completion. We always make sure we have a process that we commit to and follow. We are not always perfect and many projects have provided us with hurdles and challenges, the nature of our work throws curveballs and we have learned from each of these and feel that we have grown as businesswomen through this.
One early mistake that I can reflect on occurred very early when I embarked on my first styling project, this was long before I had found a business partner or had any systems in place. My mistake was that I failed to plan my time accordingly. I was running around without purpose & structure trying to pick items, making sure items were being delivered on time. This was a stressful period and brought on unnecessary anxiety and although the project was delivered on time, I learned the importance of structure and time management. These learnings have helped me to refine and develop a culture of continual improvement within my business.
What is your favourite room to style?
I love to style any room. Give me any room or rooms and I’ll style them. All rooms have potential and can be styled to reflect you or your goals.
If you could only choose 3 items to have on your coffee table, what would they be?
A photography book, candle, and a glass of G&T.