Meet Jen & Mar of Interior Fox
We had the pleasure of speaking with Jenna and Mariana of Interior Fox, who shared what inspires them, lessons they’ve learned, and we even got a sneak peek inside their homes! Originally from different parts of the world, the talented duo founded Interior Fox in 2016. Together, they create modern designs tailored to their clients’ preferences by combining eastern and western aesthetics.
Tell us more about Interior Fox, where the name came from, and how you both got into interior design?
Jen and I both worked together previously as home stylists and we coincidentally found out we were both quitting to work on our own dreams and ambitions. I (Mar) did a start-up course at night to help me prepare before officially quitting my job and Jen was busy doing photography and gaining more clients on the side. When we both found out we were quitting we realised we had similar desires and dreams for the future and a more modern take on interior design. Interior Fox organically developed and we were excited for this new adventure together (and still very much excited 5 years later!).
We had a list of names and funny enough Interior Fox was pretty much last on our list. (It came from the idea of a springy London fox and was catchy to say.) We did market research and sent out questionnaires to many of our friends, family and business associates we admire. Interior Fox became a very popular vote. Though the ultimate deal-breaker was when we went to Decorex and had our badges labelled as Interior Designers, many people asked what our company was called. This is when we started saying Interior Fox, which surprised us both and made us finalise the name!
What is the best interior design lesson you’ve learned so far?
I feel like we have a lot of answers to this question!
- That your style will always change and improve and that it’s ok to love more than one style. It’s actually better! You can still have your own identity even with different clients and styles.
- You need to be very clear in your proposal/pricing to avoid any confusion before starting the work.
- Make sure your clients have some kind of vision, if they don’t you’ll be designing blindly which is fine if your client trusts you 100% but usually for residential clients the projects are more emotional and of course personal so it’s so important to know your client’s background and how they want to live in the space and make them feel.
- Great communication helps with everything from clients, builders, trade, etc. Always stay on top of it and ask questions.
When designing the layout of a room, what are the most important things to consider?
We like to start with the function first. How are you going to use this room? Sometimes we like to ask extra questions to also give our clients ideas. For example a client will say “I need help with my office which I also want to be a guest room.” We would then ask more detailed questions like “Do you need this space for anything else like “a place you do yoga, a reading corner, do you need it to eventually become a different room in the next 5 years like a nursery etc.” Many times our clients don’t mention in detail how they use it until we start asking more personal questions which then gives us the best chance to create a room that works perfectly for them.
What is your favourite project you have worked on so far?
The projects where our clients trust us 100% percent to let us decide on everything always turns out to be the best projects. Of course, we communicate the vision with them and make sure we are aligned beforehand but having a high level of trust is so important. A recent one we did was a very cold looking new build flat that we turned into a modern Brazilian style flat with the direction of our client. Our client was amazing and we worked on it all the way to the end from concepts, renovation to coming in and styling each corner.
What room in each of your houses do you prefer and why?
I (Mar) love great organisation, and so far it might have to be my kitchen and dining area. I customized my pantry by buying labels from etsy and glass containers from amazon and have an open display which makes cooking more fun and the space less cluttered!
I (Jen) love my master bedroom despite it being one of the most simplest of the rooms. Fresh white walls with black accents and olive green really does it for me. I find that b&w is neutral and so forgiving as you can literally layer any print, fabric, or style with it. We had the carpenter build some bedside tables/desks as well for a space-saving solution.
As designers, where do you find inspiration? Who or what are your biggest influences?
I (Mar) find inspiration from other designers as well as seeing real homes whether it’s on apartment therapy, pinterest, friends homes, etc. I think it’s great to see how non-designers style their home and make it work. I also think most of my inspo comes from travelling and taking home new ideas. I love to find new colour schemes and have a folder on my phone full of wall colours I see from trips.
I (Jen) can’t help it but am a big dreamer, blame my Aquarius-ness. I think about what is the absolute best way to live your dream life and for me, it’s the never ending summer lifestyle, floods of sunshine, beach vibes, outdoor living, barefoot, and eating ceviche but in “attainable luxury” sort of way. (Boho Lux) Haha. I am so inspired by travel magazines, tv shows, and, of course, actual travel, as it’s a vibe that I crave rather than a specific design style. Visiting hotels in places like Cali, Bali, Ibiza, Greece, Mexico, Italy, etc really inspire that lifestyle.
What has been your favourite trend so far in 2021?
Our favourite trend in 2021 might have to be coloured glass (from glasses to spoons, to vases, candle holders and sculptures). There’s something so fresh about it. We also love seeing more people being so playful with tabletop design. We might be feeling this because it’s summer but loving the colours, mix of materials and gathering people around a beautifully styled table!
When a budget is tight, where should the priority be to make a house feel like a home?
When the budget is tight, we always ask our clients which furniture they want to splurge on as it’s important to have something special in each room that’s well made. We also suggest this to be furniture that you use daily (bed, sofa, dining table/chairs etc). Everything else we can make look more expensive than it is. For example, paint is a big one, colour matching a specific colour can help really make the space feel more expensive and bespoke. It can be colour matching to an existing curtain to create a monotone effect and feel texturized or colour matching to a sofa, a colour on a rug etc. Another way we can prioritise budget to make a space feel more expensive is to make a mixture of art pieces, not having all prints for example. Adding photography, prints, paintings and mixed media to the mix around the house will help make it feel more curated.
Your kitchen reveal recently featured our Kamsar Acacia and Marble Dining Table, the whole set-up looks amazing! What are the main things you look for when you source pieces for people’s homes?
We got so many compliments on this table and it’s even more beautiful in real life. Many of the time we look for a statement piece in each room and work around it. The dining area was an open plan that happened to be right next to the kitchen where we had a terrazzo countertop as the statement piece. So we wanted a table that was unique and classy enough to go with terrazzo and the Kamsar table married it perfectly. Materials need to work together not compete and we look at colour, texture and style.
Tell us what’s next for Interior Fox?
We have so many projects being photographed at the moment and are so excited to share them with our followers towards the end of the year. As for next year, we have big plans that we can’t reveal at the moment but it involves a lot of collaborations! We LOVE collaborating and working with other creative businesses!
