MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: DAMIANA ANDONOVA

Business Name: J'adore Mon Bébé, LLC

Location: Chicago, IL

WHEN DID YOU REALIZE THAT YOU WANTED TO BECOME AN INTERIOR DESIGNER?

I think that I realized I had an eye for design when I found excuses to re-decorate my house every season and every time I moved. And I saw that one of my favorite things to do when working with babies was to go to their family's homes and re-decorate and organize the nurseries and playrooms.  I have a really instinctual sense of "family life flow" and what works spatially. I was working with an epileptic mom in Arizona when I had this really pressing feeling to completely re-do her living room, and so one day, with permission, not only did we move all the furniture around and reorganize the space to have more space for the kids, but also I felt like I was really drawn to the light and colors and how things worked in the room. 

WHO WAS THE FIRST INTERIOR DESIGNER TO MAKE AN IMPRESSION ON YOU? 

Oh goodness, I think I really enjoy traditional designers like Leslie M. Martin and Caitlin Wilson who take these really colorful approaches to traditional design. I take my inspiration from my travels and artisans I meet in small rural towns in Greece, Turkey, Bulgaria, and Switzerland. I remember being in this lace store in Zurich and I felt that the store owner was perhaps one of the most interesting artisans and designers I had met. I instantly felt like I could come up with an entire collection just from the patterns of St. Gallen lace I admired there.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT INFLUENCE YOU, ASIDE FROM FURNITURE AND DÉCOR?

Well, my background is in healthcare strategy and management consulting, so I think there's a strong financial/budgetary influence as well as an understanding of timelines and the reality that construction projects often go askew in unpredictable ways so planning well for that, especially if the baby is on the way, is a strong consideration. I also enjoy poetry and gardening so language and natural geometry are also strong influences. 

WHAT ARE YOUR GO-TO BASICS?

Storytelling is huge for me. When I go into a home, I look for the pieces and characteristics that tell a story, and I really use them to inspire and engage the client in conversation.  Understanding what the parents do for a living, who cares for the children, and what is really happening in the home helps me understand what needs to take priority, e.g. noise control, air quality, workspace, caregiver space, etc. And I think the absolute basic threshold is the safety and health of materials. As a Healthy Materials Advocate, that's number one. 

ARE YOU SEEING ANY PARTICULAR STYLE REQUESTS TRENDING AMONGST YOUR CLIENTS?

Beds in the nursery are huge right now, I think because so many families are recognizing the need for doulas and caregiver support, or the need to keep the bedroom an adult space for sleep. And secondly, people are really price conscious right now, and are really careful about what they have at home. They really want to re-purpose, use heirloom furniture and fabrics, and have every piece tell a story. They want their receipt from a college date framed, a cachepot from their art school days, a blanket from their first trip to Mexico, and a rug from their grandparents to fit together with new functional pieces. So it's less purchasing and more mindful collecting, I would say.

WHAT’S BEEN YOUR CAREER HIGHLIGHT TO DATE?

I am so new to this. I think the most exciting part has been being able to travel to a client's barn and getting to see farm equipment over 200 years old. Walking through their land, seeing what inspired their great-grandparents to settle on the land, and drawing inspiration from the environment was super exciting. I am really looking forward to partnering with more designers and architects on the healthy materials side and helping make spaces baby-ready. 

WHAT’S THE MOST TREASURED ITEM IN YOUR OWN HOME?

I think my art collection is really special, but I would have to say my boyfriend's bonsai. When we met, it was almost dead, and I had to carefully rehab it and restore it back to life. It's the centerpiece on our dining table now, and has really become a treasured part of the home. We joke that if everything burns down, we'd try and take the bonsai with us.