Jeff Andrews. You know him for the warmth of his Interiors and demeanor, and his stylish, wide-ranging projects that always have a fresh take on ‘California dreamin’. From clients like Ryan Seacrest to the Kardashians, Andrew’s balance and ease in his aesthetic and approach contribute to his success. Living and running a business near the ocean can’t hurt.
Like the ocean, Andrews has always kept moving. Before his distinguished design career, Andrews was a dance choreographer and moved between various other creative facets. Always in tune with the “big picture” result, Andrews convinced us that dance and design aren’t so different from each other, after all.
“Design and dance and choreography are tied back to movement and lifestyle. Not just in the way that a room is arranged, or the shapes of the pieces that you put together, but how a person moves through a room. There’s a choreography to a room,” said designer Jeff Andrews. A choreographer moves through similar procedures as a designer, measuring proportion, balance, and placement, according to Andrews.
Any dance routine is slightly different, as are the bones of any house, any client, or any taste. Andrews explains why it’s essential to embrace the nuances and mix things up for every client. “It’s important to evolve as a designer rather than getting stagnant. Flexing those design muscles is healthy for me and exciting,” Andrew said.
(Above) Kourtney Kardashian’s Calabasas living room
An example of a design flex for Andrews was working on Kourtney Kardashian’s Calabasas home, inspired by Alice in Wonderland.
“It was a real genuine collaborative effort. She had just bought the house and it was a blank slate. She had painted the whole thing white. We just talked and brainstormed together and it evolved into the whimsical fun, off the beaten path house that she was looking for at the moment. That was the mood she was in. I was ready to make that happen. It was a departure for me, too.” Sounds like a “major moment”, as a Kardashian might say.
Andrews published his first book this year, The New Glamour / Interiors with Star Quality. But he doesn’t define or illustrate glamour in how it’s commonly thought out and sought out to be. Andrews considers a home’s function and…you guessed it…the movement that occurs inside.
“As we discussed the direction of the book and what I wanted to say and what I wanted to be about. The word glamour kept coming up because I’m inspired by old Hollywood glamour. It’s been etched on my brain; it definitely affected me as I was growing up,” said Andrews. “The types of homes that people lived in and the lifestyle they lived was so captivating for me. I’ve taken those ideas in my own design and kind of reworked them for how people live today. It still can be decadent and can be beautiful but it also has to be livable and personal.”
So, “what does the word glamour mean today?”, GDG asked Andrews. “How are you redefining glamour?”
“Glamour is a personal attitude. It’s a state of mind. It’s a personal aesthetic and can mean so many things to so many different people. I love glamour but I like my own version of glamour,” Andrews answered.
As if he couldn’t get closer to the Hollywood glamour, Andrews recently appeared on Bravo’s new TV show “Best Room Wins” as a guest judge, hosted by Interior designer and TV personality, Genevieve Gorder, and Editor in Chief of Elle Décor, Whitney Robinson.
“You’ll see me in the May 8th episode alongside my client, Kaley Cuoco, who served as guest judge with me for that episode. This was really the ideal “reality” opportunity for me, especially because it coincides with the release of my first book, The New Glamour. I have long been asked to do a design competition show, but when Whitney [Robinson] and the production company reached out about doing a guest judge stint, I couldn’t resist. I hope everyone enjoys the new series – it will be a hit if it’s half as fun to watch as it was to film,” said Andrews.
DDB Spring Market’s first Keynote of the day will kick off with Andrews, Robinson, Gorder, and interior designer Robert Stilin for their “Inspiring Designers: An in-Depth Look At Their Obstacles and Rewards” conversation, hosted by Cowtan & Tout on May 22nd. The group will talk about their highs and lows and offer the inside scoop on their work lives, including more about Gorder and Robinson’s Bravo show “Best Room Wins”. Later in the day, visit A. Rudin for a book signing and cocktail reception with Jeff Andrews. Suite 1201.