Magazine Feature – Jenna Burger Design LLC – Interior Design & Architectural Consulting

Being Recognized…

Written by Jenna on June 6, 2016. Posted in Magazine Feature.

As far back as I can remember, I’ve loved anything to do with decorating and design. As a child, I loved creating house plans, floor plans, and elevation + section cut-throughs of fictitious houses.

Anything to do with the home, I couldn’t get enough of.

For my tenth birthday, I asked for a book of home plans (who does that?!?) and just soaked up every page, imagining myself walking through room-by-room, even though they were only a 2-dimensional idea.

My passion for the home brought me to where I am today and I feel truly blessed to have journeyed down a path that was made for me.

To top it off, it doesn’t get much better than when you are recognized for doing what you truly love and are most passionate about. I am so appreciative and thankful to have my work acknowledged in the most current issue in the local (to me) magazine Simply Saratoga. I’ve written for the magazine on several past occasions, but over the recent months my plate has been overflowing with work (certainly, no complaints). This time though instead of me writing an article, I was featured in an article about my work and my design approach.

[Check out the full issue here]

The 7 page spread dissects four client projects – 2 residential, 2 commercial – plus a peek at my humble abode. And even cooler, my kitchen is featured on the cover!

HOW TO MAKE A HAPPY PLACE

That’s surely what I strive for… happy + functional + most importantly, meaningful!

Following the opening page, the article dissects two commercial projects in my town that I recently completed – Saratoga Paint and Sip + The Henry Street Taproom. Neither were full gut renovations, but instead each needed a refresh with a warm, welcome, inviting aesthetic + better function and flow. The result for both was to enhance + elevate the original bones of the spaces.

The next feature was on two residential projects I tackled. One of which was a bathroom remodel and the other a complete kitchen renovation + living room revamp. You may have seen these two projects here on the blog, since I shared the before + afters. Both were incredible transformations!

And lastly, my home and a peek at a few rooms. If you follow my blog, you may have seen these spaces once or twice, ha! If you want to see more of my bold + eclectic home, come crash my pad and check out the recent home tour I shared!

Thank you Simply Saratoga for the incredible feature.

BEING RECOGNIZED for doing what you love never gets old!

WHAT NOW?

So what now? If you’ve noticed, my sharing of projects on the blog lately has been minimal. No, I haven’t been lounging in my PJs eating bon bons all day – although I do wish I could do that on occasion. Somehow, someway, and for some reason, things have changed since the beginning of this year. I’ve taken on several very large-scale design jobs that have been wonderful but VERY involved. These intricate projects + the needs of my family have taken a front seat and unfortunately my blog is now on the back burner. I don’t foresee me ever completely walking away from my blog, because it’s my outlet. Whether thousands read it a day or just one, it’s a place where I can share my thoughts on design + inspire others. That’s what it has always been and that’s what I hope it’ll continue to be.

Admittedly though, blogging has changed since I started 6 years ago. When I first started out, there was no Pinterest or Instagram. Pictures that were shared didn’t have to be magazine-worthy. Over the years, the bar was raised (which is no doubt positive), but the joy and ease of creating + sharing has been lost. Now it feels like pictures have to be perfect and beautifully staged and if they’re not, why share them?! We all did it, myself included. We all raised the bar. I understand that raising the bar, makes you better and stronger, but at the same time, when is it too much? Unfortunately, for me, the connections with others and the fun of it has been lost. I kind of feel like I burned out and it’s not enjoyable anymore.

I started blogging as a parallel to the launching of my design business. The blog part was more a hobby with no expectations. At the time, I didn’t really know what I was doing or what I was getting into. And I CAN NOT believe the opportunities that it gave me. Countless national magazine articles, cover features, speaking engagements, celebrity interviews, exclusive product reviews and the list goes on… And moreso than all of that, I got to change peoples lives by inspiring them to create through the creations I made. Our house has been transformed into a home we love and enjoy being in. Room by room, ever wall, ever surface, everything has been touched. The shell that we walked into 6 years ago now reflects our family. Our story certainly isn’t over, and I’m sure we won’t live in this house for a lifetime, but for now the chapter is on pause. And for that I am grateful.

So what now? That is where I began this monologue…. After evaluating my life and the needs of my family + truly digging down deep to figure our and understand what I love most, I will continue to focus on the growth of my design business. I don’t know where it will go from here. Looking back 10 years ago, I never could have imagined I would be where I am today. And that’s a good thing.

This is certainly not a goodbye, but more of a, I’ll see you, when I see you…

xo.

BHG Kitchen + Bath Makeovers COVER Feature: Year 2

Written by Jenna on March 18, 2015. Posted in DIY, Kitchen, Magazine Feature. 4 Comments on BHG Kitchen + Bath Makeovers COVER Feature: Year 2

I am so excited to share that for the second year in a row, a kitchen project that I designed is on the Spring cover of the Better Homes & Gardens Special Interest Publication, Kitchen + Bath Makeovers.

How is this possible?! Even though I’ve had over a dozen features in various BHG magazines, the thrill never diminishes. It truly is a pinch-me-moment ever time!

My last experience collaborating with BHG on a kitchen makeover was fantastic and to see the result on the cover was incredible. From having a project featured in that magnitude, so many doors + new opportunities opened for me. That magazine hit newsstands just about a year ago and shortly after that, I was asked back to do it all again, for this years Spring magazine – magazines work long in advance. If you remember back a year ago, I was about 5 months pregnant at the time. The editors new that and were overly accommodating. I said, as long as we can wrap it up by early June, I’m on board. They were on board too and the ball started rolling from there…

Upon finding the right kitchen that was in desperate need for a makeover, Donna Talley – stylist + producer for BHG – and I partnered to create a makeover that was not only beautiful, but also budget-friendly and had many strategic storage options + ‘look for less’ details.

I love seeing + sharing behind the scenes footage and what goes into the end result, so let’s dissect…

The ‘before’

The ‘before’ kitchen was cramped & completely not functional. The space was of an okay size but with very limited cabinet space, a refrigerator wrongly positioned, and traffic flow problems, a lot needed to change. Here are a few before pictures…

Not only were the cabinets dated, but functionally there was a lot of unused space above the upper cabinets. The base cabinets weren’t much better. After working with an architect on a few structural questions, we decided to remove the walls @ the pantry and open up the pass through space to join the kitchen + dining space.

Here was the Creative Vision Board I created for the kitchen + dining room…

In the end we went in a slightly different direction for the fabrics & layers, but the general aesthetic + style remained. Here are a few outtakes on the options discussed…

In the end, this is what was chosen & is what is seen in the magazine feature…

At the same time as the materials + selections were being finalized, I was also working on the architectural drawings of the design, which included the floor plan and the various room elevations needed to execute the fabrication of the cabinetry. This is pretty much the same steps I take for all clients that I work with on a kitchen makeover.

Architectural Drawings…

Once the drawings were finished & everyone was on board, about 2 months later construction started and the makeover transformation was in process.

Progress pictures of the makeover…

In the end, this was the result captured through my lens.

The Result…

The new cabinets were fabricated by MasterBrands – the island is a teal hue, while the upper + base cabinets are a soft gray, and the “pantry” is the same soft gray with a glaze overlay.

Here’s a detail of the “pantry” that we created using stock cabinets…

The island is quartz an I was pleasantly surprised by it’s beauty. Before seeing the overall slab, I was planning for it to be faux looking (a knock-off granite or marble), but it wasn’t at all. The veining & movement of the slab was gorgeous. It’s a material I will definitely use again, especially as an alternative to marble since that can be difficult in a kitchen.

The transformation was incredible and I loved every step of the 1.5-month construction process leading up to photoshoot day which was in mid-June (and less than 2 weeks before I gave birth to baby #3 – thankfully we finished in the nick of time).

As always photoshoot day is typically mayhem, but Oh SO EXCITING. On the pages of the magazine, all looks calm & serene, but most of the nooks & crannies around the main shot are just the opposite.

Photoshoot day…

All the props + styling are credited to Donna Talley who produced & put the story together. Michael Partenio was the photographer for the shoot.

As I mentioned last year when sharing behind the scenes details, I find it incredible how much work goes into creating each shot. The space is overall beautiful, but the added pop layered in through accessories makes the room on the pages of the magazine come alive.

My pictures don’t honestly do a justice. The magazine shares much more beautiful angles + details, along with more of the story about the homeowner & the space. It’s an issue you will absolutely want to pick up. Plus a few of my blogger friends are also featured including Rhoda of Southern Hospitality, Brittany of Pretty Handy Girl, and Marian of Miss Mustard Seed.

Last, but not at all least, I couldn’t design a kitchen without a central command center and this one does not fail!

From my CCC (that was featured in BHG), to last years kitchen with a CCC, and now this one – all of them are so different.

Also in the magazine, a few tips are shared on how to clear the clutter and how it’s stated, “Jenna is on a mission to replace those piles with command centers”…

So fun! I hope you enjoyed a bit of the behind the scenes details of a kitchen makeover for a magazine. Fingers crossed more opportunities will come about in the future!

Publication Feature: Storage + 100 Ideas Decorating Small Spaces

Written by Jenna on January 14, 2015. Posted in Magazine Feature. 1 Comment on Publication Feature: Storage + 100 Ideas Decorating Small Spaces

I am thrilled to share that 2 national magazines – Storage Magazine & 100 Ideas Decorating Small Spaces, both Better Homes & Gardens Specialty Publications – that just hit newsstands are featuring client projects of mine.

100 Ideas Decorating Small Spaces is a 2-page spread and is featuring a client kitchen makeover that was originally published (and on the cover) of the Spring 2014 issue of Kitchen + Bath Makeovers magazine. See the before & after + read about the cover feature here…

It’s my most favorite kitchen project transformation to date and always brings a smile when I see it, so it was a delightful, unexpected surprise when I was told that it was being featured again in a new issue. In this magazine, different from the last, small but mighty design ideas are shared + tips on getting organized with a command center… perfect for the New Year!

Feature #2 is in Storage magazine and this I have been waiting on for a long time.

The space was finished almost 2 years ago and was photographed for the magazine over a year ago (I had just learned I was pregnant at the time and now my baby is 6 months). The spread is of a mega craft room/office makeover I designed, which you can see more of in this post. Donna Talley, Producer and Michael Partenio, Photographer, who created & photographed this room really brought it to the next level. Their work is amazing! I feel truly blessed to have my work featured as it has!

You can not leave this post without seeing the before >>> Click to see the before & after of this space

If you’re out and about over the coming weeks, be sure to grab these 2 issues (or you can get them online too). They not only feature these 2 spaces that I designed, but are chock full of beautifully designed & inspiring spaces!

More big news to come on other magazine features…