Chicago Gallery News 

There’s something about designer Jenny Brown’s story that resonates with me so much, as I also share a love for art history and design and have felt a bit torn between the two. I studied Art History in grad school and then did an internship at the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust, which focused on planning their annual housewalk in Oak Park featuring ten or so houses and buildings designed or inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright. I really enjoyed the internship, having the opportunity to go to Frank Lloyd Wright’s home and studio every day, and interact with people interested in the architecture. At the end of the internship I was a point where I could a make a decision to either keep pursuing a more full time, permanent position in the arts, or explore another longstanding interest of mine – interior design. Although I love art and spent my time in grad school wanting to work in the arts after grad school, I couldn’t shake the desire to pursue a more creative outlet, so I did an internship with an interior designer. Since then I’ve been working at a kitchen and bath showroom. Not having a degree in design, working in sales and helping people envision their kitchen or bathroom and guiding them through the selection process fulfills the creative pursuit I was yearning for.

Collecting things as I see them is also a practice I started when I was in high school. My mom and I discovered a fair trade store called Ten Thousand Villages when I was a teenager and I fell in love with all of the unique home decor pieces they have from all over the world. I also loved the fair trade approach and hearing the stories about the artisans who crafted the pieces. We went there what seemed like almost weekly and I started buying things for my future grown-up apartment. The things I bought ended up in boxes and trunks in our attic (many of which are still there because I’m still looking for places to put them). My parents have always liked going to antique shops, auctions, and estate sales, and while I hated them when I was younger because I thought they were SO boring, I began to appreciate them as I got older and now I actually think they’re fun! The idea of finding unique things, both old and new, became an exciting adventure and proved to be a relatively inexpensive way to add to my collection. While buying things as I see them and storing them until I need them might not seem very practical, I wouldn’t have it any other way. The thought of going to a furniture store or a Home Goods to get something generic when I need it just doesn’t appeal to my treasure-hunting, collector’s heart.

I admire how Jenny has drawn upon all of her life experiences, from working at an auction house, to an art gallery, and with a top Chicago interior designer to eventually give life to her own firm, Jenny Brown Designs. I was always frustrated both in college and post-college when I had to choose one thing to study or pursue as a career, but Jenny proves that you don’t have to choose just one. You can have multiple passions that overlap and converge into a multifaceted career. I look forward to forging a path that combines my love for art and interiors in a way where the two draw from one another and influence the other.