Today we’d like to introduce you to Janie Anderson.
Janie, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’m the daughter of a kindergarten teacher and a CPA who I think wonder where my creative aptitude comes from. Regardless, they helped me foster it in so many ways as I grew up. My mom helped me push all the furniture around my bedroom when I felt like rearranging, they sent me to a school with a wonderful K-12 art program, and my dad trusted me enough to allow me to attend the University of Georgia as an intended Art History Major.
Interior design had interested me for years, but it was there, at UGA, that I decided to pursue it as a career. The Lamar Dodd School of Art fostered growth in me as an artist and creative as I learned my trade, which has carried over well into my professional career. My artistic training is at the core of everything I create today.
From UGA I moved to Charleston, South Carolina where I worked in high-end residential interior design and retail. There I was given the unique opportunity to take on a lead designer role fresh out of college. I was able to offer my training and skills to projects on Kiawah, Seabrook and Edisto Islands as well as to both new and historic properties on the Charleston Peninsula. My time there gave me the confidence and experience to go out on my own and start Janie Harper Design when I returned home to Atlanta in 2018. Since then building this business has been a joy, an enormous learning experience and a huge blessing.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It never is, but the bumps in the road have made me and my business that much stronger. Every project presents new challenges and new dynamics to sort out, but that’s what keeps it all interesting. Along with the challenges comes growth and development that can be applied to the next project.
The biggest learning curve has been the “running a business” side of running my business. I never thought I’d be a business owner – if I did, I might have sought out more education on the subject. But I’ve been able to develop new skills and systems that work for me with the help of trusted professionals, family and friends and the guidance of other women in my field who I look up to, respect and for whom I’m very grateful.
Please tell us about your work.
Generally speaking, my goal is always to turn houses into homes that can be a happy setting for many memories to be made. I consider it an honor to be in this business because I feel so strongly that design has a daily and even moment-by-moment impact on the way we live our lives. So, for families and individuals to trust me with their spaces means so much and makes me proud to do what I do.
More specifically, I offer full interior design services and e-design services to my clients. For me, full design means I develop and execute a design plan using my resources that is fully customized to the client’s style and their space. This is my usual process, and the one that gives me the most artistic freedom to create a space that I can stand behind and that will function well and beautifully for the client. E-design has been a good alternative for some clients who want some general guidance and are willing to execute the design on their own. For E-design, I put together a look for clients and collect products from retailers, which they can then shop to build their space.
I also offer freelance designer assistance to existing designers, which has been such a fun facet of my business. It has allowed me to make meaningful connections with other professionals in this field, which has benefited me greatly. I’m thankful to them for letting me into their operations to learn and to assist.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Right now, my only plans are to see where it all takes me. Every new client and project excites me and surprises me in one way or another, so I feel I don’t have to seek out change – it will come on it’s own. Janie Harper Design looks completely different now than it did a year ago, so I’m looking forward to seeing what it will become in the next year and in years to follow.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.janieharperdesign.com
- Phone: 4042343500
- Email: janie@janieharperdesign.com
- Instagram: @janieharperdesign
Image Credit:
Mary Hannah Harte Photography
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