By Cathy Whitlock REFASHIONING THE MOTOR CITY S FACE OF DESIGN, COREY DAMEN JENKINS When you think of Detroit, images of the Motor City that birthed Motown, the Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin, and pop diva Aaliyah come to mind. Filled with artists, designers, and creative entrepreneurs, the nation s oldest city is experiencing a renaissance of sorts, ushering in a new world of style and design. Enter Michigan native and interior designer Corey Damen Jenkins, who is prominently placing Detroit on the design map. Heralded for his use of dazzling, bold, and eye-popping use of color with timeless architecturally rich rooms that he aptly notes, are classic, chic and have no expiration date. 36
DETROIT STYLE A masterful mix of modern and traditional form the design scheme of a 1929 historical house in Bloomfield, Michigan. NOV DEC JAN FEB 2018-19 ARRAYNY.COM 37
Top: A bold use of mustard, charcoal, black, and white make up the color palette in a living room while the client s mandolin makes an interesting statement on the coffee table. Bottom left: The designer s penchant for color and symmetry is at play in the study. Bottom Right: A distinctive leather settee and large-scale floor pattern provide unique focal points in the sunroom/bar area. 38
Jenkins love of black and white as evident in the contemporary rug is an interesting contrast to the antique center table and caramel-colored leather chair. Jenkins design story is one of perseverance, and like his beloved city, a great comeback tale. Facing a layoff from his successful job as a commercial design agent during the recession of 2008, he realized, People were not looking to hire an interior designer as they were skittish on the economy. The jobs were not coming to me, so I had to go to them. I decided to create color boards and drew some 3D rooms and literally went door to door in newly constructed subdivisions. I was trying to put my name out there, hang my shingle and make a name for myself. After knocking on an astounding 779 doors, one did open, marking a stepping stone in his meteoric career. Hired by a couple who were looking to renovate their house, they were impressed by his sketches, as the designer reflects, They said if this is what you can do with your hands and your mind, we would love to see what you could do in reality. As a result, Jenkins had the project professionally photographed, launched a website on Go Daddy, put the pictures on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest (which were all in their infancy) and the rest is history. As fate would have it, HGTV was looking for talent, saw his images and hired him as a contestant on their show Showhouse Showdown in 2011. They were doing design wars theme shows pitting designers against each other. I won the competition which literally launched my career and put me on the map! Today with a staff of six, Traditional Home s New Trad Rising Design Star has decorated homes from Austin and New Canaan to the Hamptons and his home state of Michigan. And thanks to the power of social media, he has added clients from Shanghai to Switzerland moving to the U.S. to his resume. Inspired by the couture runways of New York and Paris, the multifaceted designer looks to fashion as a muse. NOV DEC JAN FEB 2018-19 ARRAYNY.COM 39
Influenced by the architecture of the city of Florence, Jenkins designed this bathroom for American Standard DVX Fashion and design are like two peas in a pod. Interior design runs a little bit behind fashion and should be tailored and couture to meet my client s needs, he notes, citing Tom Ford, Jean Paul Gaultier, and Elie Saab as favorites. These guys put these amazing vibrant color palettes together and it looks so chic on the runway. I look to how I can clearly take what s a new cultural movement and interpret that to residential and commercial so my projects are always fresh, current and fashion-friendly. And the Birmingham-based designer certainly walks the walk, stating, I am a walking testimony to what I do. I like a tailored look to my interiors and should always dress the part even if it means wearing a Ferragamo belt with my hardhat and overalls! I am that designer you see on a construction site with Tom Ford Jeans and if I can t dress myself, I have no business designing a house. His eponymous home furnishings line, Corey Damen Jenkins Exclusively for Leathercraft, and recently launched collection for Hudson Valley Lighting is a testament to this fact, paying a nod to his love of fashion, architecture and the use of elegant, refined materials. Jenkins also walks the walk when it comes to the mechanics of design. Not one to be a slave to trends, his credo is things should be timeless and classic and that way the client gets much more leverage out of their rooms for a longer period of time. I don t want people to know what year I did a project whether it is 1998, 2018 or 2058. Using fashion, nature, organic elements and design history as a bellwether, he tries not to get too caught up in things I know ten years from now will not be relevant. I never got on that rose gold kick as I didn t see it being hot in the next 100 years as it wasn t hot 100 years ago. A regular on the college and university speaking tour, Jenkins advises students there is no such thing as rules in interior design as rules are made to be broken. So long as you understand good principles of design, when it comes to scale, texture, color, placement and a visual energy, you can apply those principles to any design aesthetic whether it be traditional or modern. I try to use that when I am approaching a project for a client to make it feel like them. There is a cohesive approach through all of my projects when it comes to good quality and a visual story that is compelling. As for his beloved town of Detroit, the designer proudly boasts, We have amazing historical architecture here with beautiful Tudor style homes that date back to the late 1800s and early 1900s. The Italianate edifices look just like New York City. We are also a foodie town, home of Motown and as one of the country s oldest cities, Detroit really has a lot of wealth and culture. We are the city that makes this country move. People of all different cultures and languages moved here from all over the world and Detroit is like a phoenix rising from the ashes. (Opposite page) Top: Vibrant green lacquered paint and a colorful toile wallpaper provides the perfect backdrop for the fantasy bathroom. Bottom left: The eye-catching walls by DeGournay and metallic ceiling grace the dining room. Bottom Right: Understated and elegantly appointed, Jenkins let the architecture speak for itself in the entry of the Bloomfield house. 40
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