Meet the brilliant designer behind California-cool Transition State
Jenna Rochon shares her inspiration and best-kept design secrets
Finding an interior designer with whom to seamlessly partner on your home is no small feat if you’re someone who has had a lifelong love affair with design. My passion was generously fueled by my parents’ willingness to give me carte blanche of certain decor decisions for my childhood home - which quickly became my experimental and creative playground, particularly when it came to the use of color. My parents were certainly brave participants - from bold turquoise to happy yellows and many shades of purple. While my design tastes evolved, my longtime goal to bring my home design vision to life through a collaboration with true experts was unchanged.
When I embarked on the path of finding a design firm, I approached it with almost similar diligence to my college application process. Making lists of firms that matched my aesthetics, evaluating them on the characteristics that mattered most to me, putting together an RFP to clearly communicate my vision, and reaching out for calls and interviews. What I didn’t initially appreciate was the intimacy and connection required for creating the optimal result. Design projects can be 18-24 months and feeling completely at ease when talking about how you live and move around a space involves self reflection and openness. I feel so incredibly fortunate to have discovered Transition State, recognized for its modern, California-cool, yet artful aesthetic and it’s co-founder Jenna Rochon - an endlessly talented collaborator and creator with proud Midwestern roots that ground her design decisions in the best way, making her the queen of blending high design with more affordable options.
I’m excited to introduce Jenna to all of you because I have so much admiration for her design eye and she’s genuinely one of the kindest people I know. Jenna co-founded Transition State in 2016 and has organically scaled the business through showcasing the stunning homes of countless happy clients and features through the WSJ, LA Times, and many other publications. Read on for our Q&A and to discover her generous disclosure of her favorite places to source incredible pieces. And if you want the opportunity to collaborate with her, if only for an hour or two, schedule some time with her on The Expert. It will absolutely be worth your while.
JZ: Let’s start from the beginning. How did you discover your passion for interior design?
JR: It was very organic. I was always drawn to being creative, but went into sales after college because I was unsure of what direction to take. After a few years of feeling unfulfilled, it was my mom who reminded me of how I used to always rearrange our furniture as a child and loved art. From there I reconnected with the idea of becoming a designer; I started to explore night classes until I eventually pulled the trigger to enroll full time and never looked back!
JZ: What was your design path before founding Transition State?
JR: Transition State was formed when I was only 4 years into design. As I was ending my design program, I landed an internship (which ended up full time) at an amazing boutique design firm specializing in hotels & casinos. It was an incredible experience being part of a smaller company and having visibility into so many aspects of the design process, along with an accelerated learning curve on design and business. Transition State then formed organically through side projects that ultimately led to full time employment. Initially it was just the hustle for that extra cash as a new design graduate, but it ultimately became something bigger.
JZ: How would you describe the Transition State brand and aesthetic? How have you seen the brand evolve over time?
JR: Our aesthetic, in my eyes, is timeless silhouettes layered with a few “moments” - whether it’s a fun accent chair, stool, or sculpture. I love rich textures, elevated neutrals and bringing in pops of color through art and accents. These are the grounding principles in our designs but I also value telling the story of our clients, with each design being highly curated to reflect their personal aesthetics. In terms of the brand, we have definitely evolved each year, as we are growing and being inspired and drawn to new things, such as travels and cultures that impact our design choices. In addition, as the brand has matured, so has our desire to take risks, try something new, and create unique spaces.
JZ: What is your creative process for designing a home?
JR: We always start with the overall picture of how the client wants to feel in the space - what story they are trying to share. With that we layer in functionality, ensuring every space is not only beautiful but intentional in selections and suitable for the client’s daily life. We work off of a general base color palette and start to discuss silhouettes, materials - fabrics, metal, wood, etc. to select pieces that specfically resonate with the overall feeling we are trying to achieve.
JZ: Can you share an example of a room you designed that pushed you out of your comfort zone and helped you reach a new creative milestone?
JR: I’d say every new scope and the evolution of projects have allowed us to reach new creative milestones. We started the company working on a bedroom or dining room and evolved to renovations and now to ground-up construction projects that span 2-3 years in design process and build. Every new team and working with other experts as well as very knowledgeable clients continues to push us into learning new things and seeing new perspectives, which is why we enjoy a collaborative process so much!
JZ: Which brick & mortar stores and eComm sites are on your short list when it comes to choosing furniture and decor? What about options that are great value / more budget friendly?
JR: We have so many favorites - LA is full of incredible stores...and now we have access to so many online vendors as well! A few to name are Garde Shop, Faithful Roots, Panoplie, and The Future Perfect. Online favorites are Spartan Shop and Invisible Collection and vintage sources like South Loop Loft, Amsterdam Modern, and Midcentury LA.
JZ: Though Jenna didn’t include this on her original list, I MUST call out the fact that she has an ability to masterfully find little-known pieces on CB2 that are just perfect and incorporate them into a space such that visitors assume you’ve spent a fortune.
JZ: What advice do you have for someone who is about to work with a designer for the first time - whether that be a quick Expert call or a larger, contracted project?
JR: Communication of likes and dislikes as well as an understanding of the process is extremely important. It is helpful to be clear on things you know you do not like. While you may not be able to fully communicate them to your designer, having images or just sharing “you’re not sure, but you don’t like” will help the Designer understand you as a client more - which is the ultimate guide to a successful design. And don’t be afraid to tell them if something doesn’t resonate with you, it’s a process to achieve the end goal and at the end of the day you will be the one living in it.
JZ: If you were a designer on Trading Spaces (RIP), what is a "crazier" design theme you might chase just for fun but feels a bit too out there for someone's everyday home?
JR: Well I love a theme and really feel there are no rules, but right now I’d love to design a preppy western ranch filled with plaids, saddles, and all the unique goods you would find in an old western movie. And while cowboy chic is in, it might be a little much to design your home around horse stables…but go big or go home!
JZ: What is your dream design opportunity and why?
JR: Easy…we are looking to getting back into the boutique space more and more (in addition to our high-end residential projects). I’d love to design a spa or winery mainly because I love both of those destinations and designing for a site-specific property is always a fun creative research project and new challenge we welcome!
Stay tuned for more with Jenna in an upcoming post, where we go deep on the designing of a space that’s personal to me.
x jz
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