Alumni in the News: Justina Blakeney
Justina Blakeney ’01 (B.A., World Arts and Cultures) has quite a few tricks up her sleeve.
Justina Blakeney ’01 (B.A., World Arts and Cultures) has quite a few tricks up her sleeve. A designer, artist, and author, Justina is known for her plant-filled, bohemian, “Jungalow” aesthetic, about which she published her New York Times bestselling book titled The New Bohemians; her product design and collaborations with top brands and companies including Target, West Elm, Hygge & West, Schoolhouse Electric, Loeffler Randall, and many more; and for her formidable presence on social media—she has a combined following of over 800,000 on Instagram and 1.2 million on Pinterest. Justina is consistently billed as “a top designer to follow” by publications including Vogue, the Los Angeles Times, Forbes, The Washington Post, Glamour, Refinery29 and more. Read on for the some of the best excerpts from her news coverage and a few insights she recently shared with UCLA Arts.
Blakeney created a series of portraits for a sunglasses feature In Glamour based on her Face the Foliage project.
On Los Angeles:
“I love L.A. so much. I love my creative community here. I love that there are so many great museums/shops/bookstores for research. I adore the nature in L.A. From gangly palm trees to funky aloe plants, and succulents in all kinds of wondrous shades, I am perpetually inspired by our natural habitat. I love how multicultural it is. I love my Korean spa and my local taco spot that's operated out of a neighbor's house. I love that my studio is walking distance from my home and that I can bike to the movies or to any number of amazing restaurants. I love how kid-friendly this city is, and I love the sunshine.” (As told to UCLA Arts)
“On Sunday my husband and I brought our daughter to the L.A. River from Frogtown, stopped at this new café called Spoke, and biked down into Atwater. I love what's happening at the river now; it feels like a renaissance. The arboretum is a place I often go. It's so relaxing and inspiring, a real pleasurable place to be. I love how there are so many places in L.A. that don't feel like you're in L.A.” (Los Angeles Times)
An illustration Blakeney created and posted on her blog soon after the 2016 presidential election.
On boundaries for people of people in color working in design:
“I’m half black half Jewish-American so I grew up kind of skating between cultures and definitely identifying as a person of color and noticing all the time—and I continue to notice—the lack of diversity in the design field specifically. This is something I’m very, very aware of, especially as social media grows and I attend events [in the design community] and I’m literally often the only person of color in the room. It can be very isolating.” (Curbed)
On art as catharsis:
“The way I process and digest is usually through art. I don’t really set out to ‘process through art’ but I make art when I’m pensive, and often what comes out on the other side is an expression of my immediate thoughts and feelings. It’s most certainly therapeutic for me.” (The Jungalow)
Justina sketches studies for a collaboration with based home design company Schoolhouse Electric.
On multitasking:
“For me it’s imperative to be working on many things at one time,” she says. “I start to get really bored and sometimes frustrated if my focus is only on one project. And I think that’s why I’ve been more successful as kind of a design personality or a design entrepreneur than actually an interior designer.” (LA Weekly)
On running a business when identifying primarily as a “creative”:
“It has taken me years to think of myself as a business person, and I still struggle with it…What I’m slowly learning, however, is that I know better than anyone what is good for my business—I also care more than anyone else what happens to my business and therefore am learning to trust my gut and ask lots of questions.” (In the Company of Women)
“My advice would be to listen and observe a lot. I recommend honing in on your authenticity (what makes you you) instead of trying to be "original." I recommend surrounding yourself with people that inspire you and that bring out the best in you. I suggest traveling, and seeing (and hearing, tasting, touching) the world. Pick collaborators strategically. Read contracts carefully and don't sweat the small stuff.” (As told to UCLA Arts)
Pattern created by Justina Blakeney
On the importance of arts education:
Besides the obvious—that it's the foundation for any creative career—practicing and learning to appreciate the arts is a fundamental part of human culture. Arts education fosters interpersonal communication and understanding of others, and, I believe, a deeper understanding of oneself. (As told to UCLA Arts)
On UCLA World Arts and Cultures:
“What was most memorable about my time at UCLA was the people that I met, the relationships that were cultivated. The friends that I made at UCLA are still my very best friends today. Also, I remember very vividly learning about etic vs. emic perspectives. I still think about this all the time and informs how I approach my design work.” (As told to UCLA Arts)
A collaboration between Justina Blakeney and shoe and handbag designer Loeffler Randall
On working across different media:
I love that my work takes so many different forms. On most days I'm working across various media and collaborating with people all over the world to design new collections, style catalogs, paint or draw new surface patterns, shoot rooms and vignettes for our design work and/or social media channels. It's never (ever!) boring! I'm always learning new skills and programs, pushing myself to approach everything from a place of discovery. All of my projects kind of build off and support one another. My blog supports my design work (both financially and with PR); my design work and research help inform the content for my blog, it's quite symbiotic. (As told to UCLA Arts)
I love [to work in all different media]…I think young people are finding it very liberating to see that you don’t have to choose one specific trade anymore…I’ve had so many different jobs and careers already…from graphic design to interior design, art direction, fashion design, curating, I had a store for a long time…and I think that’s quite typical of a creative that’s my age…What I’m doing now…so much product design, textile design, a lot of marketing collabs and stuff like that, I would not have been able to get to where I am had I not have had all those different careers…I have all these skills that I never would have had I not worked as a freelancer and taken all the different kinds of jobs that came my way. (Curbed)
Justina Blakeney’s bedroom, featuring her own designs and signature Jungalow style.
On experimentation in the creative process:
“One thing I always notice is that people are afraid to take risks at home. They play it too safe and feel paralyzed with too many choices, then their houses end up looking cookie-cutter with zero personality. I believe it’s important to try things out when decorating a home. Paint a wall a crazy color! Hang up a huge painting that you scored at a garage sale! If you get tired of the way something looks, change it up. I like to think of the home as a wet canvas; the process of home decor is ever-evolving. If you mess up and it looks terrible, you’ve learned something, right? The end result should match your personality.” (Vogue)
"I’m trying things out, and I’m making mistakes all the time…I’ve painted furniture hundreds of different colors, I’ve painted walls hundreds of different colors, things come in to my house, they go out—you don’t have to design your home and your then you’re done and that’s it…it can be thought of as something that’s ongoing." (Curbed)
On getting security deposits back:
“I usually just give up on that immediately.” (Curbed)
Read more about Justina Blakeney in the news:
Justina Blakeney of the Jungalow releases book, talks design (Los Angeles Times)
Get to Know Justina Blakeney, L.A. Designer, Pattern Master, and Instagram Phenom (Curbed)
The Queen of Luxe Bohemian Decor Talks Maximal Style and Why We Want It Now (Forbes)
Let a ‘New Bohemians’ spirit be your modern muse (San Francisco Chronicle)
48 Black Interior Designers and Creatives for Black History Month (Curbed)
Design Trends for 2017 (Telegraph)
Designer Justina Blakeney Says Welcome to the “Jungalow” (LA Weekly)
The Secret Issues With Being An Instagram Star (Refinery 29)
6 Baller Sunglasses Trends for Summer, Illustrated (Glamour)
10 Home Decor Mistakes Designers Always Notice (Vogue)
Bohemian style makes a comeback (Chicago Tribune)
Bohemian design with Justina Blakeney | Home Front (Washington Post)
Move over, man caves, make room for 'she sheds' (Los Angeles Times)
Don’t say goodbye to summer yet: 5 ways to keep a sunny vibe in your home (Washington Post)
Textural Geometric Motifs Inspire Justina Blakeney’s Collection for Loloi Rugs (Interior Design)
Justina Blakeney’s New Wedding Invitation Collaboration Is Crazy Gorgeous (Brit+Co)
Justina Blakeney’s Tips for Creating a Layered Bedding Look (Architectural Digest)
How Justina Blakeney Sets a Festive, Bohemian Holiday Table (Architectural Digest)
The 4 Essential Ingredients of "Jungalow" Style (House Beautiful)
10 Dreamy Design Accounts You Should Be Following On Instagram (Huffington Post)
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