WHO IS JEWEL?
Jewel Marlowe is an interior decorator, blogger, and Instagrammer with an affinity for color, pattern, and unexpected designs. Her unique looks have been featured in HGTV Magazine, Washington Post, Origin Magazine, and many online publications. She accredits her eclectic and gathered taste to her many moves and travels as a military spouse. She now lives in Northern Virginia with her husband and their four children who she has ALMOST convinced that constant home construction is a very normal part of life. You can follow her journey as she employs paint, wallpaper, and pure grit and determination to bring life to her builder’s grade abode.
HOW DID JEWEL START HER PAGE?
Being a military wife, Jewel and her husband moved from assignment to assignment as military families do. After investing so much of her time into other things, Jewel noticed she hadn’t been focusing at all on herself. Her friends told her she should start a blog and to Jewel, this seemed interesting since she’d never really even read a blog before. So, she decided to try it and bought a super old camera from a friend and started photographing the homes her and her husband were living in. She and her husband are now in their forever home and investing more into this house for that reason! She said it’s been so much fun to build up her current home and to be creative knowing that it’s theirs forever. She’s built awesome relationships with different companies and has learned alot along the way.
HOW DOES JEWEL COME UP WITH HER UNIQUE DESIGNS (I.E., MIXING PATTERNS, TEXTURES, AND COLORS)?
Jewel is inspired by things that are dramatic, bold, and colorful. She loves things and spaces that make her think! For her, personally, she feels happiest in her home when there’s more color. For instance, she loves wallpaper and paint because you can easily create big dramatic changes. She admits that lighting is really the jewelry of a room. Also, she loves painting the ceilings the same color as the walls. Another thing Jewel really believes in is pairing new things with old things and trends with things that are safe and traditional. She believes that decorating a home is an enveloping experience! “I appreciate antiques, I believe every room should have something old and vintage. If I buy everything brand new, it lacks soul and doesn’t tell a story.”
WHAT IS JEWEL’S EXPERIENCE WITH THE ONE ROOM CHALLENGE?
Jewel has done the one room challenge SEVEN times! When she first moved to Rhode Island, she had no sponsors and heard about the one room challenge. She started out by doing simple projects like still curtains and furniture that she ended up selling. Then 6 months later, she started getting a couple sponsors and did a moody maximalist room with leopard wallpaper and dramatic decor. Jewel says the one room challenge is a great way to network and work with companies when you’re first starting out! She’s loved learning about different companies and who she really enjoys working with and show in her home. Through the one room challenge, Jewel learned how to pitch and how to find her vision in her home as well as supporting other home decor bloggers and cheering them on. She is currently working on a room at her neighbors home for the one room challenge and says it’s the best one yet!
WHAT ARE JEWEL’S TIPS FOR SOMEONE WANTING TO START AN INSTAGRAM PAGE?
Jewel says first and foremost, figure out what your goals are! How do you know if you’ve achieved success if you don’t have goals? For her, her goal has never been to make a ton of money off of her page. Her goal has been to gain experience, build a portfolio, and to refine her design. Know the direction you want to go!
Photos are big! If you have an amazing room without good photos, you might grow, but generally not as fast. The lighting and photography is an important key especially if you’re working with companies. If those companies can’t use your photos on their websites, it won’t be as valuable to them and they won’t want to work with you.
Be prepared to spend a lot of time if you want to grow. It will suck you in and you will definitely lose free time! Jewel really suggests to enter the business with eyes wide open knowing that it’s a time warp.
Find what makes YOU unique. What makes you different? What makes your style unique? What defines you and your platform? The more you know and display your niche, the faster you’ll grow! You will only grow if you have a passion for what you’re doing.
WHERE CAN YOU FIND JEWEL?
BLOG: jeweledinteriors.com
INSTAGRAM: @jeweledinteriors
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