designwire daily | 10 Questions With… Jeff Andrews

10 Questions With… Jeff Andrews

by Ian Volner | Tuesday, November 29, 2011 | 1 Comment

Jeff Andrews has pulled ahead of the design pack with a series of projects for high-profile Hollywood clients—among them Ryan Seacrest, Bruce Jenner, and assorted members of the Kardashian family/media syndicate. In New York as a judge for the local Canstruction competition, Jeff took a few minutes out of his schedule to take our 10-question challenge.

ID: Without wishing to alienate any alliteratively-named current clients, can you tell us what would be the ideal project for you, one that you haven’t had a chance to do yet?

I’d love to do a boutique hotel from top to bottom. Really cool to do it in LA where we live. A really chic, functional, comfortable, and different space for people to stay and hang out.

ID: What’s your favorite project to date?

I’m just completing a project for Kris and Bruce Jenner, and it’s been an amazing experience. The trust level with Kris as my client has been phenomenal. And the results show that. And even though it’s a place that people think they know, because it’s on TV, it’s really a home and not a set—contrary to popular belief.

ID: Any other notable projects at present?

Doing a ground-up family house on Lake Tahoe that is probably gonna be my next favorite project.

ID: Noticed any emerging design trends out there?

I don’t really follow trends, honestly. Because each project is an individual process, and the end result is a result of so many different things. So asking me about trends is just—I just think trends are trendy!

ID: What’s the greatest challenge you’ve encounter in any given project, or over the course of your career in general?

For me it’s just being able to keep up with the demands of many clients—which is an amazing problem to have, and I’m super-grateful for everything I have—but being able to really keep up with the needs of all my clients is a really difficult process…. It’s a good challenge.

ID: How do you explain your work to people?

At this point in my career, I don’t have to. Thankfully! I’ve finally found that I don’t have to sell myself, which is a really an amazing place to be as a designer, especially considering this is my second career. I was a choreographer for the first half of my life, and started designing 15 years ago.

ID: What do you do to relax?

Sleep. No. I like to travel. I definitely like to get out of LA and just escape the madness. Just got back from Paris, it was great. Would like to go back tomorrow.

ID: Anything you can’t travel without?

My iPhone. A really good messenger bag. And lip balm.

ID: Any advice for younger designers? Not to say you’re an old one…

Learn everything. As fast as you can. Always listen to your clients. And triple-check every single dimension.

ID: What does “design” mean to you?

Everything.