Jay Jeffers has been one of my long time favorites, and many others seem to agree. He has been on
Elle Decor's A-list for the last three years running. Jay seems to think of every little thing, from the Grosgrain tape color under the nail heads on an upholstered chair to the wood beaded detail on a lampshade, to the custom fireplace screen with colorful agate slices that creates another opportunity for art placement. As Jay says, it is all in the layering. Hence the name of the book: "Collected Cool". For a place to be truly COOL, Jay understands the necessity for collecting....for adding a bit here and a tad there that will create character in a home.
Jay Jeffer's does it up in his well cultivated shop in San Francisco: Cavalier
I do like a design book that takes me through a whole house. I like to see how the spaces relate to each other in style, color, feel. I like to read "the story". And this book does not disappoint! The book is organized into chapters....or sections really. In the first section, Jay talks about how good design is "all in the mix"...those unexpected combinations that brings an energy to a space. "Like the perfect guest list, the mix needs to be planned using internal logic - a correspondence in scale, shape, color - that ensures a harmonious whole." Well said!
I think I left my bag in the foyer....let me go get it. I just love this space: the back lit mirror, sepia photograph, the left and right armed chairs, petrified wood table....and yes, there is my bag ( if only!)
The next section is titled "Bold Bespoke", Here Jay focuses on projects where custom design, from the furniture, to the finishes, to the art and accessories, forms a whirlwind of uniquely crafted one-of-a-kind treasures. Jay is one of those lucky designers who has ample opportunity to work with clients who want those one-of-a-kind heirlooms, and we get to see it all from entry to exit...
Tile on the stairs? No, just the custom designed carpet from the wonderful mind of Jay Jeffers.
The next section is all about glamour...the sophistication and seduction. It is about projects that revel in the use of luxurious fabrics and lustrous finishes. Well lit, with just the right sparkle and just the right comfort.....cashmere, silk velvet, polished marble, crystal and bronze.....you get the idea.
Lovely palette of coral and sky blue...looks like Spring! Photo by Cesar Rubio
Perhaps my favorite section is the last...."Casual Chic". Perhaps because my lifestyle is a bit on the casual side.....and "casual" says to me that one might be on vacation.....and that sounds pretty good. And while I have much admiration for formality and glamour and quite enjoy it on special occasions.....on a daily basis there is a comfort in casual living. But who says "casual" means boring? Jay Jeffers makes sure it is anything but! Chic is the word here.
Jay is great at color, but also a master of the tone on tone room.
Another noteworthy part of the book is the forward by New York designer
Jamie Drake ( he renovated
Gracie Mansion doncha know!), also a favorite! And it seems Jamie and Jay are equally admiring of each other ever since they met in 2007 when Jay designed a room for the House & Garden Hampton's Showhouse (oh....how I miss the days of House & Garden!!!)
I have included just a few of my favorite spaces you can find in the book....but there are 252 pages full....so really you should just go and order the book. So many wonderful ideas, so little time. It is always a joy to sit down and flip through the pages of a book like this. Take a look at a little more of what you will find......
Red chairs in a Nook will get you up and running in the morning! Such a fun space. Photo by Joe Fletcher
Jay's own home in San Francisco....I see those great chairs again! Just love the combination of things in this space. Photo by Joe Fletcher
The limestone fireplace surround, the vintage leather chairs, the pinstripe wallpaper and a red egg.....that's all I need. Well, maybe not all...
Jay's home in St. Helena. Casual Cool.
A couple of dreamy bedrooms....Jay never forgets a wall or a ceiling! Birds on the walls and a lavender ceiling in the first, and wood panels and a turquoise ceiling in the second.
All and all, this book is as beautiful as the interiors it represents. The book is filled with an enormous number of full page gorgeous photos.....and after all, that is what we crave in a design book, is it not? Beautiful cover, but I always do take a look at how the book itself is bound and if it is also up to snuff. Yes sir it is. It is bound in a beautiful coral colored coated fabric with the\bright silver letters COLLECTED COOL on the front. So it is pretty awesome inside and out....just like Jay.......
Photo by Matthew Millman
Just so you know.... Jay is also the creator of a fabulous shop in San Francisco by the name of
Cavalier. If you find yourself in the area, you really should stop in for a little shopping therapy. I was lucky to stop in right when it first opened in 2012 and caught some of the genius for a blog post about Cavalier
HERE!
