Design Star 3 - Chatting with Jennifer Bertrand

The very sweet and perpetually smiling Jennifer Bertrand - one of the two finalists on HGTV's Design Star - took a few minutes out of her hectic schedule (can you imagine the week she's having?) to answer a few random questions that I threw in her direction. Jen - thanks so much for your nice emails and your very fun answers!

LM: I saw you and your husband on the Fox news interview. Cute! How did you meet? How is it to work full time with your spouse?
JB: My husband is so lovely!!! We actually met at a kids camp in Minnesota where we were both counselors. We never said more than "hello" to each other. Then 4 years later in another town, we had a camp get-together 2 weeks before I was moving to Italy. We started talking and instantly we knew. Two weeks later I was flying from Rome to London, I met his family and we told them we'd be together forever. Now 10 years later and a business under our belts.......it's just as lovely! We do always joke that we don't suggest working with your spouse! It's very difficult and luckily enough for us, we've survived it and had fun at the same time!

LM: Your eye for scale is really wonderful - especially the wall art you've created this season (boo hiss Vern and his one-note comment). Is that your signature? How did you get into doing faux finishes and wall art?
JB: I would love to have large scale patterns as part of my signature look. At the same time, I do want to always keep people on their toes as to what to expect next from me. Because I really want to appeal to a mass audience and show how artistic touches can be user-friendly. Art was a major part of my upbringing. My Mom is a sculptor with a sculpture in the Reagan Presidential Library. My father is Director of the Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art and all of my siblings have some kind of creative talent. But I fell into painting murals while teaching when parents at the school I taught hired me to paint in their businesses and homes.

LM: Why did you want to do Design Star?
JB: It sounds so funny but something in me said, "If you don't try out, you'll regret it." So then I sent in my tape on the last day you could send it in! For me, its about a passion for design and teaching. I love to inspire people and if I were to end up winning my own show.......I could inspire on a large scale and that couldn't be any cooler!!! :)

LM: What do you think you want your show to be if you win on Sunday?
JB: My dream show that I pitched at casting was to do a talk show that was like a magazine......always evolving. I wanted to introduce America to different designers of all styles, teach what those styles really were, discuss issues like how to hire a contractor and not get burned, or even how to hire or work with a designer! But I am happy to have my show, if I were to win one, whatever niche the network needs filling is fine by me! I can have fun teaching any aspect of design!

LM: When you start a new project, how do you find your inspiration?
JB: I actually scour the internet, depending on the project, for images from all over the world. I love European design so I find a lot of inspiration from boutiques and homes in Europe.

LM: What's your favorite color?
JB: My favorite color is actually the beautiful turquoise blues of vacation waters.........they're just so lovely!!!!! (It could be because we work so much that we don't have time to take a vacation to Fiji or wherever!)

LM: If you could have a vacation house anywhere in the world, where would it be and how would you decorate it?
JB: I have always been drawn to images of French Polynesia...........it would be full of beautiful woods (and believe it or not, I wouldn't paint the wood!). Then it would be light and airy w/ tons of comfortable seating, pillows and large open views to the water.........and of course-- great artwork! I wish I was there right now with my husband!!! :)



Jen appeared on Kansas tv station KSNT's morning show yesterday morning. Click here to see the interview!

Here are some images from the rooms Jen worked on during the show:




And here is a photo of a bedroom that Jen as designed.


She and her cute British husband Christopher run Bertrand Designs in Kansas.


The final Design Star challenge is between Matt Locke and Jennifer Bertrand (photo below). They will be renovating a kitchen, dining room and living room for two Katrina families in New Orleans.

Fellow blogger David Dust promises us an interview with Matt Locke - so click on over there for what is sure to be an in depth conversation. (although note, David has racier material on his site than I do, so be forewarned, Mom). Like Jennifer - Matt seems like a totally great person and I think HGTV is lucky to have either.

But still...
Go team Jennifer!
(so much for journalistic objectivity!)

12/29/08
Edited to add: Click here for a podcast interview with Jennifer recorded today!