Eco-Chick · The modern girl's guide to living green & fabulous.

Heroines for the Planet: Jill Danyelle, Eco Interior Designer

Jill Danyelle is, quite simply, too talented to fail.  Her artistic prowess, indomitable desire to evolve, and adoration of nature led her to recently launch the interior design business she was always meant to create.

She has triumphed as a therapist, eco-fashion designer and green fashion writer, and with hobbies that include art, photography and travel, it seems apropos that interior design would transform into her next business venture.

Jill recently found some time in her busy schedule to share with us how she incorporates sustainability into her projects, the challenges she’s faced as an entrepreneur, where she turns to for design inspiration, and how her travels have shaped her.

Lindsay: You started your career as an occupational therapist, then studied fashion design with a focus on ecology. What drew you to interior design?

Jill:  Before I went to graduate school to become a therapist, I studied fine art in high school and college, so I’ve always had the desire to be creative.  After graduate school I worked as a therapist and kept artistic hobbies, but at a certain point I felt that my creativity became too marginalized.  I wasn’t happy and knew I needed to make a change.  I experimented with some other careers, such as fashion design and writing/editing, but ended up crossing them off of the list for a variety of reasons.

I have always been drawn to design and style.  I love to  hunt things down and mix them together, but I like the problem solving and functional aspects of designing a space, too.  I was thinking more and more about how design impacts our lives as I began to edit the contents of my own life and change the space I live in.  One day it just hit me.  I thought, “I like to work with people and I like to design spaces, maybe I should try this.”  I felt I had something to offer, so I started doing interior design for free with friends and friends of friends and it took off from there.

Lindsay: Can you tell me about your new interior design business? Why did you decide to start your own firm?

Jill: Wow, firm sounds so… big.  It is just me and some contractors I have on speed dial.  I hope I never lose the intimacy of that as I really enjoy getting to know my clients.  I have been an independent contractor for most of my professional life, even as a therapist.  It just suits me, as I really value my independence.

Additionally, without an interior design degree and work history it is difficult to get a firm to hire you as an employee.  I also know what I value in my work, so if you narrow things down to the firms that I would want to work for, the opportunities become even fewer, so the choice was kind of made for me.  I decided to work for free on my own in order to gain experience and it ended up paying off.  Working independently with paying clients was the logical next step.

LB: I pulled this quote from one of your blog posts. You said, “I always say that it is easy to be a critic, but to put energy into a creation and launch it into the world takes courage.”

How did you become so courageous? What challenges have you faced along the way?
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Eco Chick Giveaway: Cozy Scarf by Nepali TDM Design

The weather has been bitter in the morning this week and a scarf is a perfect add-on to keep warm. Collections of scarves are abundant in boutiques, however a dud scarf can break an otherwise chic outfit. Scarves should tie an outfit together. Bright scarves add a pop of color to a more subdued outfit, whereas a brown or black scarf tones down color. How to choose the right one? The best solution is to have a couple to choose from depending on your ensemble for the day.

Of course an eco-chick must have an adorable eco-conscious scarf, like these from TDM Design.  The Nepali collection is a perfect solution for some eco-chic warmth.

Nepali began when the cofounder Michele Baldwin began to draw inspiration on her frequent trips to Nepal. She loved the vibrant colors and the natural fibers that the weavers used. Nepali was launched in 2007 and creates cute and sustainable scarves woven in Nepal. TDM Design works directly with women’s cottage industries in Nepal to support both women weavers and women’s craftsmanship.
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New York Fashion Week Greenshows: Bright Young Things Debut is About Extreme Wearability

Classic lines, without dropping into Preppie territory; funky proportions give these pieces a strong whiff of cool.

Bright Young Things designer Eliza Starbuck was the creator of the dress behind the much-lauded Uniform Project (the concept was which suggested, beautifully, how a single dress could serve as the backdrop or frontspiece for a year’s worth of sartorial choices).

The BYT show during New York Fashion Week at the Greenshows at the Metropolitan Pavilion featured about half of the Uniform Project’s LBD’s accessorized to the hilt, moving from supersexy to ubercomfy boho to work-appropriate and back again. The second half of the show expanded the idea of great quality basics (8 multifunctional pieces including shorts, blouses, trousers, skirts) that could purposefully be worn every which way (see video of runway show below to get a feel for how the clothes really move).

For those of us who can’t (or more properly, don’t want to) live with one dress alone this debut collection really worked the ‘simple is good’ concept to its logical conclusion with pieces in neutral colors and uncomplicated, wear-anywhere fabrics, made from sustainable textiles like organic cotton and linen.

To top off the ‘simple + real = beautiful’ motif exemplified by her collection, designer Starbuck also chose models of varying ages and sizes to walk in her clothes. “It was great to feel special in conjunction with the diversity of lovely models that BYT designer, Eliza Starbuck, had hand-picked. In addition to a line up varying body types, ethnicities, and professional backgrounds, Eliza also included two women considerably older than your average runway nymph…” said Abigail Doan of Ecco Eco who walked the runway with major verve! (see below)

Army jackets may be in this year, but they are also a perennial classic, never truly going out of style.

Abigail Doan shows off a boxy silver-grey cocktail-sleeve jacket that screams Jackie O elegance, working beautifully with a skirt, as shown here, or your favorite jeans.

Bright Young Things Runway Show from Eliza Starbuck on Vimeo.

The Bright Young Things runway show.
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Sustainable Style Makeover: Tribal Watercolor

We’ve got the gossip on a hot new trend for steamy nights! Tribal Watercolor is the newest print that is both electric and classic. Jessica Szohr stepped into the future when she paired a computerized print silk dress with an open-toe bootie heel.

Designer Julia Smith MIA (made in Africa) is no stranger to tribal prints and her new line for S/S 10 delivers the goods. The Luna Splash Dress is made from organic cotton in Ghana under a Fairtrade project. Complete the look with Yellow Heeled Vegan Shoe Boots from Olsenhaus.

Now that you are tribally inspired, check out more sustainable style makeovers on Fashion Me Green.

Sustainable Style Makeover: Spring 2010 Ivory Trend

From the resort collection by Vera Wang, we get an easy breezy feel for the spring ahead. There is a return to the feminine influence with sweet cuts and sheer fabrics.

The eco-minded brand, Bodkin, has rolled out some amazing effortless pieces for warm weather dressing. This dress is a favorite of ours and captures a certain 1940′s feel with a modern twist. Mens shoes were huge on the runways for NYFW and you can see here how they balance the super feminine dress.

Be sure to check out Fashion Me Green for more runway to greenway style tips.