Ep. 464: Bring Travel Inspiration Home with Jessica Whitley
Ep. 464: Bring Travel Inspiration Home with Jessica Whitley  
Podcast: How to Decorate
Published On: Tue May 05 2026
Description: Today we are thrilled to welcome Jessica Whitley, the creative director of Jessica Whitley Studios in Athens, Georgia. Jessica is a true multihyphenate: a former corporate CPA who swapped crunching numbers for designing beautiful spaces and creating art! Jessica sits down with Caroline, Taryn, and Liz to share her serendipitous career pivot, why she treats her own home like a "test kitchen," and how her travels across all seven continents influence her aesthetic. She also discusses the process behind designing the Rivet House—a stunning boutique hotel inside an old industrial mill—and explains why studying the "flight pattern" of a room is the true secret to good design. Quick Decorating Takeaways: Study the "Flight Pattern": Jessica is obsessed with function. Before she worries about how a room looks, she analyzes how people will actually move through it. She suggests thinking about the "flight pattern" of a space—like who is opening the refrigerator door, where kids are running in, and how you entertain—to ensure the layout actually serves your daily life. Listen to the Location: It is easy to get caught up in whatever kitchen or bathroom is currently trending on Pinterest. Instead of copying trends, Jessica recommends looking at the specific location and architecture of the building and asking, "what does it want to be?" to create a much more authentic space. Treat Your Home Like a Test Kitchen: If you are nervous about design, use your own home to experiment. Jessica tested every fabric for durability against kids and guests in her own house before using them for clients, which gave her the confidence to know her designs would actually hold up to real life. What You’ll Hear on This Episode: 00:00 Welcome & Introduction to Jessica Whitley  01:26 Jessica’s serendipitous journey from corporate accounting to art and interior design  04:06 Treating her first home like a "test kitchen" for fabrics and function  04:41 Shifting away from Pinterest trends to find authentic, location-specific design  05:24 Why analyzing the "flight patterns" of a family is the key to good design  07:17 How traveling the world (specifically the Cotswolds and Amsterdam) shapes Jessica's aesthetic  07:51 The story behind designing the Rivet House boutique hotel in Athens, Georgia  49:37 The difficulty (and importance) of editing and restraint in design  50:00 Closing thoughts & where to find Jessica's work  Also Mentioned: Jessica Whitley Studio | Website Follow Jessica on Instagram: @jessicawhitleystudio Rivet House (Athens, GA)  Shop Ballard Designs Please send in your questions so we can answer them on our next episode! And of course, subscribe to the podcast wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss an episode. You can always check back here to see new episodes, but if you subscribe, it’ll automatically download to your phone. Happy Decorating! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices