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Jeffers<\/a>\u2019 latest project is Modern Classic: Tailored Homes, Timeless Style<\/a>, his third book, which brings together 13 projects spanning historic houses, modern homes, apartments, retreats\u2014and, naturally, The Madrona. Published in August by Gibbs Smith, the book explores the common thread in Jeffers\u2019 work: spaces that feel tailored and edited but never overly precious, layered with antiques, contemporary art, custom pieces, beautiful materials, and, always, a little surprise.<\/p>\n When he\u2019s not designing, Jeffers is a self-described homebody who loves fashion. (\u201cGetting dressed up is genuinely one of life\u2019s great joys for me,\u201d he says.) Travel, food, cocktails, and watching just about any cooking competition he can find are other passions. Here, the iconic SF-er talks about finding his calling, why every room needs a \u201cwink,\u201d and what truly makes a house feel like home.<\/p>\n You took a somewhat winding path to interior design. How did you get here?<\/p>\n It definitely wasn\u2019t a straight line. I grew up in Plano, Texas, and studied international business and marketing at the University of Texas at Austin. After college, I worked at a small advertising agency in Austin, then moved to San Francisco and worked at Zuni Caf\u00e9, a men\u2019s clothing store, and eventually landed at Gap, working in advertising for Gap, Gap Kids, and Old Navy.<\/p>\n I started taking an introductory interior design class at Berkeley Extension at night just for fun, and something clicked. I took more classes, reduced my hours at Gap, and eventually began working for a drapery and bedding showroom. That was really when the creative fire started. I realized I had found what I wanted to do.<\/p>\n Your work doesn\u2019t fit neatly into one design style. How would you describe it?<\/p>\n I\u2019ve always resisted the idea that there\u2019s a specific \u201cJay Jeffers look.\u201d Every house should tell a different story. I want the rooms to feel tailored and edited, but never minimal. There should be warmth, soul, and a sense that things have been collected over time.<\/p>\n I love mixing vintage and contemporary furniture, great art, antiques, and custom pieces. And then I usually like to add a wink\u2014something unexpected, whether that\u2019s humor, drama, or a little surprise. I start by honoring the architecture, the geographic setting and, most importantly, the people who live there.<\/p>\n What does \u201cmodern classic\u201d mean to you?<\/p>\n People are always asking, \u201cWhat\u2019s your style?\u201d and I\u2019ve resisted giving one answer because I think a good designer should be curious enough to move between different periods, places, and aesthetics.<\/p>\n When I looked back at the projects for this book, I realized there is a thread. The spaces are tailored and edited, but they have warmth, history, and soul. There might be vintage pieces<\/a> with contemporary art, or bespoke furniture mixed with antiques. Nothing should look like it was bought overnight.<\/p>\n For me, \u201cmodern classic\u201d is about honoring the past, celebrating the present and creating something that feels enduring. Overall, though, Modern Classic, the book, feels like the culmination of more than 25 years of designing homes.<\/p>\n Were there any projects in the book that were especially meaningful to you?<\/p>\n That\u2019s like asking me to pick my favorite child! Imagined History, in the Santa Lucia Preserve, was almost a 10-year project for longtime clients who became friends. We worked with architect Richard Beard<\/a> and were inspired by Argentine estancias. The goal was to create a multigenerational retreat that felt as though it had evolved over generations, rather than being designed all at once.<\/p>\n Beaux Arts 2.0, a 1925 San Francisco home, was another. We worked with Dave Sturm of Butler Armsden<\/a>, keeping the classical character in the front of the house while creating something more contemporary in the back. The original arched windows inspired new details throughout. It was about respecting the history without being beholden to it.<\/p>\n And then there\u2019s The Madrona, which is obviously very personal because I\u2019m the designer and co-owner. There was no traditional client telling me where to stop, which was both thrilling and slightly dangerous!<\/p>\n Speaking of The Madrona, becoming a hotelier wasn\u2019t exactly part of the plan, was it?<\/p>\n Not at all! Becoming a hotelier was never on my vision board. <\/p>\n I\u2019ve always loved intimate boutique hotels\u2014the kind that feel like a stylish friend\u2019s house. In 2020, a realtor friend and client asked me to look at a historic hotel in Healdsburg<\/a> that was for sale. It was a lightning-bolt moment. I couldn\u2019t stop thinking about it or designing it in my head.<\/p>\n We inherited hundreds of pieces of furniture, lighting, and art, and ultimately catalogued, refurbished, and reused about 200 of the original pieces. We wanted to celebrate the history without turning it into a Victorian theme park.<\/p>\n How do you balance your own point of view with what a client wants?<\/p>\n I think of myself as a guide. Clients usually know what they like when they see it, so my job is to listen, understand them, and then expose them to possibilities they may not have considered.<\/p>\n I\u2019ll push a little. If someone says they don\u2019t like antiques because they associate them with heavy brown \u201cgrandma furniture,\u201d I might show them a 1970s Italian chair or a mid-century Brazilian piece. Suddenly the conversation changes.<\/p>\n The client gives you the story. The finished home should feel like them, not like they moved into my house.<\/p>\n How much does location influence your work?<\/p>\n Place matters enormously. A log cabin shouldn\u2019t feel like Manhattan, and a Carmel Valley retreat inspired by an Argentine estancia shouldn\u2019t feel like a San Francisco Beaux-Arts house.<\/p>\n I don\u2019t believe in designing clich\u00e9s. I don\u2019t want to walk into a mountain house and automatically start buying antlers. At the end of the day, though, the homeowner is what matters most. You\u2019re using the architecture and location as context, but you\u2019re telling the client\u2019s story.<\/p>\n What are some of your favorite Bay Area sources for art and design?<\/p>\n The Bay Area has an extraordinary creative community. For art<\/a>, I love Dolby Chadwick<\/a>, Berggruen<\/a>, Fraenkel<\/a>, Jessica Silverman<\/a>, and Lost Art Salon<\/a>. And I always tell people: buy what you love. Don\u2019t buy art to match your sofa.<\/p>\n For furniture and design, there\u2019s Coup D\u2019Etat<\/a>, De Sousa Hughes<\/a>, and The Future Perfect<\/a>, plus Sue Fisher King<\/a> for that fabulous mix of antiques and decorative things. Fog Design + Art<\/a> and the San Francisco Fall Show<\/a> are also great places to explore.<\/p>\n The best advice is to get out there, look around, train your eye, and fall in love with something unexpected.<\/p>\n Three books in\u2014are you already thinking about number four?<\/p>\n Let me enjoy number three for a minute! I\u2019ve loved design books since I was a kid. They\u2019ve always been a source of reference and inspiration for me, so the fact that I\u2019ve now made three is pretty amazing. I\u2019ve had a little bit of impostor syndrome, probably, my entire life. Making these books forces me to look back and say, \u201cHey, I kind of do know what I\u2019m doing\u2014and, hey, I\u2019m kind of good at it.\u201d<\/p>\n So, making a book is a little bit like therapy. As long as I have interesting clients, beautiful houses, great art, fabulous antiques, and stories worth telling, I guess I\u2019m ready for my fourth therapy session.<\/p>\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1788978369_707_image.jpg\")
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