June 24, 2022
Sorority House Design by J. Banks
The exterior of the Delta Gamma Sorority House at the University of Florida in Gainesville.
The exterior of the Delta Gamma Sorority House at the University of Florida in Gainesville.
The guest room in our home gets lots of use. Not only do we enjoy entertaining, we love to host friends both old and new. In our design work, the guest room is a place that we can focus our attention to detail to help our clients create lasting memories for their friends and family. In a word, hospitality is the gift of making people feel as truly welcome and cared for as they do at home—and even more so. When family and friends come to visit for an overnight or longer, it is so nice to provide them with all the essentials for a happy, memorable stay, and some thoughtful luxuries too. The world’s great resorts and hotels do that as a matter of course, which is where I believe this crossover story starts.
Interior by Sharon Cleland
In a guest room, as elsewhere, thinking about how the space is meant to function helps me to determine what furnishings and accessories to include. Beside the bed, I always make sure to have a place to set a glass and a bottle or carafe of water. I want people to feel comfortable using it, so I’ll make sure there is a coaster or something comparable handy. When possible, a bedside table that is large enough to accommodate a reading lamp, a guest’s reading glasses, a book, and even a box of tissues makes the room feel homey. Optimally, the bottom of the lampshade or wall sconce should be 20 inches above the bedside table or mattress. The smallest of details all layer to create a welcoming experience.
Successful interior design is all about getting each of the elements in a room to work well together while still standing out and making an individual impact. Nowhere is this more apparent than in layering texture in a room. The following are Joni’s thoughts on layering texture:
“Layering texture in interior design is most successful when it activates and pleases all the senses. We respond to a design first with our eyes, of course, but the quality of touch is just as important. The relationship between the two is fascinating. As a designer, I know that the eye longs for elements that break up the continuity or sameness within our field of vision. For me, that ability to interrupt the continuity is texture’s purpose and function.
J. Banks Design Group’s President Joni Vanderslice and Melissa Mittag, Director of Brand Management, traveled to Paris last month for Paris Design Week to attend Maison et Objet and Paris Deco Off, two of the international interior design community’s most inspirational shows. To have an international perspective elevates the level of design we are able to create and serves to inspire the entire J. Banks Design Group team.
ASID Awards were given to J. Banks Design Group, recognized for outstanding interior design by the American Society of Interior Design
J. Banks was honored to be awarded the 2018 Designer Network Member of the Year at the Coastal Living and Southern Living Home Summit in New Orleans, LA on March 1, 2018.
The Leadership Media Award from the ASID Carolinas Chapter was given to Joni Vanderslice, president and owner of J. Banks Design Group on Hilton Head Island, at the organization’s conference on November 17, 2017, in Charleston, SC. The award recognizes outstanding contribution to promote the profession of Interior Design and ASID.
The Island Packet named J. Banks Design Group the ‘Best Interior Design Group’ of 2017. The communities of Hilton Head Island and Bluffton vote for their favorite businesses & services in annual The Island Packet’s Readers’ Choice Awards and we are thrilled to be locally recognized for this honor.
J. Banks Design Group received six 2017 ASID awards from the Carolinas Chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers. The 2017 ASID Awards celebrate Excellence in Design.
