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.
As we are cooped up with our loved ones by our side, some closer than others, making a plan to discover your design style for your home can be a great way to not only pass the time, but create a productive activity for all. Whether you are searching for an escape, finding ways to incorporate time with those under one roof or simply keep the brain engaged with the outside world, figuring out your design style is important. Our surroundings tend to create a mood that many times we are not aware of; creating an environment that sets the tone for a positive mood is even more key right now.
Joni Vanderslice and members of the J. Banks Design Group team traveled to Paris in January to attend Maison et Objet and Paris Deco Off, two of the international design community’s most inspirational shows. While we saw many beautiful new products and attended some incredible events, the highlight of the trip was the launch of the J. Banks Collection for Holland & Sherry Rugs. We welcomed members of the Press, industry colleagues and design enthusiasts to the Rue de l’Echaude showroom for an opportunity to meet Joni, see the rugs and learn about our collaboration with Holland & Sherry.
Inspired by rustling palm leaves, rushing water, and the trellis patterns of her native South Carolina Lowcountry to the more exotic and often visited Tanzania, Joni has brought these themes to her first rug collection: the J. Banks Collection for Holland and Sherry. This intermingling of local and international brings an excited familiarity that truly embodies the J. Banks Design Group’s philosophy of bringing the resort experience to our projects. Created with hospitality and performance in mind, these 11 designs are available in several different rug qualities that stand up to the functionality required for commercial settings as well as high traffic areas in the home.
Made-to-order, each rug can be crafted using different techniques and materials depending on the functionality required:
We are so thankful our incredible partners at Holland & Sherry as well as the many friends and colleagues who came out to support us.
About Holland & Sherry: Well known for sumptuous fabrics, Holland & Sherry has developed collections which range from custom embroidery, rugs, wall-covering and trim, to leather, hardware and lighting. Every item they produce reflects their core values of quality and craftsmanship.
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 and Founder, Joni Vanderslice, has been nominated for a 31st annual ARTS Award in the category of Interior Design. Dallas Market Center and Accessories Resource Team (ART), the creative home furnishings network, released the full list of finalists last week for the 31st Annual ARTS Awards taking place on Friday, Jan. 10, 2020. “We are pleased to present such an impressive slate of finalists,” says Sharon Davis, executive director of ART. “Thank you to everyone who took the time to nominate a deserving company or individual, and we look forward to honoring and celebrating all of them.”
The ARTS Awards, presented each January during the Dallas Total Home & Gift Market, is the premier awards program in the U.S. honoring top manufacturers, retailers, designers, and sales representatives in the home industry. Each finalist will submit a creative digital presentation to a panel of independent judges. In November, the judges will convene in Dallas for two days to review each individual or company submission. Once judging is complete, an independent accounting firm tabulates the scores and secures them until the winners are announced at the ARTS Awards gala.
“Congratulations to all of the 31st Annual ARTS Awards finalists,” says Cindy Morris, President and CEO of Dallas Market Center. “These carefully selected finalists represent the utmost creativity, originality and craftsmanship, and we applaud their dedication to our industry. We look forward to celebrating their accomplishments in January.”
Joni is so honored to have been nominated and sharing our portfolio with the judges. We are looking forward to the awards gala in Dallas in January!
Sponsors for the 31st annual ARTS Awards include Aspire Design and Home; Designers Today; D Home; enlightenment; Furniture, Lighting and Decor; Furniture Today; Gifts & Decorative Accessories; Home Accents Today; Home Furnishings Business; Home Furnishings News; Home Textiles Today; the Interior Design Society and the Sustainable Furnishings Council.
The most dynamic and livable interiors include artworks and collections. They are not confined to furnishings of any singular look or period combining personal pieces and art works that vary in period, shape, form, color or culture and arranging them harmoniously creates interest, timelessness and in some cases a bit of whimsy. Interiors are deeply personal and by layering artwork and collections tell the stories of the people who inhabit them. J. Banks Design Founder and President, Joni Vanderslice , includes the following chapter in her monograph, Southern Coastal Living.
We are so very fortunate with our climate in the South, especially along the coast, which permits relaxed, indoor-outdoor living bringing us into nature on a daily basis. Many native species of flora and fauna flourish in this part of the country, where gardens are the passion of many. Our harbors and the ocean are so full of bounty and beauty. On Hilton Head Island, where development is planned and much of the land protected, our indigenous wildlife has a safe home. How we interact with the outdoors, how we extend our living and entertaining spaces beyond the walls of our houses, how we ease ourselves into the landscape are questions my designers and I think through with every home that we work on, including our own.
In almost every home that we do now, the men want one room that is their own designated domain: a place where they can get away to, concentrate, watch a football game. They always want these personal spaces to reflect their interests: golf, boats and the nautical life, travel, whatever it may be. Part of the fun for me is pulling that information out of them. Watching them settle in once the rooms are complete is such a pleasure. They really use their rooms. Usually, they cannot wait to show off their space to their friends and visiting family members.
The J. Banks Design Showroom, our home furnishings and design store in Hilton Head Island, SC has been honored with a 2019 Retail Star from the Editors of Home Accents Today, the premier trade magazine for the home accents industry.
The 3500 sq. foot shop at 35 Main Street, Hilton Head Island is a great local resources for gifts, accessories and home decor. The interior design retail store is open to all of Hilton Head Island, Bluffton, the Lowcountry and its visitors. The shop offers sophisticated home décor, artisan inspired gifts, and eclectic little luxuries – all gathered from the worldwide marketplace. We also offer an exquisite bridal registry.
