Ep. 464: Bring Travel Inspiration Home with Jessica Whitley

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,

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Ep. 464: Bring Travel Inspiration Home with Jessica Whitley is an episode from How to Decorate.

This episode is 53:23 long.

This episode was published on May 5, 2026.

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