Meet Jessica Davis

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jessica Davis and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jessica, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?
I think it’s important for all businesses to try to have some higher mission besides making money. In my Nest Studio hardware business, one of the things I love that we do is helping moms re-enter the workforce. This happened organically as I started the business as a new mom myself. All of our employees are local moms. Our company is based outside of New York City and there are so many talented and skilled mothers who have left the workforce to raise their kids but want to get involved again. This can be really hard if you’re not looking for full time work, don’t want to commute into New York City or need to work around your kids’ schedules. We try really hard to provide flexible employment, a great work environment and a fun group of people to be around.

I also love supporting other small businesses. In both my interior design practice Atelier Davis and Nest Studio, we work with small local and global artisans to create beautiful spaces. We really enjoy working with people who take pride in their craft and are working on a small scale.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I love creating unique spaces and beautiful decorative hardware. I never thought that I would design hardware. It’s so niche, but it’s such a great place to be. I hate the term “hustling”. I am not a hustler. But I will say that no success is overnight. Building both of my businesses has required grit, determination, hard work and willingness to take calculated risks. My hardware brand was created out of a need for something that I didn’t see in the marketplace. Then I realized other people had similar needs and wants, so I decided to put that out into the world. My business started small but it has grown slowly over 12 years. Similarly my interior design business was born out of designing my own spaces. I worked in hospitality design for many years, and wanted to help others create personalized and curated spaces as well. It’s been so rewarding to see those spaces come to life – but not easy. I started with small projects and small budgets and have gradually built up to where I am. It takes a lot of trust on the part of a client to jump in with you on a project and I appreciate that so much. I always try to exceed my clients expectations. Happy clients mean referrals which is such an important part of my business.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Gosh, Atlanta has so many great places to check out. First of all I love that Atlanta is the city in The Forest. There are so many great ways to get out in nature so close to the city. I would do the Whitewater Creek hike to the bamboo forest along the Chattahoochee River. I would also take a hike up Mt. Arabia and then stop in Arepa Mia in Avondale Estates for Lunch. I love going to Peidmont Park and the farmers market there. I would definitely take them for a walk along the beltline. Stop into Ponce City Market and Krog Street Market. I love the date and tahini milkshake at Rina, a great Israeli restaurant right on the beltline. I would end our beltline day down in Reynoldstown at Muchacho, which is a restaurant I designed. Additionally I would spend some time on the West Side, doing a little walking at the West Side Park, a pilates class at the new Studio Pilates west side that I designed. I am such a fan of the Daily Chew so definitely brunch there would be on the agenda. For a more fancy day I would do some shopping around Buckhead Village. I’d stop into Le Bilboquet for a drink and then do dinner at the Lucien Books and Wine (such great drinks and amazing food!).

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are so many amazing people who half helped me build my businesses and nudged and supported me along the way. I would like to give a shoutout to Margaret McMahon who was my first real boss and mentor in the interior design world. I started green and she allowed me to make mistakes and build my knowledge base. I’m sure it was super frustrating at the time but she had faith in me. It was amazing to see how she worked with clients, sold new business and balanced the creative and administrative sides of heading up a company.

Website: atelierdavis.com, neststudiocollection.com

Instagram: @atelier_davis, @neststudiohardware

Image Credits
Emily Followill Elliott Fuerniss Sean Litchfield Gabriella LePage Andrew Thomas Lee