Welcome To My Personal Interior Design Blog

I thought it would be nice to have a welcome post for the blog to introduce myself and the blog. This blog has been a personal goal of mine for the last two years, and after many (positive) life changes, I feel that this is the right time to finally publish it.

My name is Jennifer Coppola, and I have always had a passion for design. I graduated from Ramapo College of New Jersey with a Bachelor's Degree in Communications and Graphic Design and have worked as a graphic designer, web designer, business analyst, and product manager. I am currently working full-time as a product manager at a financial services company based in New York City, and this blog is a less-than-part-time project of mine.

My passion for interior design really took hold in 2018 after I bought my first property, which was a two-bedroom, one-bathroom condo in Jersey City. This was the first time in 11 years that I wasn't renting an apartment and subject to renter's rules such as no painting, no modifications to light fixtures, and no upgrades of any kind to the apartment. I could not wait to get started making the condo my own and started painting, changing out light fixtures, and later hiring a contractor to renovate the bathroom. When the COVID pandemic emerged in 2020, I threw myself into more projects to make the space work as an office and living space. That passion continued even after I sold my condo in November 2023 and moved with my new husband to a new house in the suburbs of New Jersey.

My husband and I met in late 2021, dated for 10 months, got engaged, and married in March 2023. The past three years have been incredibly busy, yet they have also been the happiest, filled with fun and exciting new prospects. When we met, we were both residing in Jersey City, NJ, but eventually grew weary of city life. We left Jersey City in late 2023 and bought our first home together, moving in by May 2024.

The house we bought was new construction, but we could not customize anything in the house. The developer of our neighborhood had three models that were all built according to the floor plans and specifications that were decided on before we even made an offer on the house. It was a shame and a waste of money and materials that the developer did not let us swap out certain things that we did not want. However, my husband and I decided to take on some do-it-yourself (DIY) and non-DIY projects so the house really worked for our needs.

This blog will chronicle the DIY projects and projects we decided to hire out. Follow along to see our before and after room transformations, interior design projects, DIY and design tips we've learned along the way.