Jerry Jacobs, ASID Intl. Assoc AIA, CAM

Jerry Jacobs, ASID ASID Intl. Assoc AIA, CAM, President, Jerry Jacobs Design

www.jerryjacobsdesign.com

The Home Trust (THT): What first compelled you to enter business?

Jerry Jacobs, ASID ASID Intl. Assoc AIA, CAM, (JJ):  I was born an American in Mexico City. My parents owned ‘The Hotel Polanco,’ and my Mother did the Décor regularly. My grandfather on my mother’s side purchased an estate, and had the prime Architects do homes for his family so I was playing around construction sites as a kid, so I decided to study Architecture.

THT: What inspires you and who has most influenced you?

JJ: I’m inspired all the time, through the “eye.” Everything I see. If it is beauty I enjoy it; I can’t have enough of Venice or the Caribbean waters. If it is wrong I’m inspired on how to make it right.

THT:  What is the best advice you ever received?

JJ: To listen.

THT: Are you the same person at home as you’re known by your colleagues and industry?

JJ: I’m very simple. My daughter has a Masters in Art Business so she helps with our art side of the projects, my wife is English and she brings the Old world. I am the same, in business I always feel like I’m dealing with friends.

THT: Is there a common thread that runs through all great products?

JJ:  I guess exclusivity. Quality is not simple; though it should look it is.

THT: In what ways has your industry changed over the years?

JJ: I started with Urban Planning, then did corporate architecture and then retail design. Finally 20 years ago we started concentrating on high end residential architecture and interior design. Our trade, just like all others, is influenced by technology and by DIY tools. So we are not for everyone, but for an exclusive category of people only.

THT:  Do you have a favorite book or author?

JJ:  My sister Barbara is a writer, so I read those first. She is my favorite writer.

THT: Do you have a favorite place you like to travel?

JJ: London is my third home. As my wife’s family is there and in the south of England, we are there often. I have done a couple of projects there and partnered for others, keeping a small presence there. Venice for Bellinis and Cancun for the Ceviche’s.

THT: Sounds like a very good life.  Do you have a favorite museum?

JJ:  My favorite Museum is the Victoria & Albert in London. It is not modern but contains the most history of the applied arts; furniture and I always discover something new there.

THT: Where are you most likely to be found when you’re not working?

JJ: Walking on the beach. I love the waves and the views.

THT: What makes an object sing?

JJ: I remember telling Reba McEntire (before I knew who she was), that when you opened the drawers on our cabinets they sang. She later told me that is why she hired me.

What in the end they do for people. Like the iPhone from apple.

THT: Why The Home Trust?

JJ: I love The Home Trust, because it is “Exclusive,” not everyone is invited to join, nor is everyone going to find what he or she is looking for here.

THT: Any other thoughts you’d like to share?

JJ: Quality remains long after the price has been forgotten. The right type of client realizes they get what they pay for, and when they want the best, they are considerate of the process and time involved. They have experience in their own fields.

THT: Thank you for your time today.