If you had to pick one characteristic to define Christa Jansen’s approach to life and work it would be curiosity. From standing at the bus stop, to sipping coffee in a Medieval European square, Christa observes and absorbs everything. The whole world presents itself as a visual smorgasbord from which she draws inspiration, information, and insight. She believes that design can only be successful when it engages people’s senses, serves their needs – both physical and emotional – and heightens their experience through moments of delight and wonder. She watches carefully to see what engages people, and what distracts them.
Christa’s clients quickly find themselves caught up in her infectious curiosity. She asks a lot of questions, seeking to define the essential purpose her design must support. She always begins with human needs, emotions, and desires; and measures success by how people respond to and interact with their space. One of her happiest memories is opening day at the Seattle Aquarium, for which she was lead interior designer. The sight of hundreds of children lined up around the block with eager noses pressed to windows excited to get is, is a poignant reminder of why she does what she does.
I rebel when someone tells me something isn’t possible because I always want to know, “Why not?” You have to continually push beyond your experience to innovate.
After a recent trip to Lisbon, Christa particularly noticed how the tradition and craftsmanship of tile infuses the whole city with colour, light, and texture; embodying unique human qualities of culture, history, and passion. She seeks to capture this quality in her work and she’s excited about her next opportunity – an interior design for a newly constructed tower that will define a new direction for its high-tech tenant. The client wants the work environment to connect tangibly and emotionally with their home city, their culture and their beliefs. Christa will embrace this challenge as she always does, client first, bringing all of her curiosity about people, cities and cultures to inform the process.