For most designers, landing the cover of a major magazine is a milestone—and certainly an occasion for celebration. But when Jean Larette landed the cover of LUXE Interiors + Design late last year, she took this celebration one step further, using the cover placement as an opportunity to deepen connections with editors, collaborators, and industry sources.
The idea came about as Jean was reflecting on the many hands that went into shaping this project, a new build home for avid golfers at the famous Pebble Beach.
“In so many successful projects, it’s really a team effort to make it successful,” says Jean, who worked with architect Richard Beard and builder Andrew Ackerman on the home, which was full of all-hands-on-deck experiences for custom designs. “For example, in the kitchen,there’s a built-in seating area that needed to be so specific, because we really wanted to make sure that it was comfortable, and we were building it around one of Hellman Chang’s oval tables,” says Jean. “So we had to make so many models for them to sit in and just be sure that it was absolutely spectacular. So not only were the upholsterers part of it, but the contractor was part of it—it was really a team effort.”
So, when publication day came, Jean figured, what better way to celebrate than with the whole team? In timing with the issue release in early November, she booked a venue for a ten-person celebration which included the architect, contractor, photographer, LUXE editors, reps from Ann Saks and Dunkirk, the owner of San Francisco shop Anthem (whose accessories featured prominently in the shoot), her rug vendor, and her assistant, who styled the shoot.
“It was just so nice to really raise a glass to thank everybody who had been so involved,” says Jean. “It is so rare that you can actually turn the table and thank the people that put it together.”
The celebration also spurred continued momentum for the project, which has now featured in print advertisements for the architect as well as a few of Jean’s vendors, gotten plenty of love on Instagram, and will appear in the DLN’s upcoming book THE LIVING ROOM. Jean was also named to the Luxe Gold List for 2024.
It just goes to show, Jean says, that when you invest in a project and lean into its collaborative nature, “it can really continue to have legs.”
This story is from Issue 3 of The Quarterly. Click here to see the full issue.
