About the Design Psychology Expert Jeanette Fisher
Jeanette would rather spend time with her grandchildren than working on houses. However, she loves turning plain houses into dream homes.
When the Fisher family remodeled their kitchen in their Victorian home, they spent countless hours tearing the room apart—all the way to the dirt under the foundation. After deconstruction, Jeanette's husband Brian and their son Evan put in new beams, new subflooring, and tile flooring.
They replaced frayed extension cords with real wiring, old newspaper insulation with new insulation, and cardboard walls with sheetrock.
Instead of using all modern cabinets, they used an antique Hoosier cabinet and an antique ice chest. They built new cabinets, installed the family's heirloom 1927 gas stove, and a commercial glass-door refrigerator. Evan designed an add on room with a spa sunroom and a breakfast nook. Jeanette and Brian made stained glass windows. Jeanette selected wallpaper, tile, and paint. When the kitchen was finally finished—it FELT terrible!
What happened? After studying interior design in California, Jeanette thought she knew how to select interior design details. Most of their friends thought the kitchen looked fabulous but Jeanette knew it needed something different. What?
Jeanette and Evan went to the University of Florida where Evan was studying architecture and began a lifelong journey researching interior design —backwards. They researched how our emotions and our bodies respond to design details.
Part of Jeanette's motivation for making their home a peaceful, joyous haven was to make a home for their daughter Sara, who spent a lot of time at home because of disabilities. For more about Sara, see Saving Sara.
Jeanette also studied happiness and came to some startling conclusions. At the time, she had a home furnishings business downtown Palatka. She says, "I researched myself out of business. I now believe that home makers should do their own interior design because the planning, day dreaming, shopping, and finished result give so mush satisfaction and pleasure."
For an extended bio, see Jeanette Fisher
Home Design Psychology Expert
Copyright © Jeanette J. Fisher
