What have you been pinning? For interior designer CJ Zondervan, Pinterest boards serve as jumping off points for her customers' ideas and ultimately designs that she implements in homes all over West Michigan. CJ has a long history in the industry, and she has seen the changes social media and online selling have brought to the world of design, and she's keeping up.
"Design is so current, it's so about trends, it's so about all of these different things that you could easily go from now until eternity and never repeat yourself. Pinterest has so many aspects of that. It's a way that helps me stay current and helps me see what my clients want. I can pin things that my clients can see. It's full of ideas," CJ says.
CJ makes Pinterest boards for each of her clients and names them according to client initials. When she sees something that corresponds with a client's vision for a room, she pins it. Clients can check out what she has been earmarking for them, then client and designer converse. CJ is also building up her idea library for future projects using Pinterest, a deviation from her traditional method of storage.
"I have boards of kitchens, baths, bedrooms. I store them when I see something that's a good idea, then I can transfer it to a board for a client when I get a project," she says. "I used to tear pages out of magazines, but this has become my filing system."
CJ likes to follow other designers and trending topics on Pinterest. It keeps her connected to the ever-evolving world of design. In an industry that is endless, she is tapping into visual inspiration for herself and her clients.
"I really love to see what the young people Pin. That's really quite facinating to me...There are certain things I love, that I always have loved, and I always will love, but trends are our world, so we love to see what's trending," she says.
CJ blogs and uses Facebook, Etsy, and eBay to gather ideas, and sell her own products from her antique business. Click here to check out CJ's Pinterest page.
Written by: Erika Fifelski is the West Michigan Woman magazine editorial coordinator. She was born and raised in West Michigan, and after a brief stint on the sunrise side, she's home and loving it. Erika enjoys cooking, vacuuming, and discovering new ways to live sustainably and support local businesses.
