Jennifer Welch has had it.

At least, that’s what Oklahoma City-based interior designer talks about on the comedic podcast she hosts with fellow Bravo veteran Angie “Pumps” Sullivan. I’ve Had It is a discussion about all the things the two women can’t stand, from book clubs to dramatic sneezers to clapping when a plane lands—and listeners love it.

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“‘I've had it’ is a phrase that I've said my entire life,” Jennifer reveals. “Angie and I have always just vented about petty grievances with each other, as most friends do. When we started having our private conversations publicly, on this podcast, it just really tracked with people. We did not anticipate it going big as quickly as it did.”

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While the show broadcasts the duo’s thoughts on every topic under the sun, Jennifer has especially strong opinions about interior design. And her 25-year-long career in the field means she has the experience to back up her hot takes. One such sentiment would likely resonate with other Experts: Jennifer has had it with trends.

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“It's such a horrible way to approach design because trends are simply that: they're trends and they're going to go out,” she explains. “The Pantone color of the year is going to expire in 365 days. I've had it with design centering around what's hot right this second, because those jobs are unbearable to look at a year or two later. If I think about design as being a marathon and not a sprint, my work is much better.”

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Now, when a client requests a trendy look, Jennifer advises channeling it into temporary items like throw pillows or draperies. For more permanent finishes like tile and countertops, she insists on timeless choices. Here, she shares even more of her invaluable decorating tips, from the underrated material she loves to the one item worth splurging on.

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My biggest architectural pet peeve

Oversized floor plans. I'll do these houses that are 10,000 or 15,000 square feet for two people, and it sounds great, but you lose so much intimacy and warmth. Some of my favorite homes are smaller, in the 3,000 to 5,000-square-foot range. Everybody thinks they have to have a giant house, but bigger just doesn't necessarily mean better in residential design. I live in a 4,500-square-foot house, but my husband and I probably only use about 900 square feet of it.

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The first thing I do when I design a room

It depends. If it's a kitchen, it's all going to be centered around a marble slab. I like stones that are unique and add texture and movement. I prefer natural stone by a mile over man-made quartz. A lot of people are terrified to use natural stone, but the Europeans have been doing it forever and it looks great.

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In living areas or bedrooms, sometimes it's a rug, sometimes it's a light fixture. There's no exact formula to it. It's a total gut feeling. It's different for every single room, but once I find that one anchor piece, it goes gangbusters after that. Everything falls into place super quickly.

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My go-to finishing touches in a room

When I'm doing an install, the one thing that makes a big difference is when the draperies go up. If they're done in a tailored way, it just makes the room feel sexy. You need to maximize the length, so they run from the top of the ceiling all the way down to the floor, and they should be just full enough to cover the window, but should be left open. It’s not the early 2000s, with all the tassels, poofs, and valances. I'm talking about a sleek texture flanking a window to just add a hint of sex appeal.

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The most underrated material I love to use

Venetian plaster. Sometimes people want a really expensive-looking kitchen with a full marble backsplash, but their budget won't allow for it. So a trick that I often use is pairing marble countertops and a minimal marble backsplash with Venetian plaster above the splash and on the hood. It just adds this really nice polished texture. And when you get the good, old-style Venetian plaster, it can be applied to modern or traditional design. It is a fantastic product.

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On my wishlist

I would love to have a giant Damien Hurst cherry blossom painting. His art is incredible.

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Coffee table or ottoman

Coffee table, so you can set stuff down on it. The psychology of the way people live has completely changed. Now, the kitchen with a family room opened up into it is the nucleus of the house, so you need surfaces. I like a big coffee table, not super low. It should be a couple inches higher than the seat and look to-scale with the sofa.

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Where I save versus where I splurge

You can save on side tables. If you get into the high-end trade world, a side table can cost $5,000 to $10,000. But you can find great stuff, even from national retailers, that don't break the bank and are interesting little pieces. You should splurge on your sofa. Let's face it, we all sit around on our phones and we all stream shows all the time now. Make sure you get a sofa with a performance fabric so that it's easily cleanable.

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The hotel that represents ultimate luxury to me

There are two hotels that my husband and I stay at quite frequently. They're totally different from one another. One is the Ritz in Paris. We love it. It's over the top French, completely impractical, but it just puts you in a great mood. Our other favorite is The Berkeley in London. It's in the best neighborhood, right in the heart of Belgravia. It's a smaller hotel, so it doesn't have a big grand lobby, but it's just incredibly luxurious and the staff just completely caters to you. Every time we go, we stay in a different room and they're all decorated a little bit differently from one another.

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The place I can’t wait to go back to

We go to the island of Capri every summer with our kids. We’re going this July. We'll add other European destinations to the trip, but there's not a summer that goes by that we don't go to Capri. It”s our favorite summer vacation, and every time we go, it just gets better.

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What’s next

I'm still doing interior design work, but I'm a lot choosier about what projects I take on. Earlier in my career, I would take on any job that provided a paycheck. Now, I vet the client as much as they vet me to see if they're a good fit. And the podcast just blew up, so I’m devoting so much time to that right now. We're going on tour in August.

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Want personalized design advice from Jennifer Welch? Book a consultation.

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