Designer Profile: Jaclyn Moser, Harken Interiors

Jaclyn Moser, along with Chris Sommers, formed Chicago-based Harken Interiors in 2015 after completing a 1,000-guestroom renovation at Universal Studios in Orlando and an adaptive-reuse Hilton Curio in Chicago while at a different interior design studio that was climbing the Hospitality Giants chart. The rest is history for the duo. Here, Moser shares the pair’s roadmap to success, what it’s like working across sectors, her favorite part of the job, and more.

Tell me about your practice! What did your roadmap look like?

Chris and I found a synergy in our skillsets and varied experiences. Chris brings sharp skills in architectural documentation, construction administration, and project management with a focus on international resorts (he once lived in the Caribbean through hurricanes to expedite and control the build schedule of a resort). My specialty is in conceptual development, furniture and materials, and overall branding and graphics as I have a dual education and work history in hospitality interiors as well as advertising (developing creative briefs at Disney’s Yellow Shoes Creative Group).

Our complementary strengths dovetailed for efficiency and collaboration, but our shared vision and values gave us the motivation, longevity, and trust needed to build our own brand. Our name is derived from hearken, meaning to listen, and we decided early on that this is our ultimate guiding principle. It is the answer to how we work with partners, how we seek out clientele that have a story or narrative to tell, and how we continue to build our team with collaborative and kind individuals.

You design for lots of different industries. What inspired you to not limit yourself to one sector?

Part of the magic of hospitality spaces is that they transport us to an aspirational mindset while providing for all our creature comforts and needs. When we founded Harken Interiors, we wanted our portfolio to focus on strong narratives and hospitality-minded projects. This openness in our business model and the collective trend of clients seeking branding, beauty, and functionality has established us as a multidisciplinary firm providing interior and graphic development for hospitality spaces as well as multifamily residential, luxury senior living, and boutique workplace. It’s been so rewarding to our studio, and I’d like to believe to our clients, for our team to have an expanded toolkit of sources, best practices, and behavioral understanding across these types of projects and uses. The materials and methodology don’t get stale and we’re constantly critically thinking about THIS project (rather than a category of jobs).

What’s next on the horizon then?

When thinking about the horizon, we have our eyes on student housing because the balance of creativity and durability aligns with our expertise and interest. Also, the broad category of wellness reflects our intentions in life and driving inspiration for personal travel. Design and service informs us how we are to behave in a space and ignites our emotions. Harken Interiors would love to be developing spaces hand in hand with clients that are providing experiences for physical, mental, emotional, and interpersonal wellness. We are mindful of the details and believe that the details matter in mindfulness.

Is there any project in your portfolio that stands out to you as especially memorable?

Our studio is currently working on a Marriott hotel renovation that is a great source of pride. The original design was done by our previous employer and professional photographs were circulating the studio the week that I joined the company. Fast forward 10 years, and we are reinventing the space which feels like a rite of passage in some ways. The ownership group is forward thinking, expanding a soft goods renovation into a deep dive of revenue-driving, experience enhancing upgrades with collaborative discussions about how design and development dovetail. It feels cerebral and highly creative. We are excited to debut the outcome next year!

We also had the opportunity to collaborate with Samuelson Furniture on the launch of their Senior Living line. Our team had seen first-hand that senior living clients desired hospitality furniture profiles but were afraid to do custom and were not finding the same finesse in the senior living market. We identified opportunities in product mix and outlined pricing structure, dimensional and testing requirements, and desired details and variations. From competitive analysis and sketches, we moved into sit test critiques and upholstery selection to showcase the diversity, usability, and freshness of the line. Now, about a year after the launch, we are specifying those products and are seeing how they reflect the changing pace, face, and approach to senior living design.

What’s your favorite part of your job?

My first degree in Marketing, International Business, and Italian hasn’t released its grip on me, and I absolutely love working on the research, conceptual foundation, and marriage between the written and visual narrative of a project. If you can build from a place of clarity, all other design decisions feel simple because they strengthen the project’s growth from the roots up! In interiors and fashion, I am a sucker for special features and details. Building a furniture and material palette that is well-edited, harmonious, and still surprises and delights is such a wonderful process of trust in yourself and exploration into all the possibilities—your hand and eye are guiding a juxtaposition of elements and the outcome has the potential to be so unique if you’re feeling nimble, fresh, and responsive.

Where can we find you on a Saturday afternoon?

Well, spilling the tea, most days you can find me with Chris Sommers. He started as a coworker, friend, business partner, and now is my fiancé! We should probably be spending Saturday afternoons planning a wedding, but right now we’re scheming renovations to our 1880s Chicago flat, training for a half marathon, and attempting to find some semblance of balance with friends, family, good food, and some whiskey!

Books you’d suggest reading or podcasts you love to listen to?

I love the SmartLess podcast with Sean Hayes, Jason Bateman, and Will Arnett! The premise of each episode is that one of the hosts reveals his mystery guest to the others and the group has an improvised, humorous, and very human conversation with that guest. It’s unexpected, unplanned, and somehow masterful all at the same time. You’re literally listening to years of improv/theater/acting training at work as the hosts blindly and immediately extend heart, emotion, and banter to the discussion.

Continuing the comedy trend, Little Weirds by Jenny Slate is a book that brings me everything I need—heartbreak, strangeness, possibility, vitality, and beauty through the lens of fresh comedic rawness. I’d recommend watching one of her comedy specials before reading so that you can HEAR her voice through her writing. It is strong, fragile, and wonderful!

If you’re reading this and hoping for something that has a design-slant, I will give you the Dictionary of Color Combinations, Japanese edition. It showcases 348 color combinations that are based on the work of Sanzo Wada (artist, teacher, costume and kimono designer) from the 1930s.