In the dining room, Iron Ore by Sherwin-Williams coats the walls and fireplace, a fitting backdrop for velvet Kravet draperies and a Regina Andrew chandelier.
Jennifer Walter took a circuitous route to launching her firm, Folding Chair Design, by way of a career as a stylist, setting the scene for photo shoots, Anthropologie stores and weddings. “People who liked my wedding venues began to approach me about doing their homes,” she recalls. “I took a client and loved it. I enrolled in design classes but ended up learning on the job.”
A New Jersey native, Walter had moved to Baltimore, her husband’s hometown, some years earlier. Today, Folding Chair Design has a studio downtown employing six people and completing about five large-scale projects a year featuring renovation and architectural design as well as interior décor. “We prefer bigger projects where we have more impact,” Walter says. “I tell clients we are looking for transformative results.”
Despite a personal preference for maximalism and vintage items from mid-century to Parisian, Walter frequently embraces a clean, classic aesthetic with clients. “We do a lot of traditional work in Baltimore’s Guilford area, which is full of older homes,” relates the designer. “I enjoy going in that direction because it’s a little outside my comfort zone. I like the challenge.”
Interior Design: Jennifer Walter, Folding Chair Design, Baltimore, Maryland. Contractor: TKT Home Improvements, Jarrettsville, Maryland.