From a very young age, Jade Bøye has always been creative. She has a wonderful backstory that led her to where she is today, bringing interior design to life to the common person, and also a celebrity or two, including Ira Losco and Sean Gravina! Jade is also a homemaker with her husband, two children, and a dog! Listen to the full podcast below.
‘When I was around 14 years old, my parents decided to refurbish the bungalow that we were living in. I got really into it! I would know how much the budget was and we would go to several stores and choose everything. We would go through all the elements that were required to remodel the space. I was young but also very mature for my age.’
Drawing and being creative has always been Jade’s hobby and refurbishing the bungalow was simply the start to an eventful journey.
‘Straight after we redesigned the bungalow, my dad bought another property and he asked me to take a look at the layout. I started picking out materials. He also owned a hardware store and he thought of opening up an interior design shop. It was a perfect combination. After school, I would go do my homework at the office and then after I would deal with the clients at our shop. We used to go to people’s homes, and we used to give them tips & tricks, fix their lighting, issues with moulds, etc. I loved it!’
Unfortunately, due to her parents’ divorce, Jade’s family decided to close the interior design shop.
‘I had to make a big decision there. I decided to study something that would never out me put of a job ever again. I decided to do the ACCA which is far away from being an artist. But I’m so glad that I did that because it gave me the skills that I had to get to build my own business.’
‘I was working in an accounting firm and made my way up to an auditor, and it was so boring for me. At one point, I remember one of the owners telling me that he needed the work done by the end of the week and I gave in my resignation there and then. I was doing a good job, but I wanted to push myself back into the creative industry.’
After a few other jobs in an events company and being head of operations at an international software company, all while doing her Masters degree, Jade’s main goal was to find a job that was creative but also came with flexible hours since she also wanted to build a family and have children.
‘When I got pregnant it wasn’t plain sailing for me. I was hospitalised for two weeks, and I had to let my job go because the doctor said that I needed to avoid stress at all costs for me not to lose the baby. That’s when I started painting again and I had a bit of a break there. I started to think about what I really wanted to do. We bought a villa in Ibragg, and I got back into that 14-year-old girl doing up her bungalow with her parents. Then I started full-blast on interior design training. I did a lot of courses to support this. I made sure that I had a good background on what I was doing.’
However, Jade couldn’t fulfil her dream just yet. The villa in Ibragg came with a lot of loans so she went back to getting a job in a gaming company. However, when she got pregnant for the second time, she resigned from her role since she didn’t want to cause unnecessary stress on the baby.
‘We were in a better place financially, by then. We sold the villa, and we bought a penthouse with the money. So, I was then able to start my own business!’
‘My job is to create the feeling that the client wants to feel when they walk into the space. In Malta, people don’t think that they need an interior designer. Some people get away with it but some love what they see and buy it and it will not match with their space. There are certain things that they miss out on. Sometimes, all you need is a focus point, and the rest of the items in the space can be less expensive. That’s where an interior designer can help. You need to know where you need to spend your money.’
Jade is full of creativity, intellect, and knowledge and she is not afraid to share it on her social media.
‘I don’t mind giving free advice – I do it all the time. It’s me. There are so many people out there who need help that I don’t mind sharing. What am I going to lose? I’ve been doing social media since 2017 and it’s only been a year since I bloomed. People didn’t know what I did so that helped me a lot. In Malta, it’s not normal for a designer to also be a project manager. That became a plus for me and I wanted to show that I do that.’
Jade had her fair share of designing many spaces, including Ira Losco and Sean Gravina’s space!
‘I literally went on her page and there was her number. Howard picked up and gave me her number and I called her two minutes later and she told me to come over to discuss it. They were very blessed about the whole thing as it was a good deal. I had a lot of suppliers on board, and she said yes! The reveal was the actual reveal for Ira because she’s so busy, but she loved it.’
Jade explains that there are some nerve-wracking moments in her job.
‘I follow the clients’ guidelines and it’s a process. There were some instances where clients tell me to just go for it and that’s nerve-wracking. When I have to reveal the designs, I’ll be so nervous about it and get opinions from close friends and parents to see if I need to change anything.’
Growing up, Jade watched several interior design shows which instigated her passion even more.
‘I remember my favourite was Fixer Upper by Chip and Joanna Gaines. She used to live in a farm on Texas and she gave me the idea of flipping houses. They used to do it in a country and organic way, but they also mixed vintage in it. It was a charming way to flip a house – refurbishing the space to look more your style and functionality. It’s essentially what I do to a space.’
We asked Jade one final question – What is it about interior design that makes it so important?
‘Interior design makes a huge difference! You either want to be home or out of the house. If you’re not happy to be in that space, there is something wrong. When someone gets so excited about the space I describe, it changes their whole outlook on being home. People need a nice space to be in, a comfortable space.’
Thank you Jade, for being on our podcast. We wish you every single success. It was a pleasure to listen to your story about how you make someone’s space loveable! Listen to the full podcast below.
