Laura Eckstein Jones Laura Eckstein Jones | April 5, 2021 | Home & Real Estate, HBAT Home, HBBO Home, HBCA Home, HBCH Home, HBCM Home, HBMI Home, HBNY Home, HBSC Home, HBTX Home, HBCM Profiles,
With his new app, The Expert, Jake Arnold has made access to some of the world’s top designers a simple click away.
Arnold is co-founder of The Expert.
Wunderkind designer Jake Arnold rose the ranks quickly after moving from his native England to L.A., where he worked with notables like Woodson & Rummerfield’s and Estee Stanley before leading interiors at 4C Design Group.
A Los Angeles living room designed by Jake Arnold
Now, the founder of Studio Jake Arnold has made a name for himself for his elegant work for high-profile clients like John Legend and Chrissy Teigen, Aaron Paul, Dan Levy and more.
A sophisticated kitchen by Arnold
Recently, he’s implemented his talent and design world connections into a new tech platform called The Expert, a one-of-a-kind online tool that links clients from anywhere in the world to renowned interior designers— including Leanne Ford, Brigette Romanek, Martin Brudnizki, Kishani Perera and more—for virtual consultations.
A dining room designed by The Expert-enlisted designer Paloma Contreras
“When the global lockdown hit, I was getting an influx of design-related messages on Instagram and started experimenting with video content on my feed,” says Arnold. After trying Zoom consultations with potential clients, Arnold, along with his best friend, Leo Seigal, who’s started many successful tech brands, decided to create a more formal platform. “We came to this ‘aha’ moment where we could create an easy-to-use platform for not only me to expand my reach, scope and clientele,” he explains, “but also those of my peers and friends in the industry.”
Sarah Sherman Samuel, also available for consultations on The Expert, designed this bedroom in soothing tones.
The Expert will certainly change the way people approach interior design, but that’s not all. “It’s really demystifying the luxury design process, while still keeping it incredibly personal and sophisticated,” says Arnold. “You no longer need to have the typical scopes and minimum budgets to work with designers whose work you really admire; you can decide to change up one room, and get that accomplished with immediate expert advice and resources,” he continues. “From the designer perspective, it’s opened up our ability to maximize our time, and geographically it’s amazing to be able to work with and help customers across the country and overseas.”
Photography by: FROM TOP: PHOTO COURTESY OF CLARKE TOLTON; PHOTO COURTESY OF: MICHAEL CLIFFORD; PHOTO COURTESY OF: MICHAEL CLIFFORD; PHOTO COURTESY OF: AIMEE MAZZENGA; PHOTO COURTESY OF: MATTHEW WILLIAMS AND JOHN STOFFER