Whether it’s looking good on the red carpet or choosing the right area rug for their home, a growing number of celebrities are turning to JSN STUDIO in Los Angeles for styling help, earning co-founders Adair Curtis and Jason Bolden “power couple” recognition by The Hollywood Reporter.
In establishing themselves as influential figures in the fashion, interior design and entertainment industries, the two stars of popular Netflix reality shows Styling Hollywood and Instant Dream Home have also served as “an inspiration to countless Black LGBTQ+ families,” according to advocacy group Family Equity.
For Curtis, his interior design creative flair dates back to his teens, growing up in a full household. “When I did get my own little space, I would always design it,” he remembers. “My earliest memories are of me rearranging rooms.” He spent what little money he had on paint swatches and furniture from estate sales and vintage shops. “It was a creative outlet, something personal and fun.”
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After starting as an intern at VH1, Curtis was working as the brand manager at a major entertainment company when he first met Bolden. At that time, Bolden was running a celebrated vintage store in New York City that drew a long list of celebrities. The two started dating (they married in 2012) and then began working together before founding JSN STUDIO ten years ago.
One of the pair’s latest projects has been Damn, I Miss Paris, a West Hollywood cocktail bar whose opening is imminent as Curtis speaks with WayMaker Journal. As travel enthusiasts, they wanted to share some of the romance and culture they appreciated in one of their favorite cities. “You can touch it,” he says of the French capital’s distinctive style. “That electricity, that magnetism.”
“You can take your cool off because everything else around you has already been thought of.”
While their new venue is inspired by somewhere far away, it’s largely sourced locally. “The makers of all our furniture are right in the neighborhood,” Curtis says. “You can walk from the bar to their workshop.” The partners are aspiring to host a spot that’s elegant but easygoing at the same time. “We wanted to create a space where you come in, you enjoy the cocktails, you love the vibe, you love the food and you don’t want to leave, but you don’t have to. You can take your cool off because everything else around you has already been thought of.”
Instant Dream Home
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Not so serious
The partners tend to “stay in their lanes” of expertise, says Curtis—his include interior design and being more hands-on business operations-wise, while Bolden is the fashion master—but they enjoy working together under the same creative umbrella. Thriving as business partners as well as life partners takes intentionality, he says.
Both men come from large families, “so we bring all of that to the relationship . . . you have stuff you have to sort through and figure out and manage. Having things flourish and grow, you have to think about how you’re watering these things—these entities, these relationships. It’s challenging, but it’s not impossible and especially since I got the taste of working with my husband, I wouldn’t want to do it any other way.”
Adair’s WayMaker
I met Paul Butler [President and Chief Transformation Officer, New America] when he was the senior legal counsel at VH1 and I was an intern. He was really instrumental in opening my eyes to a much larger world than I was exposed to. [One day, I said to him ] I’d been told I needed to get a mentor, and would he [consider being mine]? He asked, “What does that mean to you?” So we broke it all the way down. I said, “Sir, I’m not going to be a disturbance to your life. I just need some help, some guidance here and there.” That was a long time ago now, but Paul has always been there, both in a professional and a personal capacity, like a big brother, to help guide me.
For all the glamor and glitz of the world they move in (and help dress and decorate), Curtis and Bolden aim to stay grounded. “We don’t take ourselves that serious,” Curtis says, because if you do, “the fun kind of just escapes you.”
That’s not to say they don’t treat their work seriously—you have to when design involves things like structural changes, notes Curtis. “Those can have some really lasting effects if not done with a measure of seriousness. But at the same time, we can be light about it and we can explore. We can have fun. We can do some crazy things that might not make it to the end of the project, but we can play.
“This is our one shot, and so let’s not squander it on being so serious.”
Holiday Hospitality: Adair Curtis’ guide to ‘taking your cool off’
From his work with life and business partner Jason Bolden designing intimate home spaces and their new Hollywood cocktail bar, Adair Curtis knows a thing or two about how to create an environment where you can relax (or “take your cool off,” as he puts it).
Here are some suggestions for throwing an enjoyable party this holiday season.
- THINK ALL SENSES. Cater to guests’ sight, smell, taste buds and more. “What are they going to smell when they walk in the door? What will catch their eye? What will you offer them to eat and drink?”
- MAKE IT COZY. Use warm lighting to establish the mood—maybe candles or a soft electric setting. Go for something ambient; a low yellow, warm, glowy light always does the trick.
- CHOOSE YOUR SPOTS. Designate different areas for particular functions. Consider having a space for mingling, another for lounging and chatting and one for dancing. Pay particular attention to where you’re going to eat and how that will feel.
- SAVOR THE MOMENTS. Encourage people to put their phones away so they are fully present. Have a “designated photographer” or even hire one, so you can share the memories later.
“And I think for me and Jason as well, life is, ‘This is our one shot, and so let’s not squander it on being so serious that we squeeze the life out of things in a bad way, not the best way.’”
Curtis and Bolden were honored with the 2022 LA Impact Visionary Award by Family Equity, which advocates for family equality for the LGBTQ+ community and where Curtis now serves on the board. As parents, the two men want their son, Arrow Fox, to benefit from rich experiences and enriching relationships.
“We think that it’s really important for young Black boys to be surrounded by a plethora of different people just so that they can understand the world is super diverse, the world is really big,” says Curtis. “So that means getting the opportunity to see and travel, meet people who are from different backgrounds, eat their food, understand their customs. And that just really is exposure.”
Then there is the importance of good mentors (see sidebar). Curtis speaks of growing up without a father in his life for a time: “Fortunately, my mom had the foresight to be able to surround me with other Black men who weren’t my dad, but took me under their wings to show me what’s expected of me as a Black man. And I think that we all should have that opportunity.”
From an interview with Nia Batts
