Modern Decor That's Perfect For Anyone: A Chat With Jessica Starr

Jessica Starr is the founder of The Old Barn, a portfolio of interior decor, lifestyle, and DIY projects. Inspired by the simple pleasures of life, Jessica promotes clean, open, and inviting living spaces with signature modern decor.

She features as one of the interior designers for the Puffy Interior Design Showcase, where she puts her bedroom front and center for cozy comfort that stays timeless and elegant.

Modern decor focuses on clean silhouettes, simple color palettes, and high-quality pieces. Jessica proves that modern decor is a lot more than stuffy-looking furniture.

Instead, it can also be about inviting a sense of classic comfort in your home, one that doesn’t go out of style, but stays looking fresh and current regardless of the season.

Learn more about what Jessica thinks some of the most important tips for creating a modern bedroom are, and how you can recreate them in your own home.

What 3 words would you use to describe your interior design style?

Modern. Cozy. Classic.

You walk into your bedroom after a long day - what do you look forward to most? 

After a long day, I look forward to folding down the sheets and sliding in bed. I love to feel the bed nestle me, and absorb my tensions. It’s almost like a soothing hug at the end of the day.

My bedroom is both tranquil and beautiful.

What inspires you when you redecorate?

I’ll often find a piece that inspires a room design. It could be a furniture piece, art, rug, or even a small decor item like a pottery bowl. I love for rooms to have a focal point (or even two, sometimes), which serves as an anchor of the room.

In the family room, it’s often a fireplace, and in the bedroom, it’s usually the bed.

When it comes to bedroom design, what would say are the 3 biggest challenges? 

The bedroom can be tricky because of the massive size of the bed itself. Scale becomes an issue because smaller items can get lost next to large furniture.

Another design challenge with bedrooms I see is that many people don’t know how to make furniture and fabrics coordinate without having it all be from one set. Modern decor looks and feels best when everything is chosen separately for the space.

Some items can match to keep a cohesive look, but if everything is the exact same, your space will lack personality, style, and character. Most people, myself included, often want a neutral or monochromatic look in the bedroom because it’s calming and restful. If this isn’t done right, however, it can feel a bit stark.

Has your design style changed over the years? If so, what motivated you to change?

I think in the early years, my ‘style’ was heavily driven by my budget. Then I began doing architecture work designing multimillion-dollar homes and suddenly I had the age-old problem of champagne tastes with a beer budget.

I started looking for pieces I loved that would not go out of style in a couple of years, primarily because my budget could not afford to replace things that often. I found that styles with historic roots tend to be classic, and timeless. Those good quality, timeless pieces are worth paying a little more for.

What are five modern decor essentials that can transform the look of any bedroom?

• Headboard - Essential for creating a luxurious and cozy focal point, and sets the tone for the whole room.

• Bedding - Bedding does not need to be perfectly matching - I think it looks best when it is layered with varying textures, patterns, or colors. I love a bed to look plush and billowing, stacked and layered.

• Vertical Elements - Most of the furniture in a bedroom is lower to the ground, so draw the eye up with what is on your walls. Tall curtains, trim work, a tall mirror, wall art, even a pendant light fixture all add verticality to the room and make it feel less bottom-heavy.

• Secondary focal-point - I think bedrooms need something opposite the bed to balance the space. Many people have a TV across from their bed, so make it a beautiful focal point, and add some height with bookcases.

• Lighting - Lamps on the side tables, a dimmable chandelier in the center of the room, and pendants over the side tables are all great, and give variable options. I like to use matching lamps when the side tables are different from each other, for balance.

How important is a quality mattress?

A quality mattress is the most important thing in a bedroom. That running leap into bed could be painful if the mattress is hard - we spend a third of our lives in bed, so a high-quality, comfortable mattress is a must.

Can you describe the style and comfort of the Puffy Lux Mattress?

The Puffy Lux Mattress is the definition of luxurious comfort and coziness. I love Puffy because it feels both soft and supportive. Those qualities are not mutually exclusive. It is soft enough to fill in around you gently, while comfortably supporting your body.

My husband has had back problems in the past, and he always thought he needed a very firm mattress - he’s now a convert. We both LOVE our Puffy Lux Mattress, and he hasn’t had any back pain since we made the switch.

Sleep habits are changing, and people are more focused on creating tranquility at home. What do you think will be the biggest bedroom decor trend in 2023, and beyond?

There’s no question people spent more time at home and in their bedrooms in 2020 than in previous years. I think that trend will continue, with people wanting their once-neglected bedrooms to reflect more modern decor, and become a sanctuary.

With modern decor, there is a move towards coziness with plush fabrics, soft upholstered headboards, rugs, soft lighting, and fluffy down-filled pillows. 

Your Turn...

How do you keep your bedroom cozy using modern decor? Leave your comments or questions for Jessica below, and see more at the Puffy Interior Design Showcase.