As is often the way with creatives, Jono Flemingโs career took many twists and turns before he found himself where he is today โ an accomplished stylist and interior designer. โMy goal was to work in a big fancy firm and do lots of beautiful high-end homes and I was very set on that being my only path. Then after about five years in the industry, I found myself a bit lost and not really approaching my work with my original passion,โ says Jono who is based in Sydney and graduated with a design degree from The Whitehouse Institute of Design.
Jonoโs career has taken him to unexpected places including a stint food styling in Italy. โThe last six years have been a series of pivots and swerves, with a side hustle in cooking and food styling whichย landed meย in Italy, cooking behind the scenes for a TV show.โ He then landed a job at online retailer Temple and Webster where he worked his way up to senior stylist before moving into magazines.
โI was running the studio and learning everything I could about studio photography and from there I was approached by Inside Outย magazine to take on theย role of style editor, my absolute dream job. Two years there and theย timing felt right to branch out on myย own and Iโm now working on a series of interiorsย projects with my own clients. It has come full circle,โ says Jono.
As for his signature style, he likes to keep his work inspirational but achievable. โDesign and styling can sometimes seem unreachable and impossible to achieve a certain look without spending lots of money. I find my bestย received work is a mix of low to mid-levelย pieces, itโs just the way of putting them togetherย that can elevate a room.โ
Describing himself as a curated maximalist, โitโs not clutter or junk as I very carefully choose which pieces I want but the stylist in me always adds one extra piece here and there.” Jono adds: “Itโs organised chaos and itโs not for everyone. I feel itโs important as a designer and a stylist to beย mindful of yourย clientโs needs.โ He often creates a more edited or diluted version of his own personal style for other people. โItโs totally understandable, and probably more practical too.โ
When it comes to inspiration, Jono looks to a wide range of disparate places including Pinterest, film and the great outdoors. โPiecing together a room is to tell a story. What areย the key pieces and where were they sourced? Does the wall colour remind you of a trip away somewhere or did you seeย something in a film you want to recreate? Inspiration is endless!โ says Jono who describes himself as equal parts nature lover and pop culture junkie.ย โHalf my time is spent hiking andย exploring outside, and the other half is holed upย watching old 1980โs films and bingeing shows, so I bring the world outside of interiors into my work a lot.โ
And speaking of Pinterest, one of his most โpinnedโ projects is his parentsโ farmhouse which was published and put on the cover ofย Inside Outย magazine. Grateful for the trust his parents put in him, the process also taught Jono the value of relatively โsimpleโ design โ no doubt an interesting lesson for a design maximalist. โWhat the process showed me was thatย designย doesnโt have to be complicated, with all the bells and whistles, to connect to an audience. The simple black and white bathrooms we designed have been shared across social media constantly and itโs truly humbling to see people looking to this work as inspiration in their own homes.โ
He adds: โIt was a deeply personal project. I designed it for my father, itโs his dreamย house and the time was right for him to be able to take the opportunity to build it. Theย trust my parents gave me to put forward their vision is something Iโllย always be thankful for.โ When they sold the family home of 30 years and bought a new forever home last year — a downsizer apartment with water views– it was perhaps no surprise they trusted their son once more, along with Strutt Studios, to design it. In another coup, just this week, it was published in Belle.
And as for the latest interior trends, while Jono does his best to shirk them, he admits to noticing a huge rise in the 1980โs/1990โs aesthetic of late. โWhilst I try and avoid trend talk tooย much, this is one Iโm so on board with!ย Big curvy shapes and chubby furniture; itโs the 80โs but in a much moreย designed and curated way. Itโs a very comforting andย welcoming aesthetic; furniture that hugs you! Donโt goย overboard though, you only need one or two pieces as a statement.โ
Looking to the future, Jono has aspirations to connect with a wider Australian audience with a view to educating them about their homes. โIโd like to teach people to elevate their personal style and get their homes looking the best they can be without buckling to the trends. At this point, I have a lot of ideas but Iโm approaching things one project at a time. Ideally, people willย eventually look to the Jono Fleming brand as a source of achievable inspiration, maybe with some product of mine they could buy at some stage.โ
For more on Jono Fleming | Meet designer Catherine Heraghty of The Stables