Founder and Principal Designer – Bandura Design
Background
Jennifer Farris is the founder and principal of Bandura Design, a Washington, DC based interior design studio specializing in multifamily residential, hospitality, and mixed use environments. Her path into interior design was anything but traditional, shaped by a series of creative disciplines that ultimately led her to designing complete environments rather than individual objects.
She began by studying display and exhibit design before transferring into industrial design, where she explored furniture, product development, and environmental design. After graduating, she spent several years in New York creating custom retail fixtures, visual merchandising installations, and experiential environments for luxury brands.
A chance collaboration with an interior designer on a restaurant project changed the direction of her career. Seeing how an entire space could be shaped through design inspired her to pursue graduate studies in interior design, combining her background in fabrication and product design with a new understanding of architecture and interiors.
Years later, after leading the expansion of a respected design firm and helping build its second office, Farris launched Bandura Design, bringing together both her creative experience and her growing leadership skills.
Approach
Farris approaches every project by responding to its unique context rather than applying a signature aesthetic. Drawing from her early experience in retail and brand environments, she believes design should communicate the identity of the client and the community it serves.
Before beginning a project, the studio researches the surrounding neighborhood, local history, and cultural influences to develop concepts that feel authentic to their location. Whether designing a multifamily community or a hospitality environment, the goal is to create spaces that reflect their surroundings while supporting the people who use them.
Within the studio, Farris encourages curiosity and creative risk taking. She believes the strongest ideas often emerge when designers move beyond familiar solutions, challenging themselves to explore new possibilities while balancing creativity with functionality and technical execution.
Beyond Design
As Bandura Design approaches its tenth anniversary, Farris finds herself in a period of intentional reflection. A milestone that has prompted her to look back at what the studio has accomplished while thinking carefully about the next chapter.
As the studio has grown, she has become increasingly focused on leadership, mentorship, and the long term development of her team. She believes trust is fundamental to building a successful practice, giving designers the opportunity to take ownership of projects while providing the guidance and support needed to help them grow.
She is equally committed to improving the business itself, regularly stepping away from day to day operations to evaluate long term goals, leadership structure, and future opportunities. This intentional approach has shaped the evolution of the studio over the past decade and continues to guide its next stage of growth.
Farris also remains engaged in education and the broader design community. Having taught as an adjunct instructor, she values the process of breaking down complex design thinking into clear, teachable systems, an approach that continues to influence both how she leads her team and how she evaluates emerging technologies.
As she looks toward the future, she sees new tools, including artificial intelligence, as opportunities to improve efficiency while preserving the creative thinking that remains at the heart of the design process.
Jennifer Farris of Bandura Design on Finding Her Path, Building a Team, and Leading with Courage
