Jana Platina Phipps, Style Influencer

Founder of Home Couture Collective aka Trim Queen

In 1998 at Showtime, Jana presented a collection of fashion-forward trimmings that launched her carreer in home furnishings. More than twenty years later she reigns as the Trim Queen, an expert in the use of embellishment for décor, fashion and DIY. Jana customizes textile programs for the home industry and consults for manufacturers, using her skills at connecting and collaborating to activate business growth. As the Trim Queen, she chronicles how she and the design community use trimmings as a powerful design tool. “Embellishment is a creative form of self-expression,” Jana believes. She teaches Trim Alchemy, the concept of turning the ordinary into the extraordinary using trim via seminars, handson workshops, and on her social media channels. Jana is an influencer, educator, and mentor and recently started teaching “Instagram Agility” to help companies and creatives leverage their social media for branding and customer engagement. She leads industry design tours during High Point Market and in New York City, and in 2019 launched Maker Tourism, an annual artisan-focused tour in Venice, Italy. Jana lives in an historic home in New York’s Hudson River Valley with her husband Lang, and their two children Wilton and Giovanna.

What are your favorite sources of inspiration?

I look to artists, artisans, and couturiers for inspiration like Bisa Butler, The Ladd Brothers, BelPozo, Antonia Sautter. I am fascinated by the convergence of hand and machine and the exponential creativity that results. Recently, I have been upcycling machinemade trimmings to create one-of-a-kind pieces, like an RBG-inspired jabot, hand-manipulating metallic soutache into passementerie. I also designed and donated a decorative plate to ART’s HEARTS Awards and Charity event to debut at Dallas Market. I also designed an embellished decorative plate for the #Hearts4Hunger charity event featuring gold-painted raffia fringe with a hand-manipulated heart made of woven braid.

What’s the last gift you gave someone, or a go-to host-hostess gift you give?

A tassel-clad bottle of Aprerol bitters to make Venetian Spritzes of course!

You’re a new addition to the crayon box. What color would you be and what name would you have?

Venetian Green. The opaque blue/green waters of Venice have long been an inspiration since I studied there my ‘junior year abroad.” Only recently, I realized that my brand color palette subconsciously incorporated some antiqued hues from Venetian architecture, dress from the Settecento, and the ancient lagoon.

What are your favorite colors or color combinations?

Venetian Green, Aqua, Coral, Dijon, Champagne, Soft Black, and Poppy

What is your favorite quote/words of wisdom?

Experience is an interior decoration.

What is your favorite vacation destination?

Venice, Jaipur and anywhere I can play tennis and paddle board.

Do you prefer book or kindle?

Book for texture!

Do you prefer concerts, plays or movies?

I adore live music. My husband is a drummer and my daughter is a vocalist. Musicianship is a talent I do not possess, and I admire the skill, creative process, intimacy, and the transportive nature of music.

What is your dream project or collaboration?

My dream project is to collaborate with the Michelangelo Foundation, to master the art of passementerie and create a body of work to exhibit.

What’s your favorite app?

Besides Instagram, CANVA is my go-to!

What’s your favorite Instagram account you follow?

@ButchwaxVintage @JillSeale @RedEggFurniture @Marroquin_Ruben

What are your go-to paint colors?

I live in a Bavarianstyle house in the woods with an interior in Linen White, Fortunata Gold, Urchin and Charcoal.

Do you have a favorite coffee table or interior design book?

Fringe, Frog & Tassel, Burning Man - Art on Fire, and the photography of Louise Dahl-Wolfe

What is your favorite thing to do when you’re not working?

I love playing tennis; it’s healthy, mindful and social. Also, you can’t take yourself too seriously because it’s a sport where perfection is untenable.

What recent professional or personal accomplishment are you most proud of?

During Covid I launched an online training called Instagram Agility and am so pleased by the results my students are achieving. Personally, I just completed my certification as an official Tennis Instructor. And surviving a teenage daughter is quite an accomplishment too.

Do you have a favorite charity or one you like to support?

New Era Creative Space is a local organization that empowers young people from diverse backgrounds to explore their innate creative capabilities and engage in social action, through art, theater and community.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given? You can have it all, just not at the same time.

What’s still on your professional bucket list? Create a Maker Tour in India.