25 Years of Luxury Interior Design 

in Vero Beach —

Would you believe me if I told you that 25 years of luxury interior design in Vero Beach all started with a crumpled message pulled from a trash can?

Well, indeed it did. And I have the furniture to prove it.

The Office, The Slip of Paper, and the Nerve to Make the Call

Back when I was working at a design firm here in Vero Beach, the office ran the old-fashioned way. When you came back from a site visit or a client meeting, your messages were waiting for you — handwritten slips of paper, divided by name, tucked into little slots on the wall. There was also a carbon copy binder that logged every call that came in.

One afternoon I was desperately digging through that binder trying to track down a message I had lost. And that's when I spotted it. A message for a potential project in Stuart — where I lived at the time.

I asked the receptionist about it. She told me the designer had passed. Too far. Already tossed.

Most people would have left it there. I didn't.

I gathered my nerves, subtly sneaked that message into my pocket, and not long after made the call. That call became my first client. And that first client is what led me to start Intrinsic Designs in 2001 — now Jill Shevlin Design in 2026.

What My Very First Project Looked Like

Keep in mind, this was 2001, just before digital photos.  These were film photos.

And just to make it a little more interesting, below are the BEFORE pictures, before I did any work.  Sorry for the terrible images, but you get the idea.  

That first project was in Sailfish Point in Stuart. I was young, and I had endless energy to make my new business work. The design direction was to be collected and warm and believe it or not, the entire color concept came from a Williams Sonoma blue and yellow dinner plate.  Something like the plates below.  For some reason in my  mind I recall a sun image, but I couldn't find that actual image. 

West Indies was all the rage at the time. Rich dark wood, layered textures, and furniture with real presence. I still remember the selections like it was yesterday Palecek, Baker, British Khaki, Lexington, and a vintage Asian cabinet from Pierce Martin that was the jewel of the whole project.

I still work with those amazing clients today. And I know you know who you are Thank You! 

For trusting me then, and for still being a part of my life now.

25 Years Later — A Scroll That Stopped Me Cold

Fast forward to recently. I was scrolling Instagram when I stopped. I recognized furniture in a post and some thing about it felt familiar. I dug a little deeper, hit that link in bio, and ended up visiting the designers website, and realized ---

IT WAS THAT VERY FIRST PROJECT

Click the link below to see those photos. Do you recognize the original furniture?

CLICK HERE FOR CURRENT DESIGNER PHOTOS 

The home has been redesigned. But the furniture I selected in 2001- Still there. Still the same core pieces in most of the rooms. A completely new version of design, but the same furniture.

I'll be honest — I've returned to other homes I've designed over the years and not even recognized them. They had changed so much I couldn't place myself in them at all. That's the product of working in one area for 25 years. Things evolve, styles shift. But every now and then, something stays exactly where you put it.

Mixed Emotions Finding My First Project on Instagram

I have to say, I wasn't quite sure what to think at first. I landed on pride.

With an affinity for and a love of all things old, I almost always try to work existing pieces into a remodel or a move. Good bones deserve a second life. Call me sentimental.  And yet I find myself saying it more often than you'd think, it's time to let it go.

So to see something I did so long ago still in the rooms,  I can't help but feel good about it.

Twenty-five years of luxury interior design in Vero Beach has taught me a lot. How to listen, how to read a space. How to work with all kinds of various people through the beautiful chaos of building or reimagining a home. My style has evolved enormously, coastal luxury looks very different today than it did in 2001. 

I can't help but wonder.... Has it really changed that much?

Yes that's my Carrie Bradshaw moment (wink)

Good Design Stays

That 2001 furniture is still there. And it started it ALL.

When one day, I worked up the nerve, to take a message out of the trash and make that phone call.