Designing a Legacy: Creativity, Commerce, and the Courage to Evolve with Corey Damen Jenkins

Season 7 of The Interior Collective Podcast is brought to you by Materio.This episode is brought to you in partnership with Loloi.An operating system built specifically for design projects—from start to finish. That’s what Materio is.From concept to handoff, client billing to procurement—it’s one connected workflow. Try it for free.It’s intuitive. It’s fast. The Interior Collective listeners get 50% off their first month. Just head to getmaterio.com to claim the offer. This episode is brought to you in partnership with LoloiSubscribe now at patreon.com/theinteriorcollective Welcome back to The Interior Collective. I’m your host, Anastasia Casey, and today’s guest is someone whose career I have admired for years — the incomparable Corey Damen Jenkins. As principal and CEO of Corey Damen Jenkins & Associates, Corey has built an internationally acclaimed design and architecture firm recognized for its fearless layering of color, pattern, and texture to create spaces that are nothing short of iconic. From being named to the Architectural Digest AD100 and ELLE Décor A-List to launching bestselling coffee table books, globally recognized licensed collections, and a MasterClass viewed by millions, Corey has redefined what it means to build a design business with both creative vision and commercial success. His work spans residential and hospitality projects across the U.S. and beyond, yet his ethos is always the same — putting the client’s personality and lifestyle at the center of the story. In our conversation, we’re diving into the moments of triumph and challenge behind the scenes, from scaling a team and developing product lines to building partnerships that feel authentic and lasting. Corey shares what it takes to stay creatively energized while leading a growing firm, why education and mentorship remain so central to his mission, and what we can expect from his highly anticipated second book, Design Reimagined, launching this fall. This is a conversation about design, yes — but it’s also about legacy, resilience, and the courage to evolve.