Barstow native finalist in Martha Stewart design contest
BARSTOW • Barstow native Diana Jess drew, doodled and dabbled in graphics from the time she was a child.
Her designs could go from the door of her mother’s refrigerator to the pages of “Martha Stewart Living” magazine, as the designer and home business owner is now a finalist in the Martha Stewart American Made contest. She is among the top 100 home business crafters out of 2,000 contestants.
“I’m just so proud of her,” said her mother, Maureen Bates, of Barstow. “She’s doing really well ... I could talk forever.”
Jess designs modern, eco-friendly baby mobiles using clean lines, fun shapes and bright colors.
She said her first mobile design was a birthday gift for her daughter’s second birthday.
“Some of the first designs ... the bunny and the kitty .... before she turned two, she would be completely excited every time she’d see a kitty or a picture of a bunny,” Jess said.
A graduate of the Arts Center, she began event design for large corporations in Germany and the United States. Jess designed for clients such as the National Museum of Liverpool, the Adler Planetarium and the Empire State Building.
Jess said she left a successful but demanding design career to be home with her daughter.
But she never stopped designing.
Jess’ mobiles are made of laser cut, low-impact eco-plastic. The material is certified for its recycled content by the U.S. Green Building Council and is also independently certified for clean interior environments by GREENGUARD.
“Once I started designing, my ultimate goal is to design family friendly furniture that’s still modern, and stays true to who I am as a designer,” Jess said. “The eco-friendly plastic, it’s really safe for the air kids breath and it’s made of recycled content, which is kind of rare in a lot of children’s products.”
Of the finalists, 10 entrepreneurs will be selected by voters to win $10,000 and be featured in the “Martha Stewart Living” magazine. Voting will continue until Monday at AmericanMade.MarthaStewart.com.
To see more of Jess’ designs visit www.DianaJessDesigns.com.
Contact the writer:
(760) 256-4123 or klucia@desertdispatch.com
