Serving Classic | Fresh | Smart for 16 (or 46?) Years
- Jennifer DeWitt
- 6 days ago
- 4 min read
Our tagline, Classic | Fresh | Smart, has been our North Star for 16 years in business, and at 46 years old, I’ve never felt more connected to those three words than I do today.
What started as a way to describe how we approach interior design has become so much more than that. It’s literally how I’ve always seen the world, whether I’m specifying a sofa or getting dressed in the morning. And since so many of you have been loving the fashion content I’ve been sharing lately, I thought it was the perfect time to pull back the curtain and show you exactly what Classic | Fresh | Smart means to me, both in a room and in an outfit.
The Philosophy
In a nutshell, balance is what we’re after, and a table with three legs will always be more stable than a table with four. What I mean by that is: when you start to incorporate too many ideas, things get wobbly. So these three basic tenets are your foundation for both balanced rooms and a balanced wardrobe - but don’t worry! “Balanced” doesn’t mean boring. Quite the contrary! This method will help your rooms and your outfits feel more interesting, because they’ll be so well pulled together.
Classic gives you longevity. Fresh keeps things from feeling stuffy or dated. Smart means every choice is intentional and actually works for your life.
Gone are the days where we’re following trends blindly or sticking so rigidly to tradition that nothing feels current. We’re looking for that sweet spot where timelessness meets today, beauty meets function, and investment pieces play beautifully with something new and unexpected.
Let me show you what I mean.
Classic | Fresh | Smart in a Room
Take the room above. We start with a classic tuxedo sofa in a beautiful neutral velvet—something that could live in this room for the next 20 years and still feel relevant. The antique-inspired chest adds another element of classic style, along with the octagonal mirror. The aesthetics are traditional, the lines are timeless, and the quality is high.
Marbled wallpaper lines the backs of the built-in bookcases, harkening to the beautiful end pages of antique leatherbound books. (Very classic!)
Then we bring in something fresh: a pair of modern chairs with open, upholstered arms. A contemporary lamp that functions almost as a sculpture, and a white plaster table with a hint of minimalism. Perhaps it’s even just the way we style the coffee table—a stack of art books, a single-stemmed brass flower, and a tray studded with golden spheres. These items all feel very current.
And the smart part? That’s where we make sure this room actually works for how you live. The sofa fabric is performance velvet because this is home to a family with pets and grandkids. The rug is a stain-resistant broadloom carpet, cut and bound to the exact shape and size we needed for the space. The lighting is on dimmers because ambiance matters. Every beautiful choice is also a practical one.
The result? A room that feels collected, current, and completely livable. Not a showroom, not a time capsule—just a really beautiful room that makes you happy every time you walk into it.
Classic | Fresh | Smart in an Outfit
Now let’s talk about getting dressed, using the exact same approach.
SHOP THIS LOOK BELOW:
Start with something classic like a well-cut blazer and a crisp white button-down. These are your foundational pieces—the things that never let you down, that you reach for again and again. I love this Smythe blazer I found on major sale last year because the cut is so classic, but the color is so me!
Add something fresh: the polka dot button down is an unexpected pairing with this plaid, and I’m here for it. Other ways to make this look fresh: rolling up your sleeves a certain way or adding a pop of an on-trend color in a silk neckerchief. This is what keeps your classic pieces from feeling like a uniform.
And, so that we are always smart, we’re choosing pieces that actually fit your lifestyle. I was running around all day in those loafers, not stilettos, because it was a day packed with client meetings and I needed to look alive and be on my a-game. Impractical shoes would have just worn me out. Smart means you look polished and feel comfortable.
When you put it all together, you look like yourself, just the most pulled-together, current version of yourself. Not like you’re wearing a costume or trying too hard—just effortlessly chic in a way that feels authentic.
The Connection
See what I mean? Whether it’s a room or an outfit, the philosophy is identical. Invest in quality classics that stand the test of time. Keep things feeling current with fresh, unexpected touches. Make smart choices that support how you actually live.
This is what I’ve been doing for 16 years in interiors, and it’s exactly what I do when I get dressed every morning. The same eye, the same approach, just a different canvas.
And here’s what I love most: once you start seeing things through this lens, it becomes second nature. You stop buying things just because they’re trendy or just because they’re “safe.” You start building a home—and a closet—full of things that work together beautifully, that reflect who you are, and that make your daily life better.
Your Turn
I’d love to hear from you: do you have a philosophy that guides both how you decorate and how you dress? What are your non-negotiables in a room or an outfit? Head over to Instagram and send me a DM @rclinteriors. I’m always here for these conversations.
Here’s to 16 more years of Classic | Fresh | Smart in everything we do.
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