Portrait No. 001
Jessa Giarratano
Founder
Aprespace
I started Aprespace because I saw firsthand how relationships, mentorship, and access to opportunity can shape a career. Throughout my time in the hospitality design industry, I learned that success is often driven not just by talent, but by the people willing to share knowledge, make introductions, and create opportunities for others. What had the biggest impact on me was when I took the leap to start my own firm. Colleagues and peers immediately began referring projects, sharing advice, and opening doors. Many of the people who supported me in those early days were talented women who generously shared opportunities, advice, and encouragement. Their example showed me the power of building a business through collaboration and community. That experience shaped how I wanted to build Aprespace. I believe the best design comes from collaboration, curiosity, and a willingness to learn from different perspectives. As I grow the firm, I’m focused on creating thoughtful, experience-driven spaces that balance beauty, functionality, and a strong sense of place. My goal is to continue building a practice that delivers meaningful design while contributing to the evolution of the hospitality and residential design industries.
In her words
“With over a decade in hospitality-focused interior design and 40+ projects completed, I’ve dedicated my career to creating rich, layered, and memorable interiors. Now, as founder of Aprèspace, I focus on delivering innovative design solutions that bring one-of-a-kind, highly curated projects, anchored in strong storytelling, to life.”
Chapter I
The toughest challenges you've faced as a founder.
Starting a company felt incredibly high stakes because I was stepping into an entirely new role. The design work came naturally after years in the industry, but building a business was a different challenge altogether. Learning how to structure fees, develop proposals, manage finances, and create a sustainable business model were skills I hadn't been taught at larger firms. In the early days, I leaned on mentors, friends, and family for advice, learning through experience and refining my approach with every project. Three years in, pitching new clients feels second nature, and I've built a steady stream of inbound opportunities. For the first time, I’m in a position to be selective about the projects we take on, allowing us to focus on work that aligns with our vision and expertise and work with clients we actually want to work with. One of the most impactful decisions I’ve made has been building the right team. Bringing on the right collaborators with complementary expertise elevated the quality of my work and strengthened the business as a whole. It also gave me the ability to step back from wearing every hat at once and focus on growth, strategy, and design leadership. Because of that, the projects and the business are stronger than ever.
Chapter II
Your vision.
As I was building my design business, I pushed myself to network relentlessly—sometimes attending four or more events a week, many of them in tech, founder, and AI circles. I often found myself in rooms where I was the only interior designer, surrounded by people speaking an entirely different professional language. Over time, something shifted. Through constant exposure and conversation, I gained a deeper understanding of how technology and AI were transforming industries far beyond design. I became fascinated not only by the tools themselves, but by the ways people were using them to solve problems, build businesses, and create new opportunities. That experience broadened my perspective as both a designer and a founder. It showed me the value of looking beyond my own industry and bringing ideas from other disciplines into my work. Today, I continue to explore how emerging technologies can support creativity, innovative materiality, improve workflows, and help my team work more efficiently—without losing the human intuition and craftsmanship that make great design possible. As I grow Aprespace, I'm excited to be part of the conversation about the future of design, helping bridge the gap between traditional creative practices and the tools that are reshaping how we work.
Chapter III
The impact you want to leave behind — for your industry, your community, and the women who come next.
I want to leave behind an industry that feels more open — where access, knowledge, and opportunity aren’t gatekept, and where women actively create space for each other instead of competing for limited seats at the table. In design, that means raising the standard while proving that collaboration can be just as powerful as competition. I want to build a business that not only delivers exceptional work, but also creates opportunities — through referrals, mentorship, and transparency — especially for other women coming up behind me. Beyond design, I want to demystify AI and emerging technology for creatives. There’s so much fear and overwhelm around it, and I’ve seen how empowering it can be when people actually understand how to use it. I want to bridge that gap so more people — especially women — feel confident stepping into spaces they might otherwise feel excluded from. Ultimately, my impact is about access: opening doors, sharing knowledge, and making it easier for the next generation to build on their own terms. I’m also driven to create projects that go beyond design — spaces where real life happens: where people meet the love of their life, build friendships, and create moments that stay with them forever.