Our first 20x20 collaborator is Justina Blakeney, designer, author and founder of JUNGALOW. She first gained notoriety (and a huge following) as a design blogger with her more-is-more approach to bohemian style. Over the years, Justina has transformed her platform into a thriving lifestyle brand, designing everything from home goods to wallpaper and shoes to stationery. Justina’s aesthetic, saturated with color, texture, plants and prints, feels like an antidote to the ordinary in design and in life. We were thrilled to work with Justina on this project and help her translate her ethos of bringing “good vibes home” into yet another medium – fine jewelry!

What was the idea or inspiration behind this piece?

I designed this collection while dreaming of where the sky meets the sea. My hope is that these pieces remind you of a serene space with endless possibilities for the future. I love chunky jewelry for special occasions, but I wear dainty pieces everyday, and so I designed these pieces to be like talismans-- a little something special that's light enough to wear all of the time and radiates a little bit of joy all day long. The suns, stars and shells are meant to symbolize this idea of being close to the heavens and the earth -- staying grounded but always reaching and growing and dreaming...

How does designing jewelry differ from creating a piece of art?

As an artist, I love to create and bring new concepts to life, my process doesn't change so much across different media -- whether I'm designing a room, a pillow, a shoe, a sofa or a necklace, I first dream big, then sketch, then edit.

What was your favorite part of the jewelry design process with Zoe?

Zoe was wonderful to work with. I love her attention to detail --all the little choices of material, weight, quality and scale that help to make the design sing. I'm a very BIG picture type of designer so I love to collaborate with other designers that have that level of thoughtful consideration and meticulousness around details.

Why is this charity that you chose close to your heart?

I love the ACLU because from social and racial justice to environmentalism to LGBTQIA rights, the ACLU is always on the front lines making shit happen.  

What's your favorite way to style the necklaces?

More is more! As a true maximalist, I love layering and piling up different pieces of jewelry to create my own signature look. My favorite thing about this design is that it's such a versatile piece that can be dressed up with all three necklaces for more of a statement, or wear one of the pieces paired with a simple stud to feel beautiful everyday, even in quarantine.