Renaissance man is finding peace in order

June 22, 2021

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Out In Jersey magazine Special Features editor and interior designer Johnny Walsh

Johnny Walsh and J. Edwards Design

Interior Design by Johnny Walsh at J. Edwards Design

Johnny Walsh has always loved interior design. From a very early age, he would “experiment” in his bedroom, moving furniture, trying new colors and accents. When it was time for college, he planned to study design and architecture but was steered towards the piano. Johnny is also a concert pianist, but that’s a story for another day.

As part of his community outreach through his church, where he was music director, he would have people come to his home. They would experience his design aesthetic first-hand and say, “I want you to make my house look like this!” This opened the door for his passion to take hold and, through word of mouth, led to several jobs, including some rather large kitchen and bathroom remodels.

This past year, during the “lockdown,” Johnny focused his attention to gain a presence online and officially launched his interior design company, J. Edward Design.

Johnny Walsh design at J. Edwards Design

A visit to his website will give you a tantalizing glimpse of his previous work and filling out the contact form will start the process. Through your conversations with the designer, and before you’re asked, “What’s your favorite color,” Johnny wants to know, “What do you love? What are your passions?”

Through this dialogue, a picture begins to form. Asking you to share images of things you like, pictures of furnishings, accents, etc., brings your specific design wants and needs into clearer focus. You’ll be assigned a bucket of hours, which would include “mood boards,” a 3D virtual walk-through, shopping hours, etc. Johnny either works with his own contractor or yours to bring the design to life. Although he’s certainly able to get “down and dirty in all the right ways” for a project!

Kitchen design by Johnny Walsh at J. Edwards Design

Are there parallels between Johnny’s music and room design? “Absolutely. One cool thing about creativity and music is when you perform, it is the fruition of all the hard work you put in to create a masterpiece. It’s the same with design. At the end of the project, you look around and think, this is what I’ve been practicing for. This is my show!”