How? Through 1) my book, Paris by Design, 2) intimate design trips to France & beyond, 3) custom travel design, and 4) a much-loved weekly dispatch, Letters from Eva.
Welcome and bienvenue!
Contact me: hello@evajorgensen.com
When I was born, my parents took me home to their little apartment on Pacific Coast Highway in Redondo Beach, California. Marineland, eating avocado toast (before it was a thing), playing Nationball, reading surf magazines, schools with outdoor hallways… I was a California girl through and through.
But each night, I’d ask my mom if she’d tell me a story from her childhood. And if I was really lucky, it would be from her time in Paris. She lived there as a teenager, and I soaked up all the little details she’d share—from the sophisticated-sounding menu of her high school cafeteria to the way locals would put together one fabulous outfit each season—and then wear it every single day.
After growing up by the beach, I moved to the Utah mountains and decided to study art. But I kept studying French as well, even living in France and Belgium for a couple of years. When I graduated with a master’s degree in studio art, I thought I’d become a professor. But the Great Recession was ramping up, and all the schools implemented hiring freezes.
So it was on to Plan B.
Growing up in SoCal, PC: Christine Pollock. Venice Beach, PC: Jessica Peterson.
But first, let’s go back a couple of years…
So we took off, a simple silver band around my finger. We slept on floors, carried our belongings on our backs, and worked on farms to help pay our way.
While working on a small, organic family farm in Denmark, we felt like we were getting a peek into an enchanted world. The couple worked together to raise their children and earn a living. They made or grew much of what they needed. But they also spent their money on a few carefully curated items: a well-designed stereo, a carved wooden table, beautifully printed kitchen curtains... And they spent their time doing things they loved: sitting around a table spread with fresh food from their garden, working side by side, singing songs with the kids in the evening…
It was in that spirit that I decided on Plan B. I founded a family business——an artisanal stationery company——making use of my printmaking studies and drawing skills from school. Kirk soon joined me, and together, we ran Sycamore Street Press for 10 years, during which time, we had two kids, Ingrid and Lars. Creating cards and posters on a 1940s letterpress that sat in our kitchen for much of that time, we felt grateful to be able to do something we loved while supporting our family.
Over the years, people saw the creative work (design, art direction, photo shoots, video shoots, copywriting, etc.) we were doing for our own business and would ask us if we could do the same for theirs. So it was through a very natural progression that our company gradually transformed from a stationery company (Sycamore Street Press) into a creative studio (Sycamore Co.). We loved the variety and collaborative aspect of this work, and the way it took us around the world.
During this time, I had the idea to create a book about Paris.
I wanted that book to exist. Plus, I wanted more reasons to spend time in France, keep speaking the language, and——let’s be honest——eat more French pastries!
Luckily, my good friend and supremely talented photographer, Chaunté Vaughn, agreed to come along and take photos. I spent months and months researching from home and then, together, we spent 5 weeks exploring the city all day, every day—with me exploring local spots and deciding what would be included in the guide, Chaunté taking photos of people and places, both of us meeting and making friends with local creatives we ended up featuring in the book. Eventually Linnea Paulsson-Neppelberg joined as the book designer, Rebekah Peppler as food & drink editor, Kate Woodrow as book agent, Laura Dozier as editor, and Abrams NY as publisher. Plus about 2 dozen other writers, illustrators, stylists, models, etc. contributed to the vision that became Paris by Design: An Inspired Guide to the City’s Creative Side.
It truly took a village to bring this book to life and I am incredibly grateful to every single person who helped. I’m also incredibly proud of what we created together, and of my vision and role as author and creative director. From the birth of the idea in 2015 to the publish date in 2019 and beyond, I shepherded this project through every milestone, every deadline, for years. It was definitely a labor of love.
So when President Macron announced that they would allow tourists back into France after Covid lockdowns, and a few people reached out to ask if I would consider leading trips to Paris, I said yes. And I immediately got to work. (To be honest, this was an idea I had considered for a very long time, but the timing had never been right. This time it was.)
In October 2021, I led my first guided Paris by Design trip. I wanted it to be like the book brought to life. An intimate experience where the travelers could bond with each other and with the local people they’d meet. A week of creative inspiration, exclusive visits with artists, great food, camaraderie, and more. I think we’re all still pinching ourselves because it was one of those rare things that went even better than expected. We had such a wonderful time!
It might mean coming along on one of my delightful, very small group trips to Paris, Provence, and beyond. Plus, if the idea of a creative retreat sounds lovely to you (a slower paced, more introspective, and connection-filled way to travel creatively) you are in luck, because I’m starting to offer those as well, with the first one taking place in Joshua Tree this October (2024).
It might also mean being able to hand off your travel planning to someone you trust. After years and years of being the go-to trip planner for my family, friends, and various acquaintances on the internet, I decided to make this service a formal offering. So if you’re the kind of person who wants to make sure that your trip is as memorable as possible, with a focus on small, local establishments and independent makers, with an itinerary full of places and activities that are tailored specifically to your interests, then my custom travel design and/or one hour travel design consults will be right up your alley.
And of course, for those times when you’re at home or at work, in your day to day schedule, but you still want that spark of inspiration that comes from exploring the world through creative eyes? Don’t worry, baby, because Letters from Eva——my weekly newsletter, which is more like a mini-magazine——is made for that very reason. You are welcome to join the 4000+ readers who love the interviews with designers, playlists for every mood, favorite links, insider travel guides, art discoveries, and other magic that I curate twice a month.
Yes, this is a business, but as I mentioned above with my book, it’s also a labor of love. I believe that both travel and art have the power to expand our vision of the world, and of ourselves… if we let them. And so, I am here to help, in any way that I can, with that process. I’m here to help you connect with hidden creative gems from France and the American West, and to help you take transformative trips to those same incredible places.
Thanks for being here——and for reading this novel, lol.
x Eva
Site photos are mostly by Chaunté Vaughn, with some by Jane Merritt, Eva Jorgensen, and Kirk Jorgensen, and past travelers.
With my family in our home, PC: Thomas Story for Sunset Magazine. Styling: Meta Coleman. Interiors: Meta + me
