Jessica Caldwell knows a thing or two about design and placemaking. With education and deep expertise in interior design, branding and creative strategy, she is EDENS Senior Design Strategist.
As a DC native, she also knows Washington DC’s neighborhoods well. With two generations in the DC metro area, she spent most of her childhood in and out of DC, visiting family or spending time around different neighborhoods, from Georgetown to U Street.
Growing up wanting to be a fashion designer, Caldwell always had an eye for art and style, “I have always had this need to create something beautiful,” she remarked.
She dove deep into her DC roots and attended Howard University, where she found her creative community, one she never knew existed. After graduation, she moved north to pursue her dream and made her start in fashion design. She loved the creative process and artmaking, but her curiosity sparked when intersected with interior design.
She moved back to DC to explore this newfound passion at the Corcoran College of Art and Design, where she met Catherine Armour who became a mentor, and confirmed her path forward. From there, she returned to New York, landing a job with famed Tiffany & Co. in their design department. After traveling internationally and exploring the world of store design, she returned once again to her roots in DC, coming to enrich community with EDENS.
EDENS has brought the special art of placemaking to her life, in her backyard. It has helped her realize that this is what DC always wanted, but the city needed the right people to make it happen. EDENS has taught her that she can bring placemaking, her design and approach, to every city the company is in.
“I get to bring that love of hometown to someone else’s hometown, and help them see the possibility of community.”
Culture