“Home for the holidays” is the unofficial slogan of all 2020 festivities. Former Bachelorette and Cash Pad host JoJo Fletcher is making the most of it, however, with her new holiday collection of seasonal-themed, handmade goods in collaboration with Etsy.

Fresh off the heels of her successful summer collection, Fletcher is transitioning from sunny patio accessories to cozy home goods (think beautiful pillows, niche candles and glass ornaments galore, ranging in price from $27 to $225), featuring pieces by 15 different makers and artisans, including seven Canadians: TownsendRoweHome, CattailsWoodwork, BrookDrabotGlass, MLKANHNY, fabriquedeco, BlisscraftandBrazen and JolisCossins. 

We reached Fletcher by phone at an undisclosed location (she said it’s Bachelor-related, so you can use your imagination) to discuss her inspirations for the collection (available now until supplies last!), how her experience in real estate led to home design and how her and fiancé Jordan Rodgers are planning on celebrating the holidays this year.

Why partner with Etsy? 

I’ve always been a consumer first and a fan of Etsy and everything that they have. It’s the place that I go whenever I’m looking for a unique, one-of-a-kind piece that can complete whatever space I’m working on. I just love that, especially during this time, with so many different small businesses being affected by the quarantine, this is a way that I was able to work with them and support them. We created a beautiful summer collection and now we are able to showcase our winter and holiday collection. There’s millions of incredibly talented Etsy sellers and I feel so blessed to be able to work with 15 of them. We have so many things from pillows and textiles to accessories, decor and tabletop dining, so I feel like it’s a really amazing, well-rounded collection that showcases both my style and also highlights our makers.

What was the collaboration process with the makers like? 

How this process began was really figuring out what I wanted the collection to look like and what products and pieces I wanted to do, then finding Etsy makers that had a similar aesthetic and wanted to co-design on something. Typically, you’re in person being able to work and feel the samples and discuss. A lot of logistics were communicated via long emails and phone calls and notes going back and forth, then sending samples to my house. Unfortunately, none of that we could have done in person but it came out so beautifully. Everything turned out perfect. 

What were some of the inspirations for this collection?

My personal style is minimal and laid back. I’m drawn to neutral pieces, organic textures and amazing patterns. I wanted the collection to reflect my personal design [preferences] but I also wanted it to be pieces that everyone can use. I honed in on texture – it’s in the details of all these pieces, from the pillows to the utensils to our cutting boards. I wanted to focus on creating pieces that are beautiful and neutral pieces that you can use anywhere in your house and can go with mostly any style. I also wanted to just showcase how incredibly talented all these makers are in their craftsmanship.

Do you have any personal favourite items from the collection?

The ceramic serving bowl from Box Sparrow is so gorgeous. It’s this amazing take on this raw, organic sort of shape. It has a beautiful modern touch with a 22 karat gold rim. We have amazing pillows and our candles from Cancelled Plans smell phenomenal. For the holidays, I love the glass ornaments, they are very chic and handblown. One thing that bothers me about most ornaments is the little silver metal thing on top that sometimes gets in the way. These ones don’t have that.

How has your background in real estate development helped with your home design ventures?

I didn’t go to school for this and I think it’s something that people are kind of surprised by when I tell them that. I went to school thinking I was going to be a doctor. I studied biology. When I first got into real estate development, it was new to me. I kind of had to teach myself. [It was] going through homes and seeing what they look like and going through open houses – just really immersing myself around homes and home design. I feel like I’ve taken a lot of knowledge, just from the different homes that I personally have been able to work on. Especially with Cash Pad, each one of those properties wasn’t my personal style that I was catering to. It was the renters that we thought would come in there. We got to play around a lot with different styles and aesthetics. 

Have you made any big changes to your home during quarantine? 

Our home in Dallas is a brand new house that we had just built. It was funny – during quarantine, we had this brand new home, which you shouldn’t be tinkering with because everything’s new. But I’m sitting there in this brand new house, in the midst of working on my Etsy collection, and I’m looking around, like, what can I do in here? What can I work on? And Jordan is like, ‘Literally everything in here is new, what are you doing?’ But we did some fun wallpaper accents in the house. That’s something that is not super time consuming. As far as like the design aesthetic, everything’s pretty much the same. I’m still so drawn to anything textured, that gives a sort of vintage and organic feel.

What are some of your favourite holiday memories? 

When I think of the holidays, I just go back to always seeing my family together around the table eating and enjoying food. I think of my mom cooking and smelling all the different spices and things baking, so this collection was really centred around dining accessories. During the holidays, that’s the place where family often gathers and you have such incredible memories and conversation. When I think of holidays, I also think of being cozy, spending time with my loved ones and feeling comfortable, and relaxed and calm. The pillows and candles really help set that sort of Christmas, calming mood. During the holidays we play a lot of games as well. One thing that I thought was fun to incorporate in the collection was a little foodie dice, which is just a small, fun knick knack game. It’s a wine and cheese party dice that you can roll it and it helps you pair appetizers and drinks together.

How are you planning on celebrating this year?

Every year we usually take some really fun, big trip, but I think this year we’re are just going to be spending it at home. The last few years, both Jordan’s family and mine have been able to spend it together. This year, I think we’re going to Chico where Jordan’s parents are and we’re going to spend it there with them. It’s different. The greatest thing about the holidays, though, is that in the midst of everything, having that family time, wherever you’re able to spend it, is so important. I hope this collection brings a little bit extra joy to everybody who is thinking about the holidays and what that looks like for them.

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