jennifer rossignuolo

Jenny's shining career in interior design developed early. After graduating at the top of her class in Melbourne, Australia, she spent four years in residential design, including two years as a designer of high-end custom kitchens for a kitchen design studio. Praise for her work ranged from profiles in design publications to a prestigious design award given by her peers.

She later fell in love with-and moved to-London, where she explored Europe's rich cultures, histories and architecture while gaining international experience in both commercial and residential design.

Jenny's European travels also led to matrimony. After relocating to Chicago, her husband's hometown, she continued enhancing her skills and knowledge by entering the city's retail and commercial design sector.

Naturally, Jenny also set out to redecorate their condominium. But as she shopped at Chicagoland's furniture and home-decorating stores, she noted the narrow range of selections available to consumers. Because she had access to exciting commercial choices at work, she soon asked herself "what if" she could offer them for residential use through a boutique firm...

Jenny met Rose Tejeda-Navarre in August 2000 while working at a Chicago design firm. The two became immediate friends and collaborators, and Chicago interior design history began writing itself. Their common vision and ambition have since blossomed into what is now Urban Source.

rose tejeda-navarre

The only child of her Spanish-speaking Dominican family to be born in the U.S., Rose grew up with a potent combination of Caribbean passion and American idealism. Her home life’s mix of Latin food, dance, music and revelry blended into a salsa of the spirit that would add certain spice to every pursuit she embraced.

As one more link in a long family line of women entrepreneurs, Rose has created a career path that will inspire anyone with talent and a sense of destiny who must first endure a few detours.

College didn’t appeal to Rose during her younger years, so she rotated jobs to suit her quest for new challenges. While working at a health-food restaurant in Bloomington, Indiana, she met her future husband. They later moved to Texas, where she worked at a family steel-processing plant—and found her desire to go to college.

After she and her husband returned to Bloomington, Rose finished her degree at Indiana University. They then settled in Chicago, where Rose started her first job in retail design. Her accelerating abilities carried her swiftly to influential design positions such as project manager and creative director, roles in which she has now spent most of her career.

Her wildly productive imagination also inspired her own retail concept, “rozi design for every surface”: two-dimensional patterns for licensing to manufacturers of home-fashion products. While licensing her ideas, she realized she could achieve (and earn) much more by dealing directly with consumers. The concept of her own boutique fabricating and distributing her own products came to life.