With a track record of 17+ years in luxury care home and later-living design, Jen Bernard Interiors (JBI) is firmly positioned as the UK’s market leader in design for the longevity economy. This evolution enables JBI to sharpen its focus on flagship projects and luxury estates at the very top end of the market globally, while opening a new chapter of growth and accessibility through the launch of sister company Zest Living.
Zest Living has been created to bring exceptional design talent, industry insight, and proven value to a wider market, both across the UK and internationally. Built on a clear proposition; Scalable. Efficient. Performance-driven. Zest Living combines expertise and delivery models tailored to today’s highly competitive care home and later-living sector.
Supported by our Group Director of Strategic Growth, Rachael Sellers, this next phase is marked by the appointment of Karen Nairstone as Head of Business Development at Zest Living. With 20+ years of experience in person-centric design, Karen brings unparalleled insight into creating environments that genuinely support residents, operators, and communities, and will play a pivotal role in expanding Zest Living’s reach and impact.
“Through our investment in Zest, our aim is to ensure that decades of design experience can be fully utilised and accessed by a wider market,” says Jen Bernard. “We are passionate about the later-living sector and believe that neither residents nor operators should have to compromise. Standards should be exceptional across the industry, and environments must be designed with informed market insight, rather than following trends. Every space should be curated to meet the real needs of residents and operators; functional, comfortable, and tastefully designed, ensuring exceptional environments can be created without conflicting with commercial objectives or return on investment.”
“The market has long needed design expertise that is both person-focused and commercially informed,” adds Oliver Holmes, Group Operations Director. “Through Zest Living, investors and developers now have access to high-quality design that delivers exceptional resident outcomes while aligning with cost plans and commercial objectives, industry expertise that was previously unattainable due to commercial constraints.”
Zest Living is a fully packaged design service, built on 17+ years of creativity and sector expertise from JBI. It provides clients with a streamlined, scalable solution aligned to mid-market cost plans, enabling operators to deliver exceptional design outcomes without compromising on quality, resident experience, or operational performance.
In today’s landscape, investment in great design is essential. It safeguards brand positioning, drives stronger performance across existing portfolios, and accelerates successful expansion into new locations.
Everything Zest delivers is centred on residents, their care needs, and the aspirations of the families who trust providers with their loved ones. Every design decision is made with people at its heart, creating spaces that nurture dignity, comfort, and joy while supporting operational excellence and ensuring commercial returns.
By partnering with Zest, clients access a proven, formula-driven creative process that delivers clarity, consistency, and impact. More than a service, Zest is a trusted partner, ensuring care homes perform, residents flourish, brands thrive, and businesses win.
