T ucked into the north end of Hilton Head Island is a national interior design powerhouse. J. Banks Design Group ranks among Interior Design Magazine’s 2025 top 100 Giants, with more than 50 employees and projects in almost two dozen states. Owner Joni Burden has been working to build this successful business since 1986 and is proud of its island roots.
The business provides residential and commercial design services with an overall goal of delivering luxury without pretense. Inspired to create spaces where families gather and linger, the firm works to keep everyday living in mind. Sarah Cunningham, J. Banks director of marketing, describes their residential philosophy as “home is resort and resort is home.”
The July ribbon cutting for Origin Coffee Bar attracted strong community support.
With national and international clients, J. Banks also has solid footing in the commercial niche of hospitality design with many clubhouses, restaurants, resorts, and hotels in its portfolio. In 2013, the firm garnered international accolades when it won the Gold Key Award for Best Resort at Hotel Castello di Casole in Tuscany, Italy. In addition to hospitality, the group has designed commercially for luxury spas, modern medical facilities, Southern sorority houses, and opulent apartment buildings.
Headquartered at 35 North Main Street, J. Banks houses its design offices and a retail space that includes home decor items, furniture, and custom linens. Camellia Art Gallery is part of this location with a stunning studio.
In July, the design firm expanded its portfolio offerings by opening J. Banks in Residence, an immersive design experience featuring several living spaces, each crafted by a different J. Banks designer. The carefully curated areas include a cozy speakeasy, an airy bedroom, comfortable family area, and colorful dining room designed to showcase, inspire, and shop.
Sippers and shoppers are welcome to enjoy the outdoor courtyard at 35 North Main Street on the north end of Hilton Head Island.
J. Banks and Origin Coffee Bar’s Partnership
Cunningham had heard great things about Origin Coffee Bar in Savannah through a church event. She emailed Origin’s owners, Matt and Elise Higgins, to ask if they’d be interested in touring J. Banks’ neighboring space (formerly inhabited by TJ’s Take and Bake Pizza) as a second location. After touring the space, they expressed interest in potentially leasing the building but really wanted to employ the same interior designer from their original location. It just so happened that the designer, Sarah Kowalski, had recently been hired at J. Banks so it was a design match made in heaven.
Matt Higgins is a huge coffee lover and proudly states “coffee is my vice and my virtue.” Experiencing and sharing coffee helps him fuel a deep connection to others. He loves traveling for coffee and maintains lists of cafes from each country he’s visited.
When Matt met his future wife Elise, she was working as a barista. As they got engaged and started planning their wedding, it was apparent their shared love of coffee must also be shared with guests on their special day. When researching potential mobile coffee caterers, they realized that none existed – and filed away that business idea for another day.
Several months later, they visited California to explore a career move and were drawn to the quality and beauty of the coffee shops, which inspired them to duplicate this vision in Savannah.
Origin Coffee Bar’s interior is warm, relaxing and full of natural light.
In the summer of 2020, Matt and Elise launched Origin as a mobile coffee cart set up to caffeinate customers at various spots in Savannah. Slowly, their popularity grew into pop-ups at event venues. After only 18 months in business, they made their way into a permanent space at 356 MLK Jr. Blvd. Running a brick-and-mortar location was a huge surprise to Matt and Elise, as they had always planned to stay in the mobile coffee cart with low overhead. Of course, they were excited to see such a strong response for their java offerings.
Since Origin is a fresh, specialty coffee concept, Matt sources the highest quality green coffees from all over the world. This allows Origin to provide a variety of flavor profiles to their customers, including floral/fruity and nutty/chocolatey. Matt has a solid passion for knowing the international communities and farmers where the coffee beans are sourced. He understands the culture created by being equally involved in villages in Ethiopia and Brazil as well as his neighbors just next door.
Origin works with its baristas to craft elevated but approachable menu items. Of course, their menu includes the usual lineup of lattes, espressos, and cappuccinos. But they also have some unique surprises, including Parisian Dream Tonic, Dubai Chocolate Matcha, and Toasted Coast (which includes espresso, chocolate, coconut, amaretto, and milk of choice). Origin strives to be environmentally friendly with biodegradable disposable cups and packaging.
Matt’s hope is that Origin guests “can come and have a moment that makes their day brighter.” He recognizes that grabbing a cup of joe can bring a spark of joy in an otherwise hectic day and feel like a bit of an escape.
Tall ceilings, clean lines and freshly made drinks welcome customers to Origin Coffee Bar.
Origin at Hilton Head
Fully designed by Kowalski, the newly opened cafe is bright, comfortable, and fresh. It strikes the perfect balance of feeling clean and airy; the white oak cabinetry keeps the space warm with green color schemes adding depth. Arched doorways are reminiscent of the original location in downtown Savannah. A local muralist, Lindsey Spears, painted lively ferns in the dining area to complement the natural light and outdoor greenery. Elise describes the newly unveiled space as “equally Hilton Head as it is Origin.”
Shaded seating, green grass, palm trees, and corn hole are found in the welcoming courtyard. Matt’s hope is for the new space to be a gathering place for the community and to be part of people’s daily rhythms. He describes the location as an incredible complex and is grateful for the partnership between the two businesses.
As Origin and J. Banks began to work together, it became clear that the two businesses had more in common than a love for coffee and design. They also realized they are passionate about philanthropy and creating a great product. Cunningham said the partnership has “reinvigorated our vision as a destination on Hilton Head.”
Locals and visitors are invited to visit the new campus to enjoy a sip and stroll through the home design spaces.
