Inside Design With Kandrac & Kole

We have been participating in Dwell with Dignity for several years but this is our first time being asked to design a vignette for Thrift Studio here in Atlanta. 1.  DWELL WITH DIGNITY - WHAT IS IT? A. Dwell with Dignity started in Dallas in 2009 by Lisa Robison and Kim Turner. They deal with agencies who work to place homeless families. The agencies nominate families who want to be self-sufficient. DWD furnishes the families home, stocks the pantry with groceries and provides the first night’s meal. Theses families have faced some very tough times and have worked hard to earn a beautiful place to live. B. They are able to furnish these homes (mainly apartments) with donations from the design community, manufacturers , retailers and the community. Thrift studio is their largest fundraiser. 2.  THRIFT STUDIO - WHAT IS IT? Thrift Studio is a pop-up shop created to provide funds to Dwell with Dignity by selling donated furniture, housewares, accessories and high-end designer finds to the public. Since the concep

1. INTRO Every home in America needs some kind of window coverings and we are very honored to be an approved Hunter Douglas dealer. The choices are endless and very overwhelming for our clients so this is a great service we provide. With every design project we do with Hunter Douglas, we learn something new. So that we can all learn together, we thought we’d have Anne King who is our District Sales Manager come on the show. To us, she is the guru of HD! Welcome Anne! A. Background – Anne please give us a little background on yourself and also on Hunter Douglas as a company. 2. THE PRODUCTS WE USE THE MOST FOR OUR CLIENTS A. Cellulars – Both Applause and Duettes i. Layering with custom window treatments ii. Simple and easy 1. Different operating systems s to open and close 2. Different opacities 3. Fabric and texture options 4. Specialty Shapes B. Roller Shades and Screen Shades i. What is the difference? ii. For our residential and commercial clients iii. A more contemporary look iv. What’s new – The Sonnette

1.  INTRO We are big admirers of original art. Our goal is to incorporate at least one special piece in each of our projects as it really completes a custom design. To own an original piece of art is really an honor. We are going to talk about the misconceptions, benefits and what it means to own an original piece. We’ll also fill you in on our favorite artists. 2.  MISCONCEPTIONS A. It is only for the wealthy i. There are so many emerging artists whose pieces are extremely reasonable. You don’t have to buy a huge painting. You can start small or create a gallery of “littles” ii. There are plenty of people who buy art as an investment, but there are certainly a lot of us who buy for the sheer pleasure! B. Art galleries are snobby and intimidating i. We learned that this is very untrue. Our experience with Donna Krueger of DK Gallery in Marietta, GA. C. I can only purchase from an art gallery i. In our social media world, in particular, Instagram, you can find all kinds of artists with different price ranges.

1.  INTRO I’d be surprised to meet someone not familiar with HGTV in some way. HGTV has become quite a force in our American culture kicking off the DIY phenomenon, the urban farmhouse movement with Chip and Joanna Gaines, and the young, colorful, whimsical design aesthetic that HGTV is known for. Honestly, HGTV probably doesn’t have a lot of high end designer fans because of their not-so-realistic design transformations as it relates to the budget but we still appreciate HGTV for a lot of ways. We appreciate them VERY MUCH right now as we are finalists in the 2018 Faces of Design competition which we want to tell you all about. First up, a little bit of background and stories about K&K and HGTV. 2.  OUR FIRST PILOT IN 2012 - HOUSE ARREST WITH CINEFLIX A. Basis for the show B. Scope of work C. The best part – the host – Chris Lambton 3.  OUR SECOND PILOT IN 2013 - MOVE IN OR CASH OUT WITH DEPARTURE FILES A. Basis for the show i. working with Charles and Michael Holmes of List-4-Less Realty ii. Andrew Grei

INTRO – We put it out there. Ask us ANY (appropriate) design or non-design related questions: Here’s what you asked: Tonya Hicks: What is the craziest (wildest) thing either of you have done to celebrate a major accomplishment? Heather Reese: How do you decorate between Christmas and Spring? Heather Scruggs: How do you handle differences of opinion? Like when one of you is SURE something should be one way and the other is SURE it should be the other? I know you are great friends and were friends before you got into business together. And I think it’s AMAZING how you work together and are so awesome together – I love that! But I know how hard it is for me to just work FOR friends so it’s hard to imagine the dynamic working WITH friends. Patty Ward: I have a question about hardwood floors – do you recommend engineered hardwood? Also, can I put a different shade of wood upstairs and on stairs than what I have downstairs? Melodie Church: How do you tactfully discourage clients who make purchases after a presenta

1.  INTRO We just returned from spending three days at our exciting new construction project on Kiawah Island, South Carolina which is 45 minutes from Charleston. We first met with the architect a year ago and are finally making considerable progress. We thought we’d share our journey so far. For those of you familiar with Kiawah, this house is thru the 2nd gate down by River Course. It is situated on the marsh with large oak trees draped in Spanish moss and incredible breezes. 2.  OUR PARTNERS IN THIS PROJECT – As we have mentioned many times, we are only as good as the other professionals we partner with. A. Architect – Robbie Lesslie with Cumulus Architecture and Design out of Charleston i. His role – Working with Jen’s vision and the ARB B. Mo Mangan with Mangan Custom Homes i.  His role C.  Shannon with D. Ricky Farthing with Ferguson in N. Charleston E. Kaylan Dabaldo with Palmetto Tile in N. Charleston F. Melanie at AGM Imports in N. Charleston 3. WHAT WE ACCOMPLISHED THIS WEEK A. Detailed review of al

INTRO We are in the midst of coaching sessions and a lot of our discussions are centered around the importance of branding. Branding is a way of identifying your business. It is how your customers recognize and experience your business. A strong brand is more than just a logo; it's reflected in everything from your customer service, business cards, website, social media, marketing materials and advertising. As our coach Phil Pallen says “A personal brand isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity”. A. Behind the scenes of your brand a) Who are you trying to attract? Who are your ideal clients? The kind of people you want to work with?  Who is the type of person who needs your services? Who do you want to work with?  What are they like?  What do they like?  How can you position yourself to attract those people? b) Your Qualities: Why should people work with you? How are you different than others in your business? What are your strengths? Weaknesses? What type of projects do you want to work on? What makes you stand out?

1.  INTRO We are big advocates for staying ahead of the design curve as it relates to product, our skills as designers and our business acumen as entrepreneurs. To do this, we invest quite a bit of money, time and brain energy attending national conferences, conferences and hiring business coaches. For all of you new and old designers out there who don’t venture outside of your bubble for one reason or another, you might find this podcast very inspiring. 2.  BUSINESS OF DESIGN CONFERENCE WITH DAVID SHEPHARD A. When? 2004-2006 B. Where? Las Vegas, Palm Springs, New York C. How did we benefit? 1. Rubbing shoulders with designers in an entirely different category than ourselves – Tobi Fairley. 2. Meeting lifelong designer friends – Joann Kole and Melinda Headrick 3. Accounting for time – the silos philosophy 4. Studio Webware D. What he’s doing now – David is retired from this conference and is a Professor of Entrepreneurship at TCU in Texas. He is however, going to speak at the next Bold Summit which is the Bus

When we design for our clients and commercial projects we source about 85% of products that we purchase wholesale. For the other 15% we are going to share with you a few of the catalogs we purchase from and our favorites from those catalogs. 1. FRONTGATE – A “luxury” catalog featuring many outdoor and resort products. Here are some of our favorite items. A. The resort towel collection i. Soft, durable and so many choices of colors/patterns B. The Door Mats i. Large sizes and available for Monogram. C. Planters i.  All sizes and shapes, self watering and many include drain holes D.  A great feature of Frontgate – A “create a stylish entrance” visualizer that lets you drag and drop products such as greenery, lanterns and door mats to see how they will look in your entry. 2.  FLOR – A square carpet tile that you can create with any size, style and shape. – squares are about 19” x 19” and are put together to create an area rug or runner. A. A great website that helps you to design and install B. Very durable and

1. INTRO Today I’m running solo so I have a guest speaker I’m very excited about. Carrie Peeples is the Chief Organizing officer of NeatSmart.  I am a self confessed Type A, OCD person who totally gets a kick out of this type of stuff. My house is organized and neat as a pin but I am always interested in improving. The home page of her website neatsmart.com says it all: life is easier when you know what you have & where it goes. Your home should be a reflection of who you are and what you value. There is beauty in simplicity. Structure means less stress. You have permission to say "no" to having stuff that doesn't make you happy. You are more successful in life when you're organized. 2. CARRIE INTRO – (first of all, we were meant to be friends because you have a facebook live account called “drink wine get organized”.) A. Your professional background B. How you got started. 3.  SERVICES A. Tell me what a client assessment is like. B. I see you offer help in every single area of the home from creative spac

We’ve worked hard to have our design projects published nationally and regionally many times over. To us, it’s a stamp of approval from the highest level of our peers – the editors of the magazines we covet. Our first national publication was a 6 page spread in Southern Lady Magazine. We were (and still are) so proud of that feature! Our next feature is coming up in August/September issue of Southern Cottage which is published by Engaged Media, Inc. To be totally honest though, we’ve never received a single new client from being published, but it has certainly built our credibility in the eyes of those prospective clients that care about that kind of thing. So consider this what we call a “teaching episode” for our fellow designers and new designers as we share what we’ve learned along the way on HOW TO GET PUBLSIHED. 2. DESIGN WITH AN EYE FOR PUBLICATION I remember taking a coaching class from Arkansas designer Tobi Fairley and she said, “When I walk into a home of a new client, I’m designing with the end i

1.  INTRO We’ve just returned from a week in Guatemala. We are exhausted and exhilarated all at the same time. Everywhere we go people inquire about our work in Guatemala and how we got started so we thought this was the perfect time to share. 2.  KELLY'S FIRST TRIP TO GUATEMALA 3.  CATALYST RESOURCES INTERNATIONAL A.     Fontaine and Paulas’s Story B.     Our partnership with CRI 4.  THIS WEEK IN GUATEMALA A.     The makeup of our team B.     Building a House C.     Shoe Drive D.     House of Hope E.     Antigua 5.  YEARS PAST IN GUATEMALA A.     Team Dynamics – eating, sleeping, riding the bus together, working side by side B.     Differences in the villages – area, topography, dress etc. C.     Fun trips – Pana, Zip Lining, Food!, Shopping 6.  OUR GOALS FOR THE FUTURE A.     Partnering with local Guatemalan businesses to bring Guatemalan products into our designs. B.     Being the liason between designer friends and partners for their businesses in Guatemala – i.e. Lacefield Designs doing collaberations an

Kelly is on vacation visiting family in New York so Caren Danneman, an amazing certified and bath kitchen designer is joining Joann in the studio. Caren’s Bio: Caren Danneman, CKD, CBD Owner/Principal Designer – Danneman Designs, LLC Website: dannemandesigns.com Serves the Southeastern states Caren is a Certified Kitchen & Bath Designer with over 20 years of experience. She is a winner of a NARI CotY Award for Baths in 2015. She has written many articles on Kitchen and Bath Trends and sat as a Judge for The Bath of the Year for Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles 2015 edition. Although Caren specializes in Kitchens and Baths, she also creates home offices, unique laundry rooms and special built-ins. The Danneman Design team includes other designers around Atlanta and a group of contractors with whom to partner with to bring the designs to life! 1.  How do you start the process? A. A personal interview of the family’s needs and function. How do they cook? Entertain? Store things? A.     The layout – need to use

An estimated 3 million Americans work from home. Many people who work from home claim to be more productive because they're not in a loud environment or distracted by co-workers.  There are some obvious advantages of working from home: avoiding a nightmare commute and getting to work in your PJs. Employers see working from home as  fewer sick days, employee retention, and less money spent on office space. 1. HOME OFFICES CAN BE USED FOR: A. Running a business B. A full time job C. An occasional telecommute D. A place to pay bills 2. WAYS TO LOVE YOUR HOME OFFICE: A. Choose a good location – Somewhere you can concentrate and separate from home life. i. Good light 1. Natural light is best – but also consider: Ambient:  Lighting that’s used to fill most of the room, usually from overhead Accent: A light fixture used to highlight a specific feature like a bookcase, fireplace or piece of art Task: Light fixtures for a specific purpose, like a desk lamp ii. A good view 1. Try to use a room with a window (being in t

1. INTRO We have always been big sharers of information, life and business lessons, sources, advice, etc. One day when we are tired of designing residential and commercial spaces, you will probably find us on the speaking/coaching circuit or writing a book. We got such great feedback on our last Listener call in episode, we thought we’d do it again. 2. LISTENER QUESTIONS A. Lisa – How to figure out a lighting plan in a large space B. Danny – How to make the most out of a galley kitchen. C. Megan – Where to focus her clients in a new construction design center. D. Jennifer – How to plan for new home purchases ahead of time. E. Joan – How to mix metals in a new home

1. INTRO A. We have a wonderful client base, many that we have worked with for years, others who we may have done one project for, and some others who have been, let’s say “challenging”. B. We have an excellent qualifying system but every now and then, a crazy, whacko client slips through the cracks. 2. The RED FLAGS A. They’ve worked with multiple designers that “didn’t work out” B. They want you to meet on evenings or weekends (they don’t value your time or treat you like a professional). C. They question your rates – looking for a bargain or “deal”. They ask you to lower your fees. Or the typical – “Does the consult fee go towards anything?” D. They ask if they can use their great aunt to make the window treatments and their cousins best friend to get them a deal on cabinetry. E. They don’t ask if you’d like something to drink when you come to the consultation (i.e. another sign of respect). 3. CHAMPAGNE TASTE/BEER BUDGET A. They constantly bring up HGTV (unrealistic expectations). B. They are disappointed

1.  INTRO Our clients come in all shapes and sizes with interesting histories and stories to tell. They come from all regions of the country with varied backgrounds and different budgets and goals. The ideal and most common residential client for Kandrac & Kole is a married couple, highly educated and traveled with corporate jobs and no time to make their home beautiful. We are lucky that our screening process is such that 90% of the time we end up with wonderful clients. We could tell you a story or two about some nightmare clients (many of whom we had to fire) but that’s juicy gossip or an upcoming show! So we thought we’d share with our listeners how to be a dream client because these qualities can apply to not only interior design but to all contract work. 2.  HOMEWORK 3.  BE ON THE SAME PAGE WITH YOUR SIGNIFICANT OTHER BEFORE WE ARRIVE AT YOUR HOME a. Do not put us in the middle of a fight – be respectful of one another b. What are your priorities c.  What’s your budget 4.  THINK ABOUT HOW YOU LIVE -

WE ASK OUR DESIGN COLLEAGUES ACROSS THE COUNTRY THIS QUESTION.  HERE THEY JOIN US WITH THEIR ANSWERS: Kelli Ellis, (Los Angeles, Las Vegas) interior designer and lifelong traveler, represents the epitome of livable luxury, casual international style mixed with rock star glam. Her celebrity and discerning clientele benefit from her extensive world travels, adding dramatic artwork and unique accessories used to create havens You’ve likely seen Kelli as the featured designer on TLC’s Clean Sweep, HGTV‘sTakeover my Makeover, and productions of Value Booster’s, Move or Improve, and The House Therapist. You’ve watched Kelli design homes and offices on Bravo’s, Real Housewives of Orange County. On HGTV’s #1 Holiday hit, Celebrity Holiday Homes, and is a guest designer on HGTV’s current hit show, House Hunters Renovation. Kelli proudly stars in her own show on The Design Network, Design Therapy Kara Cox (Greensboro, NC)  Kara Cox Interiors is a full-service interior design firm with a fresh approach to classic interi

1. Intro We all have certain things we dislike about our homes but when we make that purchase  (if it’s not a new build) there may be a few things that are nagging.  Here are some of those things and how to deal with them: 2. Popcorn ceilings A. They date a space – depending on time frame of home, get a sample tested for asbestos. i. Difficult to repair ii. Hard to Clean iii. Collect Dust B. Ways to remove i. Scrape – use a utility knife or drywall knife to chip away to create a smooth surface (messy and slow) ii. Cover with drywall – smoothest possible finish – pricier option iii. Skim coat on a new design – older home owners that want to maintain the history of the home C. Light fixtures i. The awful “boob” flush mount fixture ii. Low wattage – change all to LED iii. This is one area that can really update and elevate the design 3. DATED Wallpaper i. Problems with not being primed ii. Rent a steamer or hire a professional iii. Don’t be afraid to wallpaper again – the “new wallpaper” is nothing like that of

1. Intro As of today, we have (19) projects in the works all in different stages of completion. They range from an upcoming consultation, proposal stage, design phase, waiting on product phase, complete and waiting upcoming install phase. No day is the same at K&K so we thought we give you some insight and story lines behind a few of the projects we are currently working on. 2. A Color Happy Sunroom and Kitchen Refresh A. Our color crazy and pattern brave client wants to redesign her sunroom which is off her kitchen to be her personal space to read a book, relax and have wine with her girlfriends. i. Recovering (4) Stanley chairs with a colorful Thibaut patterned fabric ii. Console for serving food iii. Statement light fixture B. Custom made kitchen table to fit a tight space C. Painting of all cabinetry and new hardware 3. A New Build From the Ground Up A. A repeat client with (2) teenage daughters and busy medical careers are overwhelmed with the volume of details that need to be addressed. i. Selection