Interior Design with Kandrac and Kole

1.  INTRO Two years ago, we realized that we were turning away qualified, legitimate clients because they didn't fit into our model for an ideal client needing full service design – that was just foolish on our part. We had to find a way to help these potential clients. Thus, our designer for a day program was born. 2.  WHAT IS IT? Designer for a Day Program is basically a 4-hour concierge service...

1.  INTRO Unfortunately Kelly and I were unable to attend the market in High Point this fall. In several years of attending markets, we have only missed one or two. This is our time to see what the latest and greatest items that will hit the retail market in 6-9 months. This is a great way for us to stay ahead of our industry and find great product to bring to our clients. It also gives us a chanc...

1.  INTRO I'm just back from a trip to the Mediterranean Coast where my family and I spent 2 weeks in Spain, France and Italy.  I am a professional shopper so of course I have an innate eye for certain things that I know I would love to commemorate my trip but I wanted to discuss ways to preserve memories if shopping does not come naturally to you. 2.  CELEBRATE REGIONALLY  A.     Don't get sucked...

1.  INTRO We are happy to have Lauren Jordal of Surya Rugs as a guest today.  Lauren will tell us a little about herself and how she became the resident rug expert at Surya. 2.  SURYA'S DIVERSE RANGE OF LIFESTYLES AND BUDGETS Some of these styles are familiar, some of them not.  Lauren will explain. A.     The Young Traditionalist B.     The Duke & Duchess C.     The World Traveler D.    The Urban...

INTRO In our very first podcast named "Who We are and Why We are Producing a Podcast", we gave you some background on how our podcast came to be. Had it not been for Traci Deforge of "Produce Your Podcast" randomly reaching out to us, we would not be here today. As a recap, Kelly and I went to a design mastermind in Las Vegas where Phil Pallen, a brand strategist, said we would be great doing a po...

1.  INTRO Being the social butterflies that we are, Joann and I have friends in all the right places. Today we are talking to one of those friends - Johnna Dobbs. We met Johnna in Arkansas when we were all participating in a Tobi Fairley Mastermind course. Johnna brought a unique perspective to our group because she wasn't a designer. She is actually a lighting manufacturer but she wanted to inser...

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-sufficien...

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 Sale...

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 fo...

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-realisti...

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...

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 2 nd gate down by River Course. It is situat...

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 ad...

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 reas...

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, dur...

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 kno...

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 Sout...

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...

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 C...

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 offic...

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 ou...

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...

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 scre...

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 accesso...

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...