Meet Kellie Clements, a very talented interior design colleague of mine who is also one of our in house designers with an exclusive Blindsgalore collection of unique window treatment designs. You may recognize her from HGTV’s Design Star or perhaps you’ve seen her design projects around Pinterest. With the New Year off to a fresh start, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to interview Kellie and pick her brain. In this three part series, we will be talking about interior design, new trends, and tips and tricks for all of us trying to start the year on a good note. Learn everything from Kellie’s personal style to what colors you should be on the lookout for this year. Let’s kick off 2016 ahead of the décor game – together!
Describe your experience working in the interior design industry. What has been the highlight of your career (so far)?
Obvioulsy being part of season 6 of HGTV’s Design Star and later being voted Fan Favorite is a major highlight. Winning the fan vote was both exhilarating and humbling. Even though that experience was thrilling and a tremendous learning experience, I would not say that it was the pinnacle of my career. Over the past few years (since Design Star), my business and design team have grown significantly. I keep thinking my team can’t possibly get any busier, and then something unexpected comes my way.
That’s great, you’ve definitely come a long way and I love watching your design business continue to grow. Working with so many clients, what is the first thing you tackle when you begin a new project?
Trying to figure out what my client really means when they tell me what they want.
Which types of projects do you enjoy working on the most?
I love clients that are very open minded and come to me because they want something fun and unique. I feel like this is when some of my most proud design moments have occurred because it has allowed me to be more creative and explore ideas that may not typically be on the table. With that said, I also love working with clients who have a very specific level of taste but may not know exactly what their style is. This is where I feel I grow the most as a designer.
I always think an open-minded client can better see your vision than someone with a concrete idea of what they want in their head. How about the rich & famous? If you could create a space for any celebrity without any limitations, who would it be and what would you do?
This is a great question because I don’t know that I can actually answer it. I’m not easily star struck so I haven’t thought much about designing for a celebrity. I really value the relationships I get to develop with my clients. I would think that it would be much more difficult to connect with a celebrity at the same level that I do with my clients which may be why I haven’t invested much time considering it. I am very down to earth and a straight shooter no matter who I am working with. Doesn’t matter if you are Beyoncé or a stay at home mom of 4 kids… If your couch is ugly, your couch is ugly.
Does your current home look anything like the one you grew up in?
Not really…and that’s intentional. There were only 2 rooms in my home growing up that I actually enjoy reflecting on. Thankfully one is my bedroom. I had splatter painted walls and a hand painted, striped border. I STILL love color AND stripes and there are lots of both of those in my home. My parents also had an art studio at our house. I loved that room. It was full of canvases, supplies and all things an arty person would need to feel inspired. We have a playroom for my boys where I have cabinets full of organized junk in order to encourage their creativity. All of it is fair game. The rest of my childhood home was very traditional and fairly understated which is what you would use to describe something that is the OPPOSITE of my home.
Now that you know Kellie Clements on a more personal level, stay tuned to the next post where we dig a little bit deeper into interior design. Stocked full of professional tips and tricks, you’re going to be ready for an upgrade in no time.