On April 1 we celebrated 23 years of our interior design company, Kerrie Kelly Design Lab. It is hard to believe I was 22 years old when I began this journey and the company name was actually All American Design & Furnishings, Inc. Lucky for me, with companies like Ralph Lauren Home Collection and Del Webb Corporation on my side, I was able to dip my toe into the design pool while having a corporate job as my foundation. With Ralph Lauren, I was allowed to fill in the gaps with paint, floor covering, lighting and finishes that Ralph Lauren did not offer in the mid-90’s to help round out our client homes. With Del Webb, I was allowed to work nights and weekends to make client homes “look like the models” we designed. So, while I sold homeowners their finishes for their new homes and designed models by day for Del Webb, I procured furniture, rugs and artwork for those clients who had moved-in and wanted their home to look like the one that originally inspired their home buying decision.
And while our social media feed shows beautiful rooms, great clients, smiling faces, hearts and rainbows, running in interior design business definitely takes blood, sweat and tears with a lot of bobbing and weaving in reality. I couldn’t be more grateful for the long successful run I have been able to have in this industry – moving to a larger space every few years, adding on a customizable furniture company called 42nd Street Design and celebrating brand partner relationships with Feizy Rugs, GO Home, Coyote Outdoor Living, TileBar, Cosentino, Robern and Hyde Tools in all segments of the industry. It is surely a design life well lived.
We are definitely blessed with an amazing team whose creative juices and resiliency never cease to amaze me. And in an ever-changing time in the interior design industry, we know that moving forward we will need to continue to be on our toes to morph with the changing times of our market. We will flow with the technology, selling products and services online while holding true that face-to-face conversations and in-person design touch are still very relevant.
I look forward to my continued work serving on the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) National Board and as a Foundation Trustee, and to adjusting my specific focus to serving brands in our industry and developing more products for our treasured licensed partners. This anniversary has us launching a shopping experience on our website found at KerrieKelly.com. I am enthusiastic about the reach of our design influence with this new platform. With so many clients looking for shopping convenience 24-hours a day, I am thrilled to share products that are both on brand and offered at approachable price points. Target.com will carry my accessory line with GO Home while my other licensees will continue to offer my products on their company websites; through designer markets in New York, Dallas, High Point, Atlanta and Las Vegas; and through national retailers such as Living Spaces, Jerome’s and Nebraska Furniture.
I also look forward to continuing to serve on the editorial board for Lighting & Décor Magazine, write for Style Media Group and my California Tour book series. I will also continue to serve as the Zillow National Interior Design Spokeswoman, reporting on trends and design topics as I believe it’s important to have a window into the design world to ensure relevant designs for new products that my clients will love.
So here is to 23 more years! I look forward to doing business differently while continuing to be a valuable resource to our clients and our community.
