Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristin Wiens Keyes.
Hi Kristin, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I founded Kristin Keyes Interiors to change the way Nashvillians think about designing their homes. Our low-waste approach to interior design has found resonance with an audience of clients, fans, and followers who appreciate great design but work to avoid excess consumption and waste. The result: artful spaces that are both sustainable and affordable.
Prior to launching my interior design studio, I worked as a teacher, school leader, and relentless advocate for education reform. From those years, I bring a strong sense of responsibility for community and environment to both design projects and business practices.
I live and work in a perfectly imperfect historical home in East Nashville that I share with my husband, three young daughters, and very furry cat. I hold a B.A. in Human Biology from Stanford University and an M.Ed. in Teaching and Curriculum from Harvard University.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The biggest hurdle our company needed to overcome has been reducing the stigma of a secondhand first approach. We believe it’s more sustainable, more interesting, and just better to incorporate used furniture in our designs and our company is on a mission to prove it. This has meant that we needed well-working systems in place, since it’s not as simple for us as clicking “add to cart” on a furniture website. We have developed finely-tuned processes through the years that make us experts when navigating all the ups and downs that come with buying secondhand furniture and we aim to make the process as smooth as possible for our clients.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Kristin Keyes Interiors?
Kristin Keyes Interiors is a luxury interior design studio with a low-waste approach. We work with clients on whole homes, groups of rooms, and single-room transformations in Nashville and surrounding areas. Our iterative and open-ended design process helps us build a final design that combines our client’s personal style, our design sensibility, and the element of surprise that comes along with shopping secondhand.
We always start with what our clients already own. Whether we’re working out a furniture layout with the pieces they already have, shopping their home for art, or styling their bookshelves with their favorite sentimental items, we’ll always use a client’s home as the first source for their design.
Next, we will edit out what isn’t working. Every home has items that are no longer serving the people who live there. We help our clients identify what needs to go and facilitate the donation of those items.
Then, we layer in preloved pieces. We may work with vintage and antique dealers, and we’ll definitely do some Facebook Marketplace hustling. We guide our clients through the process and smooth out the challenges that come along with shopping secondhand.
All of this comes together to create a beautiful, functional space for our clients that they are proud to show off. And the best part is- the carbon footprint of buying secondhand pieces is near zero.
Any big plans?
We are excited to continue building beautiful rooms with secondhand pieces and making a difference in the design community. We want to change the way Nashvillians design their home and prove that artful spaces do not have to mean all new pieces- and we would argue they shouldn’t! Making purchasing used items second-nature is a shift our culture will have to make as a society- and we are excited to be on the forefront of that movement.
Pricing:
- Living Room Estimated Room Totals: $23,500 – $30,500
- Bedroom Estimated Room Totals: $21,000 – $27,000
- Dining Room Estimated Room Totals: $21,500 – $28,000
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kristinkeyesinteriors.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kristinkeyesinteriors
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100086455990802
- Other: kristinkeyesinteriors@gmail.com
