Episode 150 Transcript: Kim Beach and Elodie Schreiber
On this episode of The Brad and Taylor Show, we sat down with Kim Beach and Elodie Schreiber of K&E Interior Design!
To watch the full episode, check it out on YouTube below. To listen, head over to Apple Podcasts. In the meantime, check out the transcript of the conversation below…
Taylor
Hi girls, how are you doing?
Kim and Elodie
Hello! We’re good. How are you guys?
Taylor
We’re good!
Brad
We’re doing good, we’re doing good. Well, let’s get this started! So what do you guys do?
Kim
So I’m Kim and this is Elodie and we co-own K&E Interior Design.
Brad
Nice, I like it, I like it! How did you guys get started on that?
Kim
So we both have had a passion for interior design for a long time. Back in the fall of 2019, we decided to launch our business.
Elodie
It’s only been less than two years that we formatted that business.
Taylor
So you guys launched K&E almost at the start of shutdowns then right?
Kim and Elodie
Yes yes.
Taylor
How did that go?
Kim
We always joke that Elodie and I have different types of personalities and I think everyone gives themselves every reason not to do something rather than giving themselves a reason to do something. If we knew that Covid hit when it did, we would have not taken the risk or the plunge. I would have been a nervous wreck but it all worked out!
Taylor
Jumping into it not knowing that that was gonna happen, you guys can’t back out now you’ve already started so yeah that’s awesome!
When you guys first started and you guys were thinking about going into this business, did you guys get any advice from anybody that helped you along the way?
Kim
Yeah, we got a lot of advice. We’ve been really fortunate that our network and social group are a lot of business owners. One in particular really stands out for us as it was one of Elodie’s professors.
Elodie
I was fresh out of school when we started this. So I had a lot of teachers I was able to talk to and pick their brains on. When we were thinking about doing this, we sat down with one and we ran our business idea through him just to have more comfort and know if we should be doing this.
We finished our pitch to him and he said, “What am I doing here? It seems like you guys have it all figured out just do it!” That was like a push that we needed to jump into this. A piece of advice that he’s always told us is to always look forward and never give up on things. To always try something new.
Kim
Then fast forward, he was our first client! And it was fun I think for both of us you know? To kind of start this journey with his guidance and that push that he had for us, it was a great experience to start things off.
Taylor
Isn’t that a little nerve-wracking? Him being your first one, and you have that relationship already like, “Oh, we don’t want to mess up!”
Kim
Of course! It was great though. When we were brainstorming everything, I can remember a time when we were sitting in the middle of his living room on lawn chairs, and we kind of “cheers” to that moment because it was just surreal for everyone!
I think he was excited for us to do what we love to do and we were just excited to be sitting there in lawn chairs, you know? Ready to tackle this project.
Taylor
So, take us through the process, how does it work? I know you mentioned it was in the frame. Do you guys design from the ground up? What’s the process with that?
Elodie
We work with either remodel or new construction. If somebody is planning on remodeling their kitchen, for example, they can get us involved and what we focus on is helping them pick out all the things that are going to be staying in their house for a long time so things like the flooring the countertops, the cabinets, the backsplash, the light fixtures, the hardware.
All those things that are going to be in the home, that is an investment when you redo a project like that’s when we come in the picture and what we do is we put curated collections together. Usually up to three different ideas and then we just come to your home and we present those collections to you and you can kind of pick from that and edit things you like, things you don’t like, and we go from there.
Brad
That’s awesome! What is one thing you guys did at the beginning that kind of messed things up and you won’t do ever again?
Kim
We were reflecting back since again we’re still such a new business. We said what would we do differently, Elodie and I both have a natural curiosity for everything and that can be good and bad. It’s one of those like we felt like we can do it all. We can be the accountant, we can be the bookkeeper, we can do it all!
We quickly realized that there’s not enough time in the day to do those things so it took about a year when we decided we needed to call for some help on the things that we shouldn’t focus on. To focus on what we do really really well and pass those things off we wish we would have done earlier.
Brad
Yeah, that’s awesome! What do you think made you guys stand out right at the beginning between somebody choosing you guys or somebody else?
Kim
It’s a good question. I honestly think that with us being a duo in things, I think we make it a point to make it a really enjoyable experience. From the first time you meet us, I think people really catch on to how much we love what we do and how every project is a big deal for us.
Even if it’s just picking out light for your kitchen cabinets, it’s a big deal for us because again, it’s such a big investment for people that I think they can feel it like oozes out of us on how much we love what we do and I think that’s infectious.
I think some designers have a certain style that they like and what is really nice with us is we can adapt to whatever style they like. We both have different things we like. I’m more on the modern side and she’s very transitional or things like that. So we can really adapt to different styles and adapt to the customer, what they really want to do. We’re not stuck in a lane of a design style
Taylor
How do you guys narrow down a design style for someone like for me example? I don’t know what my design style is. I like a little bit of everything. How do you narrow that down to know what someone wants because in my head I think I know but then I’m like I don’t know.
Kim
Yeah, it’s a lot of questions. There’s a fairly lengthy session that we go through and it’s not so much that you have to define your style I think we all can look at something be like, “oh yeah we’re attracted to that!” or “that’s just not me.”
We go through a lot of inspiration pictures. Like I said, a lot of questions to pull it out of you. Sometimes it’s harder for some clients but that’s our job.
Elodie
Yeah. We try to be creative too and see if that’s something that clients might not know they like until we show it to them.
Kim
We’re known to throw a curveball. We always say here’s the curveball option for you guys. It’s funny how often people go for it because they’re like, yeah uh I need to get out of my bubble.
Taylor
Yeah, for sure! Do you guys have any goals to finish out this year and to go into next year?
Elodie
Yeah, definitely. I think making people understand what exactly it is that we do because there can sometimes be confusion between designers and decorators. We’re not decorators. We’re not gonna be picking out pillows and artwork and accessories for your house to make it look cute. That’s not really what we do.
What we do is focus on the things that are long-term, that is going to be staying in the clients’ home and making people understand that’s the investment in designers. To protect the bigger investment of your house and your home. That’s what we’re trying to do.
So, getting our name out there has landed more jobs and showings. What we’re doing with your guys’ help with WindowStill too, showing up with nice pictures that can help in our project.
Taylor
I remember the last one that we did for you guys. That one was so pretty, I emailed you guys right away and I was like, did you guys do that?!
Kim
Yeah, that was a really fun project! I was lucky enough that it was only three miles away from my house too, so we were lucky to be so close just to see the whole transformation of it and they were great clients to work with.
Taylor
Speaking of locations, where do you guys focused on where is it like remote? or do you guys focus on one area? How does that kind of work?
Kim
For our line of where we work? or where our clients are?
Taylor
Yeah, where you work.
Kim
From the very beginning, we really didn’t want a shop or a studio. We love the flexibility to kind of go wherever we want. If we wanted to go to Biggby Coffee and work there, have a cup of coffee and work and interact with other people that’s great!
Again, we’d rather be in your home, at your kitchen table, in your environment and your lighting, so we’re we always joke that we’re kind of like the amazon of design where we just come right to you.
Taylor
Yeah, and I think that’s good too with your line of work. You guys can build that relationship and understand what people are actually looking for.
Elodie
Absolutely! We get to go on the job sites and see how things are going, you know? When the job is actually getting done, we make sure everything is rolling and it’s just so fun for us to peek in and be like oh where are we at? We get so excited!
Taylor
Where do you guys focus your clients? You guys don’t have a home office, you kind of are all over with that, but where are your clients located?
Brad
Yeah, where’s your service area?
Kim
Primarily in Bowling Green Ohio and the surrounding outlying areas from there but most of our clients are involved.
Taylor
Before we go today, how can everybody get a hold of you guys?
Elodie
You can email us. You can call us. Our website is kedesigners.com. We’re on social media as well so it’s very easy to just send us a message or call us and we’d be happy to chat when you talk about the future projects that you have. So check us out on Facebook and Instagram!
Taylor
What’s your guys’ name on Facebook and Instagram?
Elodie
Facebook is K&E Interior Design and our Instagram is @ke_interiordesign!
Taylor
Perfect! Well, thank you guys for coming on today!
Kim and Elodie
Yeah, thank you, guys!
Check out Kim Beach and Elodie Schreiber:
K&E Interior Design
http://kedesigners.com/
https://www.facebook.com/kedesignservice/
https://www.instagram.com/ke_interiordesign/
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