LOCAL INTERIOR DESIGNER SUPPORTS CLIENTS’ UNIQUE STYLES

&Build Bloom LOCAL INTERIOR DESIGNER SUPPORTS

CLIENTS’ UNIQUE STYLES

By Madalyn Watson

A ROOM’S PERSONALITY

Standard-Radio Post reporter

Kelly Hallman worked in a Chicago brokerage firm before she switched gears to focus on her passion for interior design.

Today, the owner of her own business, Kelly Hallman Design helps clients in the Hill Country area realize the potential of their space.

Hallman enjoyed interior design as far back as her teenage years when she would completely redecorate her childhood bedroom.

“I’ve always just kind of had an eye where I can walk into a space, and see it differently than it is usually set up and see how something can be improved upon,” Hallman said.

During her 11 years working in retirement planning, her interest in design was on the back burner.

After retiring, she moved around before settling down in Fredericksburg where she worked for Red, a home design store in the area from 2011-2016.

“Then, that parlayed into being a design liaison between the store and interior designers while also working part time to develop my interior design business,” Hallman said.

In 2016, she transitioned to working on her own design business full-time, taking with her what she learned in past experiences.

“It was a lot of learning, a lot of reading and researching and exposing myself to books and literature,” Hallman said. “So, there was a steep learning curve, initially.”

When a client hires Hallman to design a room for them, the process begins with a meeting so Hallman can understand where her clients are in the design process. “If they’re doing renovations in their current house, then it is a great place for that meeting so that we can see the space, and then also find out what works for them and what doesn’t,” Hallman said. Hallman takes all the information she gathers from her clients about their space, their style and their lives and creates a storyboard for the design. Kelly Hallman is an interior When her clients aren’t sure designer based in the Texas Hill about the style they want, she asks Country. – Submitted photo them to prepare images of things they like and make note of the items in their house that are already working. “I’m somebody that’s a big advocate for listening to clients, they are ultimately the people that live in this space or they’re the ones that work in the space,” Hallman said. While Instagram and Pinterest are great resources for gathering inspiration, Hallman said she is often inspired by her travels. “Lately, the last couple of years, I’m gravitating toward liking modern, contemporary type of work, but that’s where my eye goes and that doesn’t necessarily mean that it is the type of work that I do for clients,” Hallman said. Hallman keeps up with interior design trends, but tries not to incorporate them too much into her designs unless they are what her clients want in their home.

Kelly Hallman loves to cook, so one of her favorite rooms in any house to design is the kitchen. Hallman and her husband attended culinary school in New York City for a time, and they both love to cook. – Submitted photo

“I don’t want every house to be cookie cutter and all look the same; I want it to reflect their personality,” Hallman said.

Trends change so frequently, Hallman said, that if designs rely too heavily on them, the room can look outdated very quickly.

“I don’t want somebody to walk into somebody’s house and go, ‘Oh, I know exactly what year you installed those light fixtures,” Hallman said.

Hallman’s personal taste is something timeless with a few contemporary or unique elements thrown in.

She said many of her clients have a few unique pieces they want to highlight and she builds the rest of the home around that item.

DESIGN CHALLENGES

One of the more challenging aspects of working in interior design, Hallman said, was finding compromise between clashing personalities.

“You’re dealing with a lot of different personalities. Having husbands and wives together and not being on the same page, you have to kind of find a point where they each feel like they’ve contributed to their home,” Hallman said.

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Kelly Hallman said she enjoys picking out the little details and textures that come together to make a room. From bathroom tiles to bed spreads, Hallman finds joy in personalizing these details to each of her clients. – Submitted photo

Kelly Hallman’s personal style can be described as “modern, contemporary,” but when it comes to designing for her clients, she wants a room to reflect their personality instead of her own. – Submitted photo

Another challenge Hallman and other interior designers in the Hill Country have is a lack of nearby resources.

Even though Hallman loves working with many of the local artisans, sometimes she has to venture to Austin or San Antonio to get the right pieces for her clients.

“There are certain clients that wants furniture from a particular store that is not necessarily a local store,” Hallman said. “Although it’s getting easier because there are sources for us to have things sent to us overnight.”

Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has affected delivery times as well as the availability of certain items for people designing or renovating their homes.

“I’m seeing that things are out of stock, so you’re needing to have a Plan B as well right now in case something’s not going to be in stock when you need it,” Hallman said.

Patience, Hallman said, is so important today for those who are wanting to change up their homes.

When business dropped during the height of the pandemic, Hallman and her husband had more time to work on their own home.

“With me personally, my house got tabled for clients’ projects getting done first,” Hallman said.

The pandemic gave her time to finish the projects on her own house since she would normally leave &Build Bloom her personal designing to late at night after she finished her work.

“My husband and I are glad that our house is done, so then that allows me to focus on other people’s houses,” Hallman said.

To learn more about Kelly Hallman Design and her past projects, check out her website:

www.kellyhallmandesign.com