FULL of Joy A doctor-turned-designer infuses her family’s home with her signature cheerful, livable style rowing up I wasn’t even aware interior design was a thing,” says Kricia Palmer. As a former pediatric allergist/ immunologist, she first became intrigued with design while she and her husband, Jon, were both in medical school. “During my residency, we watched shows like Trading Spaces, and I realized this was something I was drawn to,” she says. “We were poor med students at the time, and I loved playing around with our house.” When they became parents to two boys, Grant and Jude, Kricia left medicine to stay home with her sons. During this time, her curiosity about design was piqued again, leading her to earn a degree in the field a couple of classes at a time at the University of Central Arkansas. Upon graduating, she worked for local designer Tobi Fairley before developing her niche business: House Calls for Physicians. Here, she designs specifically for other women physicians around the United States—all remotely. Kricia does the creative work, from selecting fabrics and space planning to specifying materials and furnishings, but allows the client to handle procurement and installation on her own timeline. “I think my business came at a time when it was really needed—right at the start of the pandemic,” she says. “Women
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44 At Home in Arkansas | December 2021
