We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Amy Krause. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Amy below.

Hi Amy, thanks for joining us today. Can you share a customer success story with us?

Yes, thank you, and it’d be my pleasure!

We recently helped a client transform her home. She’s a young and successful professional, whose job has dominated her life for the past few years.
Recently she realized it was time for her to take stock and consider whether her home still reflected her needs. When she realized it didn’t, she reached out to me and we got to work.

She wanted a home she could call her sanctuary, while it also being the perfect home for hosting gatherings or catching a game on TV with her family and friends.

My client wanted a “coastal” look and feel in her home, so we replaced and updated the doors, painted the cabinets and removed a few to open up the space and lighten it up. We also added custom furnishings and window treatments.

This project was in another state, and thanks to our process, tools, and trade connections, the whole project was a breeze. We only held three in-person meetings: one for measuring, one for review of materials and sample selections and one for installing the furniture and window treatments! Of course, there were zoom calls in between and remote coordination with the general contractor.

My client absolutely adores her new home, she not only feels proud to have others over, but also finds herself excited and looking forward to every day because of her new space.

Amy , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m the owner and lead designer of Amy Krause Design. We’re a bicoastal full service interior design firm based in the Kansas City metro area, and specialize in designing interiors that inspire new ways of experiencing home and life.

We provide professional, full-service interior design to expertly create cohesion, personalization, and polish throughout a home.

This means that we make our clients’ life easier by offering worry-free services and can manage projects from start to finish. Our process clearly defines established goals and delineates phases for the project timeline to ensure that we are meeting the aesthetic needs and high standards of our clients.

Achieving our clients aesthetic vision is our top priority along with providing an exceptional customer experience; the AKD experience.

We are so proud of the genuine relationships we develop with our clients along with their exceptional reviews because it means we are achieving our mission.
Sometimes potential clients aren’t aware that I’m a member of the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) and have received my AKBD (Associate Kitchen and Bath Designer). As an accredited designer, I get access to a huge educational and professional network so I can be updated on the new innovations in the industry.

A little more about me, I’m originally from California and graduated from the University of California, San Diego, with a degree in psychology and an emphasis in the visual arts. I found interior design later in my career and returned to school to earn degrees in interior design, along with kitchen and bath design, graduating with honors.

Once I discovered how much I loved my interior design courses, there was no looking back. I believe my past work experiences really have helped me succeed in this business with experience in many disciplines from creative development and execution, personal and professional skills.

I love what I do. I love the industry and people, and I am energized by my clients’ excitement when it comes to transforming their spaces. Nothing makes me happier than when they tell me, “this is better than I ever imagined,” and that some aspect of their lives has improved because of our work together. Seriously, what’s more rewarding than that?

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

When I went back to school to study interior design, I got involved in important industry organizations, such as ASID (American Society of Interior Designers) and NKBA (Nation Kitchen and Bath Association). I also was very involved in taking on a leadership role in our school’s interior design student association. Upon graduation, I became the Communications Director for our local ASID chapter. At the time, I wasn’t aware how much this exposure and involvement would help build my reputation within my market, but it really has.

Through networking events, I have met so many influential people in my industry, both local and far. They have been exposed to my work through the years and have watched me grow as a designer and entrepreneur.

This includes vendors whose relationships and knowledge are key to delivering the level of quality and service I strive for for my clients, mentors who help me navigate through design and business challenges and willing to generously share their experiences and insight, publishers who featured my work early on and continue in helping me establish my reputation and credibility within the industry, and builders who refer me to new clients.

I’ve had projects out of state and because of my large interior network have been able to recruit quality contractors and discover quality vendors that help us achieve our clients vision. I could go on and on…but I think it’s clear that this is a relationship based industry and I’m grateful for it.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

The best source of new clients, hands-down, is referrals from past clients and  past clients wanting to do the next phase of projects! One of the best ways we  stay in touch is via my newsletter. I recently had a past client (who has also  referred me to other great clients in the past) respond to my recent newsletter  telling me how she was just talking to a friend telling her how much she  couldn’t believe how her designed space by us has impacted her self esteem  over the last 4 years and that there are some new projects she wants to take on  together.  

Overall, it’s an honor to help our clients create homes that reflect who they  are today, and showcase how far they have come in life. When our clients feel  like their home doesn’t match their lifestyle, and are looking for cohesion and  polish, we roll up our sleeves, dive in and help them create a home better than  they could have imagined.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.amykrausedesign.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amykrausedesign/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amykrausedesign/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amykrausedesign/
• Other: https://www.houzz.com/pro/amykrausedesign/__public

Image Credits
Julie Legg Photography and Laurie Kilgore Photography