We are here today with Ms. Kristi Snyder.

Kristi Snyder is one of our favorite designers that we work with outside of our staff.

And the reason that Keenum & Co works with outside designers is we can only do so much.

And a lot of times we need to collaborate with outside talent.

And Kristi is one of our favorite to work for.

She is the owner and founder of Reveal Design.

And so Kristi, welcome to this discussion and tell us a little bit about yourself, your background, how you got into design, and where you find yourself today.

I have been doing design since 2005.

I have a BA in design.

I have certifications in the remodeling industry.

So I feel like I know what I’m doing through all that time and experience.

I think it brings a lot to the table in working with an established company like yours, where we can kind of bring in our own skill sets together and just make the projects we work together amazing.

You’ve always done design.

You’re not somebody who just had a good social media following and, hey, put some pillows together and look at this.

And by the way, yeah, I can do your house.

This is something that you’ve always done.

Like you said, you’ve gone through the schooling.

You know the methodology behind it, and you’ve always done it.

Is this like your gift to the world?

I feel that.

Yeah, I mean, when I was little, I would rearrange furniture.

So or play with Legos and make floor plans.

You made floor plans in Legos.

I totally did when I was like seven and eight.

So I think it really shows the test of this is what I’m supposed to do.

And I hope people find that I have passion with it, because it really is important to me to work with clients, to find that end result that they’re not only happy with, but it exceeds their expectations.

So that’s like what drives me.

That’s fantastic, yeah.

And that’s absolutely going to show up in the final product.

Tell us about how you crossed paths with us and how it led to where we are today and why you even like working with us.

Or maybe you don’t, I mean, if you can tell.

Well, I definitely do.

So that’s off the table.

We’re good.

So we’ve been working together since 2019.

We kind of pulled in on a small project to test each other out.

And I think it went really well.

It really showed our skill sets that we’re bringing together to make that project nice.

And it helped really set the trajectory of what we have going on today, which are some much bigger, more complex projects, and multiple at a time.

Coming from our side of the table, we’ve worked with quite a few outside designers.

A lot of it ended up being a blame game.

And that was something that we noticed with a lot of headstrong.

They were talented.

They’re great designers.

But when it came down to collaborating to get the best product for the customer, and a lot of the, you know, there’s bumps in that path to get there, right?

One of the things we noticed with you is you were always committed to getting that product for the customer.

And there wasn’t the drama of, you never threw us under the bus.

Definitely, and I never will.

And you don’t for me, which I appreciate.

And there was so many, there was other designers that we worked with where it was about them, and about them preserving how they looked to the customer.

And unfortunately, that can happen in any industry, and when you’re trying to collaborate on a joint project.

And that was something we didn’t experience with you.

So we really appreciate that.

And for our side of things, when we work with designers, that matters a lot, that we can work with someone who’s mature and good at what they do.

And ultimately, their goal is that best product for the customer.

No, definitely.

OK, what are some challenges that you’ve encountered in design builds, and how you overcame them?

Maybe project constraints, unexpected issues, client preferences, or maybe budget constraints.

What are some challenges, and how do you navigate those?

Well, I think first off, having good communication and setting expectations for any size project, or any size budget, is imperative.

And I strongly feel that both Kingdom & Co. and Reveal Interior Design does that, not only with the client, but with each other.

So we have a lot of conversations on the back end to make sure that we’re on the same page the entire time throughout that process.

So as soon as clients don’t have a set expectation or good communication, then they get overwhelmed, they start to second guess things, and they just are confused on what the end result is going to be.

And that’s the last thing we want.

We want it to be something that they’re loving in the end, that they want to tell all of their friends and family about, and they enjoy for years to come.

And I think those are the imperative things we have at the top of the list.

Yeah.

There’s all sorts of, I think, ways, and we kind of talked about this before we started, that customers, when they go into a remodel, kind of can work against themselves.

And as you were explaining that, I was thinking of early on in a project, sometimes a customer is they’re hesitant to be open and forthcoming about what their budget is.

And I think, because they think, well, if I give them a number, they’re going to go in design right up to that number.

Or I want to give them a low number so I get my cost down.

And with the process of design build, the number’s the number.

The actual profit that our company takes from it is the same little spread, right?

And no matter if it’s a million dollar project or a $50,000 project.

So the reason I bring this up is it’s very important to show your cards what is your budget, because you are going to design to that budget.

Exactly.

And that was another thing we experienced a lot, is a designer that’s not proficient at that, they’ll overdesign.

Yeah, it looks beautiful, and the customer loves it, but it’s unobtainable, because it doesn’t meet your budget.

And then it just frustrates everybody, because you’ve got this thing you can’t do.

Yeah, you keep looping.

And it’s wasting a lot of time and energy when if we just had a set expectation on budget early on, then yes, we can design to that.

And we can always tweak it as needed, but it’s something that really just starts us off, and it just makes it so much easier to get going on a good foot.

Yeah, and I think what you were explaining to me before, that customer needs to trust that process.

And sometimes there’s hesitancy, because they’re leery.

They don’t want to be oversold something.

And design-build with a good established company isn’t like that.

We’re not trying to oversell you on anything.

The most frustrating thing for us is to go through all this planning work to design a beautiful project that we can’t do.

That annoys us.

Yeah, I mean, we put our heart and souls into these projects, and all we want to see is come to fruition.

And yeah, it’s frustrating when it doesn’t, but we understand why it might not.

But yeah, having a budget early on is really important.

Yeah, trusting that process, having the budget.

And what would you say for people who have a hard time making decisions and kind of get caught up in that design process and keep having to change their mind?

Is there anything you can guide customers on who may have that tendency?

Well, trust your designer.

We come to the table with a lot of experience, not only with how things can be installed, but all the different types of materials and transitioning different materials together.

So we already have all of that in the back of our mind when we do detailed questionnaires on the types of things that each client wants for certain things.

So whether it’s keeping low maintenance, because they’ve got a bunch of kids or pets, or they entertain a lot, or they just want that really high-end look, then all of that information is important to gather early.

But just kind of trusting the process of working with professionals that do know what they’re doing.

And of course, it’s a back and forth.

So it’s not all like, this is what we want you to have, and you get no choice.

By no means is it like that.

There’s a lot of collaboration.

So back and forth, and let me show you some things that I think would work.

You let me know what you like.

And we usually end up with some kind of a hybrid, which still is beautiful, amazing, hits all the points that everybody needs.

Yeah, it’s so helpful.

I think one of the best skills that you and a good designer bring is you’re marrying fashion and functionality, because there needs to be a balance.

Some things look really cool, but are completely non-functional.

Agreed.

And some things are super functional, but they’re ugly.

Agreed, yeah.

We always try to marry the two.

Just thinking about one of the customers we’re currently working with, another way that customers can trip themselves up is they’ll, and maybe you’ve had this experience, but they get real myopic with a certain texture or a certain product.

And they don’t see how it blends with the whole canvas.

Do you ever experience that?

Oh, yeah, a lot.

So our job is to bring a cohesive look to whether it’s just a single room or the whole home.

It’s important to see all of the pieces together.

Because if you just look at a few, yeah, maybe it doesn’t go together.

But look at the other aspects, yeah, the whole picture.

We are doing that as we’re showing products.

So it just jumps back to that, trusting the process, trusting us, and just ask questions.

If you’re not sure, just be honest about how you’re feeling, and we’ll talk it through.

And it doesn’t mean that that’s the final piece that we choose in the end, but it’s just part of the conversation.

Yeah, and I think a lot of people are afraid of picking out a flooring that they’re going to regret, and a lot of times still they’re afraid of making a mistake.

Or it seems like, particularly with paint swatches, when you start arguing about whites, to me, and maybe you can tell me, white’s white until you compare it to another white.

Yeah, pretty much.

And sometimes they get so fixated on, oh, but that’s not the type of white, and it’s like.

Undertones.

Right.

Could you share some insights of some favorite projects that we’ve worked on?

There’s so many we’ve worked on.

I don’t even know how many.

I’ve lost count throughout the years, but some of our most recent ones are definitely on my favorites list.

The Hacienda we did not too long ago was very unique.

That was a unique one.

Spanish style, the original home was older, so we had a lot of work to do structurally.

We literally moved the kitchen, so there’s a lot involved in something like that.

Just the style is a little bit different than what is as common right now, but it really fit the client’s needs and the structure, the architecture of the home.

So it turned out beautiful.

When I first walked that home, I honestly thought, what the hell is this guy thinking?

I’ll be honest.

I was like, the doorways are so narrow.

It just felt older than it was.

I think, when was it built?

Late 70s or 80s.

To me, it felt like it was built in the 1830s.

I mean, it felt ancient, but man, it really turned out good.

Thank you.

And that’s a testament to your talent, what you do.

Thank you.

OK, what are some advantages of working with design build versus simply a contractor?

So I find a huge benefit in working for a company like Kingdom and Co.

I think what I appreciate is, because you are a design build, you respect and understand what the interior designer role brings to the table.

We’re so much more than just picking out some paint and some flooring.

It’s so many layers and levels.

And having that respect of what I bring to the table, because you have your own staff, makes my job a little bit easier.

So just keeping that communication and understanding what skill sets I bring and what skill sets you bring, and just marrying those to make it a really nice space, is one major thing that I appreciate.

Yeah, the outcome is so much better.

Tell us about some current trends, some things that you are seeing that’s becoming more and more popular.

Well, I’m glad the grays are going away.

Grays are out, yeah.

We got the Grige.

Some people love that name.

Some people hate it.

Grige.

Grige.

I’ve heard of Grige.

Yes, same thing.

Oh, OK. So gray and beige.

I thought you were going to say it’s green and beige.

Well, green is popular right now.

Is it?

OK. And like, blushes, which I’m not quite on board with that one.

But the paint companies say that that’s there.

I have seen more pinks.

Greens, yeah.

Pinks, blushes, all those are coming up.

The navies and the grays are kind of starting to go away.

So all the warmer tones are starting to head back, like they were kind of in the 90s.

It’s going strong with the black metal and the gold.

The brushed gold metal is very strong.

I don’t think it’s going anywhere for a bit.

But I think it’s coming down more for material versus a color or a finish.

Yeah, tell us about that.

We’re doing a lot of luxury vinyl.

And you see it in $300,000 homes.

And you see it in $3 million homes.

Really?

And it’s actually a pretty good product that works for busy homes.

It’s super, super durable.

I’m a fan of it.

Yes, it has its place sometimes, and so does other materials.

But it’s quite popular.

Yeah, I just put it in my home.

And like you said, it looks fantastic.

And it’s so versatile.

It’s easy to clean.

And there’s so many advantages to it.

Exactly.

I think also for the last couple of years, we’ve seen a lot of that Venetian plaster look.

And that’s still really strong.

So we’re seeing that on all sorts of things, vent hoods for over your range, fireplaces, just full walls for more of an accent instead of using just a paint color or wallpaper.

It’s just a fun way to bring in a little extra depth that I like using it.

Awesome.

Tell us about where you would like to see your company reveal design.

Where would you like to see it in 5 or 10 years?

It’s going to take a while to get there, it feels like.

But I have a lot of hopes for the future of Reveal Interior Design.

I think right now, for the most part, I’m a one-woman show.

I do mostly everything.

That’s a big load to carry, yeah.

It is.

But I mean, like I said, I love what I do.

So it has its moments.

But for the most part, I love what I do.

But I’m looking to build the company, grow some team members, grow project types and sizes.

I want to get more into new builds versus just remodeling.

So I think in the next 5 to 10 years, you’re absolutely going to start seeing a lot more of that and just my name out there a little bit more.

I’m putting a lot of attention right now to building my digital footprint.

So all the socials and creating a YouTube channel and all of that is starting this year.

So I have a lot of expectations for the next few years.

Yeah, and you’ve got the talent to do it, for sure.

Like, you’ve got what you need there.

What would you say to someone who says, I totally love what you do, but you are just too expensive and I can’t afford you?

What would you say to them about what it is that you do and what you charge for it?

That’s a good question.

So we appreciate when our value is understood.

So with our experience and all of our skill sets that we bring to the table, there is a cost to that.

However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that we have to be the most expensive designer in the world.

By no means are we.

We offer multiple services from 2D drawings, 3D renderings, sourcing all of the finished materials, and what we call design management, where we’re there with you, boots on the ground, making sure that the design that’s been agreed upon comes to fruition.

So sometimes I will work with clients and take out pieces of those services if it’s not necessary.

So for example, if it’s a simple project, then they may not need drawings or they may see no value in the renderings.

I suggest to have all of it because I think it gives the best service for the entire team.

However, there is an occasion that I will cut one of those out, which will then drop the cost for design fees.

So I try to work with clients on that when I can.

You’re flexible enough to be able to cater it to what they need to meet that budget.

One thing I would say is the only thing that’s more expensive than good design is no design or bad design.

Exactly.

I mean, a lot of people design while they’re in construction, and I feel that’s really dangerous because you’re constantly in this.

You’ll spend it many times over.

Exactly.

Exactly.

So having it all decided before you start demo is, in my opinion, the best way to go.

Yeah, someone told me early on, he said, Zion, sometimes you have to spend money to save money.

And when it comes to good design, that is absolutely true.

What do we got coming up?

We’re doing another phase of hacienda.

So yeah, we have multiple homes that we have second and even third phases working together.

So I think it makes it even easier because we’ve already established, not only together on a certain project, but with the homeowner, on how everything works.

It makes it nice and smooth.

And it demonstrates that you’ve got a returning customer, that they obviously like you.

They keep doing more phases.

Exactly.

So we love multiple phases.

Yeah, it’s really important because you’ve each, like you said, it is like a dance.

And you each know each other’s process and being able to collaborate.

And it even goes more and more efficient as you progressively do more phases.

Agreed.

Even with the customer as well.

Absolutely.

Awesome.

Well, we want to thank you for being a fantastic partner.

And we look forward to the future working more with you.

And we appreciate your talent.

We appreciate your ability to collaborate with us.

And so thank you for taking the time to come on here and share your life with us.

No, thank you, Zion.

I appreciate it.

I’m looking forward to working on more projects with you guys.