Kilian: How I Got Started in Design
The Early Years
After high school, I decided to pursue my passion and get a bachelor’s degree in music. Once I graduated I ended up working several odd jobs to make ends meet. (It turns out there’s not many jobs available when you have a music degree!) I was living in Miami and randomly got a job doing product research and development for a company that designs ceiling fans and outdoor lighting for Home Depot and Lowe’s. At that time blogs were becoming really popular so I spent a lot of my time reading interior designers blogs to discover the latest design trends. Having grown up with a mom who is a set designer I have always been immersed in art and creating unique spaces. Through my exposure to the arts in childhood and my research on interior design, I started thinking it could be a really fun and creative career path for me.
Design School
Luckily, I was living in a design mecca with a booming hospitality and luxury home market. I decided to go back to school to study interior design and was accepted into Miami International School of Art & Design. I took classes in color theory, drafting/construction documents, art and several other fun subjects. I did my thesis on educational design and thought I wanted to do commercial design as a career.
An internship was required in the last semester of school and I applied to both commercial and residential firms. I decided to do my internship at a medium sized luxury residential firm which ended up turning into a full time job right out of school. I worked with nine designers and an architect on amazing luxury homes and even got to travel for work. I was quickly given my own small projects and assisted on large projects for high caliber clientele. There is a gorgeous design district in Miami filled with Italian furniture vendors, beautiful fabric lines, and everything else you could dream of as a designer. The huge design center had every vendor imaginable and was located nearby as well. It was such an amazing world to be a part of and I loved every minute of my new career!
Working as an Interior Designer
I learned so much at that firm and am thankful for the experiences it provided but it started to feel very Devil Wears Prada so I decided to set my sights elsewhere. I moved to a smaller firm that did both residential and hospitality. My first project was designing a resort in Anguilla that included a spa with a Hammam that was built in Germany then shipped over. At this firm, I worked on projects including hotels, resorts, restaurants, luxury homes and high rise condos. Hospitality is a completely different beast than residential – with building codes, committees and specific standards that have to be met. It was fun to work on the more boutique projects but after working on a Marriott, I quickly learned it was not my cup of tea.
When my husband got a medical fellowship in San Diego for a year, we picked up and moved across the country. We weren’t sure where we would end up after the year’s training so I stayed on at my firm in Miami and commuted there once a month for site visits and time at the office. Right after the move, my favorite client purchased a condo in 432 Park Avenue in NYC which at the time was the tallest building in the western hemisphere. This was the job of a lifetime! I took on the project and added traveling to New York onto my trip to Miami. Since the building had such a prominent profile, it added a level of stress that I had not experienced before. The outcome was incredible but the journey to get to the finished product took years off my life!
During this project, my husband was offered a job in San Diego so I found a small local firm to work at and juggled finishing out my projects in Miami with work here in San Diego. It was a completely different environment than working on the fast-paced east coast and took some adjustment. During this shift, I finally met the requirements to take the NCIDQ licensing exam and committed to studying for this mammoth three part test. I studied for three months – evenings, weekends, car rides – any time I could give my attention to flash cards or practice tests, I did. The exam took two days and when I found out I had passed all three sections I was elated and relieved!
Élan Design House
Eventually I learned to enjoy the slower paced San Diego lifestyle and ease that comes with it. I was at this firm for several years and it was here that I met Kadie and Alison. We quickly bonded and loved working together so it was an easy transition to create our own firm when the owner closed her doors less than a year after they joined the team. It’s been a lovely process bringing all of our experiences together to create a business that is exactly what we want and we are excited for what’s to come!
A few years later my husband was offered a job in San Diego so I found a small local firm to work for and juggled finishing out my projects in Miami with work here in San Diego. During this shift, I finally met the requirements to take the NCIDQ licensing exam and was elated and relieved to pass on the first try!
I was at this firm for several years and it was here that I met Kadie and Alison. We quickly bonded and loved working together so it was an easy transition to create our own firm when the owner closed her doors less than a year after they joined the team. It’s been a lovely process bringing all of our experiences together to create a business that is exactly what we want and we are excited for what’s to come!
