Meet Kara Smith | Interior Designer & Art Consultant

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kara Smith and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kara, do you have some perspective or insight you can share with us on the question of when someone should give up versus when they should keep going?
I rely heavily on my intuition. After so many years in the business, I know when something isn’t worth my time. I can always tell when I end up pushing for something to happen and it is easier on everyone to avoid the emotional frustration altogether. Listening to that intuition and protecting your energy is incredibly important.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I truly believe that good work leads to more work. I instilled that philosophy in myself about a decade ago and it has effortlessly trickled down to my team. A key focus of my career has been to make each individual project a top priority to leave my clients thrilled with the style, experience, and process.

I feel I have a lot of diversity and an interest in continually evolving my work.. I always look to learn, discover, and create something as fresh as it possibly can be.

As for the question of “Was it easy?” No it was not easy!

The interior design world is quite competitive. It is hard to enter without being viewed as an imposter and the competition is stiff and significant On top of all that it is an interesting business because you must have great and unique taste but you also have to develop the right bedside manner. It is very much like walking a tight rope between meeting clients and gently pushing them in the right direction. And the amount of paperwork and coordination and details is intense.

I’ll never forget the moment when it finally felt like everything was working and I was fully embraced by the industry.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
First we would visit LACMA as it’s always such a treat. Most of the time you can stumble into an exhibit line up that is really special. Next, we would go for a late lunch at somewhere like San Vicente Bungalow in West Hollywood, Nobu Malibu, or the roof at the Waldorf Astoria
For dinners we would have to go out practically every night because there are so many “must go” places. We would likely head downtown to Bestia, Mother Wolf in Hollywood, Mr Chow (a classic) in Beverly Hills, Parks BBQ for some of the best Korean BBQ, and my favorite–Sushi Park.

We can’t forget happy hours and late night lounges, either. For either we will gracioulsy grab drinks at the nice guy after dinner, visit the comedy store on Sunset, and the roof at the Edition. It is perfect for chic after dinner drinks and people watching.

Some fun LA activities are shopping and coffee on Little Melrose, The Grove farmers market, all the hiking spots, and gallery hopping downtown.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?

I’m particularly proud of the brand and the firm I’ve built. My team is incredible, loyal, and talented. WE have worked together so long its truly like “ a well-oiled machine!” The perception I want my clients to have is that we are incredibly professional, organized, congenial while having a real passion for design. We strive for ingenuity and a lot of unique sourcing.

I am also incredibly focused on building for my clients exciting art collections. This is a passion of mine and I hope every piece i place is something they both love and keeps value

Website: https://www.kes-studio.com

Instagram: @kesstudio

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kara-smith-98837b27/#experience