Meet Kristin Gray | Interior Designer

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

Hi Kristin, we’d love for you to start things off by telling us something about your industry that we and others not in the industry might be unaware of?
Owning a design business is about so many other things other than design. As the owner of an interior business you have to knowledge in business processes/best practices, marketing, logistics, HR. Most designers when they first start out are wearing all of the hats and doing all of above themselves. In order to be successful, you need to have knowledge in all of these categories. But most importantly it is about creating personal connections and trust with your clients. It is easy for a designer to create a beautiful space but in order to get clients calling you, you need to have the connection, be someone they can trust and make the process easy. In the end interior design is more about servicing clients at the highest level, with integrity than it is about good design.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’ve been in the interior industry since moving out to LA from the East Coast in 2005, a year after graduating college. I knew I wanted to find a job in the design/architecture industry with this move. I was lucky to get hired as a office manager at an architectural office as my first job in the industry and learned AutoCAD and how to read plans at that firm. While there I decided to take a Design Psychology class at UCLA Extension, combining my BA and interest in design. That began my 7 year journey to get my Masters of Interior Architecture while simultaneously learning about design in the ‘real world’ through my various work experiences. I have grown a lot over the years as a designer and think the most valuable lesson is to believe in myself, my skills and my desire to continue to create homes that are a refuge for my clients.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
One afternoon would have to spent in the Downtown Arts District, The Row in particular. We’d start by sampling the many offerings of Smorgasburg, browse the shops and grab a coffee at Go Get Em Tiger. Living in the South Bay now, would take a day to hang at Terranea to stroll along the walking path overlooking the Coast and grab a bite and maybe a massage. Dinner would be Planta Cocina in Marina del Rey, the food is delicious and the restaurant design makes me want to move in! Another day would be exploring the various South Bay beach towns such as Redondo and Manhattan Beach checking out the various shops, grabbing a coffee or acai bowl at BlendzUp, a bite/drink at Salt & Pearl and dinner/entertainment at Belle Epoque. We’d take in the art and gardens at the Huntington and try to catch a show at the Hollywood Bowl. And of course, one lazy would have to be spent at the beach.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There have been many people along the way in my career as an interior designer that have given me encouragement to either keep going when things got tough, strive for the next job, push me to further my education, recommend me for new work and trust me to do the work! Past colleagues, friends, and my husband for always encouraging me – thank you!

Website: https://www.kdgrayinteriors.com