Today we’d like to introduce you to Kylie Van Meter.
Hi Kylie, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Throughout my life, I have always been surrounded by entrepreneurs and small businesses. My dad is an electrician, and watching him run his business with big dreams and aspirations made a huge impact on me. In college, like most kids, I was lost and unclear on what I wanted to do with my life. I have never wanted to settle for a career, and I knew that I was destined for big things, I just had to figure out what that was. I moved across the country from LA to Tennessee to follow the American dream. High School > College > Career > Family.
As it turned out, moving across the country did not help me figure out what I wanted to do, but it did help me grow up a lot. I decided to move back home to finish school, and shortly after, I found my passion for Interior Design.
I made a deal with my dad that if I was moving home, I had to get a job. Because I had spent most of my freshman year of college binge-watching HGTV, I thought, “hmm, interior design sounds fun”. So I made a google search for ‘Interior Designers near me’ and the rest is history.
I found an internship by luck or fate, or whatever you want to call it, and I fell in love with design. The community college I was enrolled in even happened to have a design program, which I did not know about when I had chose that school over the other local colleges.
My first job in interior design was for a boutique commercial design firm, and that experience taught me so much about business and specifically, the design industry. I worked for that firm for about three years while simultaneously getting my AS degrees in Interior Design and Accounting for Business. I spent a year working for a luxury residential firm before deciding that I was ready to branch out on my own and start Kylie Interiors.
Today, I am running my full-service interior design firm, Kylie Interiors, and am so grateful for the success we have had. By combining my experience in the commercial field as well as the luxury residential market, KI specializes in helping busy professionals create their dream homes and businesses. We have grown from small one-room projects to now designing full remodels and homes from the ground up.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The biggest struggle I have faced in being an entrepreneur is knowing when to have accountability with myself and when to have grace with myself. When you are your own boss, there is no one else that knows your workload and priorities quite like you. I have had to learn that it is okay to “turn it off” in order to recover, but I also cannot keep it turned off for too long. It is a constant dance we do. To me, balance is not something you achieve in a short-term way, but instead, over the course of time.
Learning how to manage different types of clients and different personalities has also been a challenge. Designing homes is a very personal experience, and no two clients are the same or require the same level of service. Learning to listen and fulfill my clients’ needs has been something that has helped me immensely in my business. After all, their happiness is the only goal, and anything that goes wrong can always be traced back to something I could have done differently. When you are running a business, you have to own that kind of responsibility.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My design firm, Kylie Interiors, is the leader in contemporary rustic design. We are always pushing the envelope and providing our clients with the most cutting-edge designs. I am most proud of our distinct style, which is what draws clients to us. A mixture of high contrast, bold, and luxe applications, we believe that texture > color. We specialize in vacation homes, bars, and restaurants, with projects ranging from LA to Montana to Nashville.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
What I love most about LA is the high-vibe and laid-back approach to life. The people of LA are all ambitious and focused on improving themselves (physically, mentally, financially, and spiritually), but still kind and friendly. I love the proximity to the beach, the mountains, and the city. There is always something to do here and somewhere new to find inspiration.
Probably what I like least about LA is how spread out things are and the overpopulation.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.kyliesinteriors.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kylieinteriors/
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@kylieinteriors?lang=en
Image Credits:
Jeff Poe and Raith James
