Today Brad speaks with Aymee Kuhlman and Molly Kidd, Co-Owners of Light & Dwell, a full-service interior design studio created in 2015, and today serves clients nationwide. Aside from its full-service offering—whose timeline stretches from eight months to two years—Light & Dwell also offers virtual design, where the initial design is delivered within three to four weeks.

Aymee and Molly make it a point to only source sustainable and ethically-made products, particularly when it comes to furniture. Acknowledging the recent trend of eco-friendliness in the clothing industry, they decided to become more aware of and responsible for the materials they use when turning their designs into reality.

When vetting clients, Molly and Aymee like to put out the numbers right at the initial call, reviewing such items as build budget and minimum allowances in big bucket areas (ex. cabinetry, light fixtures, etc.). To make sure the contract is upheld, Molly and Aymee prefer to phrase it as an agreement when speaking to their clients. By getting clarity and understanding from all parties right off the bat, there become fewer obstacles down the road if any changes have to be made to the client’s house—as well as their budget.

Listen in as Aymee and Molly explain their working dynamic as Co-Owners of the company, how they use social media to find new clients and how they communicate throughout the timeline of a project, and the financials involved in running Light & Dwell.

Topics Discussed: 

• Light & Dwell’s approach to virtual design
• Finding and vetting clients
• Networking with other designers
• Vetting clients
• How involved Light & Dwell are on the architecture side
• Marketing virtual design on social media
• Choosing furniture alongside clients
• Scheduling workflows
• Justifying new hires

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Key Quotes from Episode:

• A lot of designers have full-service or they have virtual design; but to have a way where you can have both has been really beneficial to us, especially in 2020 with COVID.
• As a company, we’re trying to be more sustainable and ethically-sourced with our products.
• My job as a designer is to give the client, upfront, a very clear, personal vision of their house and how their house is going to be totally unique to them.