“If you were to pick a drink after a long day of work, what would it be?”
“What is your love language?”
Those are just two parts of a unique questionnaire that helps designer Kimberly Horton of KH Home Designs get to know her client’s style.
In 2018, Kim was happily working in the medical field but as she was renovating and designing her current home, she felt a certain peace she hadn’t experienced in her medical role. On a whim, she made the decision to switch careers and start her own business. Just like that, Kim, established her LLC, KH Home Designs and never looked back.
Kim, a now award-winning designer, continues to immerse herself in education, as she has throughout the years, to constantly hone her skillset. She completed several decorating and design programs from industry leaders to ensure she provides her clients with the very best services and products.
When a new client reaches out to Kim, she kicks off the process by scheduling a complimentary introduction call to understand the scope of what the client is looking for. Once Kim has agreed to take on the project, she visits the space and the new client completes her one-of-a-kind questionnaire. While a few questions might seem unexpected from an interior designer, Kim prides herself on fully understanding her clients, what styles they love, and how they’ll utilize the new space. Kim sees design beyond the four walls of the space. “I see the frustration, the lack of function, yes, but I also see the whole picture; the big dream far beyond the limitations of the client’s mind. It’s my job to push past their limiting beliefs into a dream they never knew was possible.”
Aside from the nightcap and love language questions, Kim’s questionnaire allows her clients to react to visuals she provides, share color preferences, and even react to various metals. This can be a tricky process when two partners are designing a space together; the questionnaire comes in handy as it allows Kim to pinpoint commonalities between the two opinions. This entire process allows Kim to hear her client's pain points and frustrations, even when they can’t articulate it themselves, anticipate their present and future needs, and deliver a timeless look that will grow with them.
All of the information from this meeting helps inform the direction of the design.
The construction process can be difficult to navigate and where Kim really shows her value and earns her client’s praise. As a most recent client shares, Kim “was an essential link between us and our contractor in the design and had a huge positive impact on the final product.”
Here, she takes over the tedious decision-making as her client’s advocate and goes above and beyond to ensure a streamlined process. She prides herself on always having a backup plan for when things aren’t going as expected. That's a win-win for everybody.
Kim’s magic really works. Not only do her clients love her smooth process, solution driven designs and their final results but in 2020, HGTV approached Kim to participate in their Designer of the Year awards. While she didn’t expect it to go far, she was crowned HGTV’s Designer of the Year, People’s Choice after a rigorous elimination process.
Clients absolutely love Kim’s reveal day, where they live out their own celebrity experience with her HGTV-style reveal. They feel like Kim rolled out the red carpet for them when they come home to a new beautifully furnished space with all the spoilings - champagne, desserts, and a special thank-you gift. And as one former client describes, “It’s an unforgettable experience to share with your partner.”
When looking for an interior designer, you might seek someone who has a similar taste to your own but Kim doesn’t subscribe to any particular style herself; she’s done it all. Kim helps her clients see outside of the box. “Homeowners often define their style as one singular design style. In fact, most people fall into many different design categories and it’s my job to deliver that one-of-a-kind design.”
She says the biggest critical design error people struggle with is scale. Her general rule is two thirds. For example: if you have a credenza, the artwork above it should be 2/3 the size of that credenza. Most of the time, when a room feels unbalanced, it's usually a scale issue. And if you’re feeling like your space is falling flat, explore textures. Look to incorporate wood, glass, metal, velvet, linen, and something three-dimensional to make the room feel richer.
Kim offers full-service design for furniture and accessories, remodels of kitchens, baths, and whole homes as well as consulting services for DIYers who may want to do the work themselves but need a little jump start. To start your design journey or for more information, visit Kim’s website: DesignsByKH.com.
