2014 marks our 9^th year designing together as Kandrac & Kole.  Colleagues always say to us that they are envious of our partnership and wish they could find someone to share their design business.   When asked what makes it work, it’s easy to explain.  There are 5 key things we’ve always stood by.1,  Have mutual respect for each other – This trait to me, is the most important of all.  We have deep admiration for each other’s abilities, qualities and achievements and never keep score or envy the other’s success.

2.  Be flexible – Being able to have an open mind and push your ideas to the side every now and then isn’t always easy but two heads are better than one and like a marriage, you have to be able to give and take.

3.  Be Supportive – We encourage each other to be our best selves and strengthen each other whether it be a business endeavor or a personal one.

 Kelly serving in Guatemala.  Read more about her many trips helping people in the area by typing in "Guatemala" in the search section of our blog.

Joann's trip to Italy with her Mom - read Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3

4.  Be honest – This one is tricky.  Kelly and I both don’t believe in beating around the bush and keep very little to ourselves.  We are very instinctive about each other and and are able to tell each other if we are frustrated or uneasy about something.   We talk it through and move on.

5.  Have a sense of humor – This is the next most important.  Most people think the job of an interior designer is all “fun”.  Our business is a very serious one and involves a lot of responsibility and has to be taken very seriously.  The phrase “work hard, play hard” is our motto.  We try to find the humor in most situations and try to keep smiling.

We feel infinitely blessed to be living our passion.  Thank you to the outstanding people we work with, the service from our vendors, the clients who allow us to work in their homes and the brilliant design industry which we feel fortunate to be a part of!

We are looking forward to an exciting 2014 which will include attending the Design Bloggers Conference in March, hopefully, a trip to Milan with Modenus in April (fingers crossed), designing luxury jet interiors, furnishing a beach house, more luxury kitchen and bath design, charity work and  most of all, creating homes that are beautiful, functional and make our clients happy!!

Wishing you all the best in 2014!

Joann