Big Changes Coming To Kristi Linauer Interiors

(This is one of those rare, pictureless posts, and it’s really long, but I hope you find it interesting!)

When I woke up this morning, I thought I had nothing to share with you today, and then I realized…

I have BIG NEWS to share!!

Granted, this may not be as exciting for you as it is for me, but I’m absolutely giddy about this. There are big changes coming to Kristi Linauer Interiors!! (For those of you who are first-time visitors, I’m Kristi Linauer, and I own an interior decorating business in Waco, Texas, called Kristi Linauer Interiors. That’s the “day job”.) 🙂

So first, let me explain why I felt some changes were needed…

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The Birth of a Dream (and its slow, miserable death)

I started my business about five years ago. I did so because I absolutely love interior decorating. It’s a gift…a talent (which I feel confident saying, because each of us has our strengths and weaknesses…this is my strength).

But I also love doing the work. I enjoy getting my hands dirty, using power tools, painting, sanding, trying new projects…

You get the point.

But somehow over the years, I’ve gotten away from the very things I love.

If a room needs painting, or a wall needs a decorative treatment…

…I hire a painter.

If wallpaper needs to be installed…

…I hire an installer.

If cabinets needs to be painted…

…I hire a painter.

If window treatments needed to be made…

…I hire a fabricator.

On the occasions that I did make the window treatments myself, which I absolutely love to do, I would feel embarrassed telling a client that I made them myself, thinking to myself that as a “professional interior decorator”, I had to uphold some sort of image where I have “people” who do all of the menial work for me.

Don’t get me wrong…

I didn’t feel like the work was menial.

I felt like others would view the work as menial. I felt like they would somehow look at me differently if they envisioned me sitting in my tiny little condo with my cheap little Singer Kenmore sewing machine making their draperies.

I felt like as a “professional interior decorator”, I was somehow obligated to reach higher, to aspire to working with the really wealthy homeowners who had thousands and thousands of dollars to spend on one room, and who certainly wouldn’t want their interior decorator showing up to their house wearing work clothes covered in dried paint, toting a ladder, paint brush, and paint roller.

But as I aspired to those things, I felt as though I was sacrificing a little bit of myself–of who I truly am–in order to fill some mold that I thought had been cast for me based on what is expected from a “professional interior decorator.”

Well, over the years, as I worked myself more and more out of the very things I truly enjoyed doing, I became increasingly disenchanted with “the business”. It became drudgery to me, and it certainly wasn’t fun anymore. It had become a means to an end…just a way to make money.

For me, it had become the equivalent of an artist having a vision for a masterpiece, and then handing over his paintbrushes and canvas to another person to execute the vision in his head. Talk about unsatisfying!!

But I noticed something…

The times that I felt the most exhilarated…

the most alive

…were on the evenings and weekends when I was working on my own little condo, doing the painting, the tiling, the sanding, the staining, the sewing.

So a couple of months ago, I started brainstorming.

How in the world could I bring this same excitement to my everyday work?

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Enter Gwen…

A couple of months ago, I started working with Gwen on her bedroom and bathroom. When Gwen first contacted me, I initially thought she would be a regular ‘ole client. I would give her my design input, she would pay me hourly for my time, and any work that needed to be done would be hired out.

But…Gwen and her husband are friends with my parents, so I felt a little more comfortable with her than I would with a stranger. And in looking at the work that needed to be done, I longed to do the work myself.

So, I approached Gwen with an idea…I wanted to completely decorate her bedroom and bathroom myself, doing all of the work with my own two hands, and hiring out only those things that I know I couldn’t (or shouldn’t) do myself, like electrical work.

She was thrilled with the idea, and I got started. Every moment of working on her rooms has been fun, exciting, and invigorating to me. I’ve worked harder (physically) on Gwen’s projects than I have on all of my other clients combined.

I’m exhausted…

…I’m sunburned…

…I can never seem to get all of the paint off of my hands…

…I go to bed at night with my back aching.

But you know what?

I don’t even care…

…because those things pale in comparison to the fact that I FEEL ALIVE again!!

I love the work I’m doing. I’m so happy…so excitedso giddy…that it brings tears to my eyes. I want to whoop and holler and dance a little jig. And I feel like I have clarity now…vision for the future of my business.

So what does that mean for Kristi Linauer Interiors?

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My Brainchild…The 14-Day Room

Beginning immediately, I will start phasing out my hourly clients. And beginning in the fall, I will offer one service only, called The 14-Day Room.

It’s exactly what it sounds like.

I will work with one client at a time, one room at a time, and transform a room for one flat fee. Over the course of 14 days, I will completely decorate the room, doing all of the work myself.

Now because it’s 14 days, and because I’m not a contractor, obviously that means I will no longer accept work on remodels. These will be decorating projects only…rooms that need cosmetic changes.

Over the course of the 14 days…

…I will paint…
…I will do wall treatments…
…I will hang wallpaper…
…I will make window treatments…
…I will paint furniture…
…I will shop…
…I will accessorize…
…I will create artwork…

 

I will do whatever needs to be done to transform the room.

And you know what’s exciting? I already have clients!!!

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Meet Alice & John

About the time all of the was formulating in my head, Alice and John contacted me about my decorating services. They had just purchased a home that needed updating and decorating throughout.

Honestly, I wasn’t very excited about the idea of starting on this project initially, simply because in my mind, a whole house redesign would interfere with my vision of re-creating my business over the summer.

DUH!!!

Then it came to me…why would I have to delay?

Why couldn’t Alice and John’s house be the
BEGINNING of this new vision?!

So after much prayer and wrestling with the idea (because it’s never easy to jump in with both feet with a brand new, business-changing, risky idea), I pitched the idea to them, and they were intrigued. Now, a couple of weeks later, after meeting with them twice, sharing some ideas with them, and shopping for flooring for the house, I think it’s pretty safe to say that we’re all incredibly excited about this new venture.

So in a week or so, I’ll be starting on their house…and jumping in with both feet into a new, exciting chapter for Kristi Linauer Interiors. I will be working on their entire house…nine rooms…one room at a time, beginning with the master bedroom.

So what does this mean for Addicted 2 Decorating, and you, my awesome readers!?

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More, more, more!!!

That’s it in a nutshell. I’ll have more projects, more DIY, more rooms, more ideas to share…

…with YOU!!

 

 

And because the whole idea with these rooms is to decorate them using money-saving ideas, and to do them somewhat quickly, my hope is that there will be much more information that you can take away from here and incorporate into your own home.

 

Now, instead of having to wait for me to scrape together my pennies to get little projects done here and there around my little condo, I’ll be doing projects continually, in other peoples’ homes, using other peoples’ money!! 😀

You’ll hopefully get to see projects that span all types of decorating styles, rather than just projects that fit into my own personal style for my own home.

This summer will definitely be challenging, switching gears from hands-off, hourly based work, to completely hand-on, fee-based work, with an ambitious time line. Fortunately for me, Alice and John understand that they’re basically my guinea pigs…their home is my testing laboratory…to see if this business plan is even feasible.

I may end the project completely burned out, never wanting to sew or paint again. Or I may realize that a 14-day room is just too ambitious, and a 21-day room is more feasible.

Or I could realize that it’s just right…
the greatest idea for me…
the most perfect idea for my business…EVER.

So that’s it. I’m happy….and super excited.

 

 

 

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24 Comments

  1. Congratulations! I've always heard that if you do what you love you'll never have to "work" a day in your life. Not sure I buy that 100% but, I do buy that loving your work is the key to getting up in the morning ready to work and having fun all day with it! Can't wait to see what the summer brings. I am rooting for your success in this new plan!

  2. PS I am pretty sure I have seen you around town twice this month. Someday I'll gt up the nerve to say hi with out feeling like a blog stalker! 🙂

  3. I'm VERY excited for you, and all us readers as well! I'll be watching to see what you start with first! Good luck as you begin a new chapter in your business!!

  4. You are an inspiration to me to start on my own home! Congratulations, you are very talented and ambitious! I envy you!

  5. Thanks, y'all! I'm super excited.

    And SG, I'd LOVE for you to say "hi"!! More than likely, if you've seen me out over the last month, I was going to or from Home Depot, wearing my painting clothes, with no makeup on, and my hair a mess. Beautiful…lol. 😀

  6. Good For you Kristi!
    I have always had the same type of business….I hate having to depend on other "trades" to complete work for my clients. I learned to paint and wallpaper when I was in College and have always used it to make "extra" money and when the boom was on I could never find a decent sub in a decent amount of time for my clients…so I got to get dirty as well. I filled my creative side and my need to do it side. I am sure you will love this change in your business!!!! Way to Go!

  7. I read this and it could have been me! When the rooms need something and a workroom was behind, I would sew (but never tell the client, thinking that they wouldn't want to have me be the "labor") or if a faux finish was wrong, I would fix it behind the scenes. I finally decided that it only mattered if I let it and I think you will find that your talent grows with each project and clients love the individual attention. Good Luck!

  8. How wonderful, wonderful, WONDERFUL for you, Kristi! Sending you love, encouragement and prayers. Do it, girl!

  9. So happy for you! You've re-awakened your love for design…you like to get your hands dirty! That's great. Go for it!!!

  10. That is great news. There is nothing like living a dream and having something you can't wait to get out of bed and run to.

  11. Live Your Dream! I am so glad you found your dream and have the ability to move on it! Congrats and good luck with multiples of good fortune to you!

  12. Kristi- I am so excited for you. I am glad to hear you are figuring a way to get your hands dirty again. And the 14 day room sounds awesome.

    I have wrestled with going into interior design since I have been 16 (I won't tell you exactly how long that had been, but lest say it is over 20 years). But I have always dreaded loosing the love of decorating if I take it from a hobby to a career, and like you I love the hands on-ness and the figuring out how I can save some money, process.

    In a nutshell-Good luck and I look forward to seeing how it pans out.

    Hugs and Smiles

  13. Kudos Kristi!! I love how passionate and exicted you are to get back to basics again. it is inspiring. What a great idea–and very marketable–especially since people looking for grassroots, PERSONAL businesses. AND you can have full control of your projects again.

    Just be careful–don't burn out!

  14. Congratulations, Kristi, on following your heart! I'm fairly certain that I am MUCH older than you, but I am trying to do something similar in my life, so I can really empathize.

    All the best!

    Jayni

  15. Congratulations, Kristi, on following your heart! I'm fairly certain that I am MUCH older than you, but I am trying to do something similar in my life, so I can really empathize.

    All the best!

    Jayni

  16. That is great news. There is nothing like living a dream and having something you can't wait to get out of bed and run to.

  17. Thanks, y'all! I'm super excited.

    And SG, I'd LOVE for you to say "hi"!! More than likely, if you've seen me out over the last month, I was going to or from Home Depot, wearing my painting clothes, with no makeup on, and my hair a mess. Beautiful…lol. 😀

  18. Good For you Kristi!
    I have always had the same type of business….I hate having to depend on other "trades" to complete work for my clients. I learned to paint and wallpaper when I was in College and have always used it to make "extra" money and when the boom was on I could never find a decent sub in a decent amount of time for my clients…so I got to get dirty as well. I filled my creative side and my need to do it side. I am sure you will love this change in your business!!!! Way to Go!