15 Years of Design

Our interior design firm is celebrating 15 years in business this month! It really feels like a great milestone for our company and I am so proud of everything we have accomplished. Looking back, there were highs and lows, but I would not trade a moment.  Everything led to this point in time, where we have a thriving and successful design firm in South Florida. It took time and careful care to find the right team and the best practices and procedures for our company, but we did it!  I am so proud of what we have created. Here are a few highlights of Krista + Home through the years.

2008 – NYC

I was designing in New York City from 2008-2010.  It was fun to try to maximize the space in all of those small condos and a great way to learn after getting my degree from Parsons School of Design.  I was also working in television as the host of an HGTV series!  I should also mention that I was pregnant with my son and appeared on the cover of Pregnancy magazine.

2010 – Ice, Ice Baby!

A move to paradise was in order! I relocated to Palm Beach, Florida with my husband and two babies.  We moved into an office and began designing homes throughout Palm Beach county, while continuing my television work.  I appeared on several episodes of The Food Network’s “Restaurant Impossible” and landed a local gig on Discovery Channel’s “The Vanilla Ice Project”.  It was fun helping Ice flip houses throughout South Florida.  I appeared on this show for nine seasons!

2012 – Designing in Paradise

In 2012 I started to really hit my stride as a designer in the Palm Beaches.  I hired a team and began doing full-scale luxury home projects.  One of my favorites was a large home we designed in Wellington, Florida’s Equestrian Club that year.  The client LOVED orange, which is not a color I gravitate to.  We made it work! My work was featured in many magazines, including Better Homes & Gardens and Redbook  .

2015 – Finding Our Stride

This was a year of steadily building our portfolio.  We designed many full-scale large luxury homes throughout the Palm Beaches.  I was also chosen to participate in the Red Cross Decorator’s Show House in Palm Beach, Florida. We added a couple of members to our team and started to strengthen partnerships with our favorite vendors and local contractors.

2017 – Award-Winning Design

In 2017 we won our first big design awards!  The American Association of Interior Designers (ASID) honored us with three Residential Excellence Awards in the Modern/Contemporary Design, Traditional Design and Kitchen Design categories.  We were so excited and traveled to Miami to accept the awards in a fun ceremony complete with Red Carpet!

2018 – Growing Our Team

In 2018 we were in hiring mode and our focus was on tightening up our processes and systems.  I hired a chief operating officer, which was one of the best moves I have made for KRISTA + HOME.  Hiring Fran Sachs allowed me to focus on the creative elements of the company, while she focused on the business and financials.  Having Fran onboard made a huge difference for the company and she became my trusted partner.  We won several more awards this year, including a Luxe RED (Residential Excellence in Design) Award. 

2019 – Kips Bay Show House

In 2019 I had the extreme honor of being chosen as one of the designers for the prestigious Kips Bay Show House in Palm Beach, Florida.  What an honor!  It was a challenging project with very tight timeframes, but I loved every minute.  The best part was the charity element of the project, as it benefitted the Boys & Girls Club of America.  We created a showstopping master bathroom dubbed “Le Bubble Lounj” with the sexiest piece of book matched marble and a luxurious Kohler infinity tub.  This year brought lots of press features in magazines like Veranda, House Beautiful and

2020 – Global Pandemic

2020 was such a challenging year for us all.  But taking the time to reflect and stretch myself (with a much smaller team) proved to be rewarding when the vaccines came out and life started up again.  I worked on a beautiful beach house in Juno Beach during quarantine that I was so proud of.  Most of the work was done solo – I spend many hours in my office alone making selections and hours of zoom calls with the clients who were at their winter house in Rhode Island.  It was truly a labor of love and I am so proud of how it came out.  In 2020, we also moved into a new retail workspace in Palm Beach Gardens, where we happily reside today.  We won two Luxe RED Awards this year, for one of my favorite homes that I designed in Parkland, FL. We were also named one of the “Top 50 Women-Led Businesses in Florida” by the Commonwealth Institute.

2021 – Business is Booming!  (But pipeline issues and delays…)

After being in our homes for so long, everyone decided that they either wanted to buy a new home or renovate/refresh the home they had!  This was happening throughout the country, but most especially in South Florida.  Our phone was ringing off the hook and our client roster kept growing.  We added people to our team and worked on so many exciting projects throughout the Palm Beaches.  This year had it’s challenges as the industry tried to catch up with the huge demand.  We came up with creative ways to make sure our clients received the best possible service, but changing around some of our vendors and procuring product made locally or at least in the US.  We were pleased to win many awards this year, including Design Excellence Award-First Place Bathroom, American Society of Interior Designers (ASID), Best of Palm Beach-Home Decorating, Palm Beach Post, Best of Design, Modern Luxury Interiors, Top Women-Led Business in Florida, The Commonwealth Instituteand Best of Houzz for Design and Service.

 

2022 – We are growing!

2020 was such a challenging year for us all.  But taking the time to reflect and stretch myself (with a much smaller team) proved to be rewarding when the vaccines came out and life started up again.  I worked on a beautiful beach house in Juno Beach during quarantine that I was so proud of.  Most of the work was done solo – I spend many hours in my office alone making selections and hours of zoom calls with the clients who were at their winter house in Rhode Island.  It was truly a labor of love and I am so proud of how it came out.  This was a special year for us,  as we were awarded First Place in the “Best of Palm Beach” awards (sponsored by The Palm Beach Post) for Interior Decorating.  In addition, we were featured as one of the top designers in Florida in the “Best of Design” issue of Modern Luxury Interiors magazine.

 

2023 – Time To Celebrate And Reflect…

Interior Design by Krista W. Alterman, Photography by Jessica Glynn