Meet Angela Palmer, an Interior Designer and the Founder of Palmer Kay Designs. She is currently living in Peachtree City, GA with her husband, J.B. and their two fur babies, Lucy (4) and Jeri (19). Both of her girls have been featured in ads for the humane society! In our Q&A with Angie, she shares her journey to becoming an Interior Designer, her best design tips, favorite design trends, and the best advice on how to love your home at any stage!
Q&A
What is your background? Tell us about your career.
I have degrees in business and marketing, a corporate background in events, finance, and procurement, and a gift for design. In my corporate life I traveled a lot! – Europe, Australia, South America, and to major cities in the US, and clients ranged from small business owners to surgeons to global CEO’s. Owning a small business and being an interior designer are very different things, but my education and experiences have prepared me for both. I’m professionally trained, but being a serial home renovator & decorator in my personal life also taught me a lot.
What called you to become an Interior Designer?
Interiors, house, and home, have always been in my DNA. At first it was about creating my own home and then it branched out to friends. An a-ha moment happened in my life where we had listed our home for sale and when the offer came they wanted to buy every single thing in the home to “maintain the wow factor”. I declined, but it was the first time that I questioned what I was doing career wise. A few years later, I opened my first business under a franchise model, and things grew from there. I’m fully independent now, but that’s how I got started in the business.
What is the best thing about your job?
I get to meet really interesting people that I would have never crossed paths with, otherwise – movie directors, doctors, army colonels, Emmy award winning writers, stealth bomber pilots, and the list goes on. What’s interesting is that I don’t typically hear about their career until we are well into working on their homes – that is unless their career dictates our ability to meet, etc., and then they will share details. Over time, it’s fun to learn their stories and it influences my work. It’s pure joy to finish a project, see it come to life, and see my clients happy in their homes. The most rewarding project in my career was designing the cottage at Two Sparrows Village for adults with developmental disabilities. It is unique as it impacts both the parents who are living at home and their adult “kids” who are experiencing living away from their families for the first time in their lives.
When you are working with a design professional, you should feel a sense of confidence that someone is guiding the process who won’t let you make mistakes. You should also feel a sense of relief that someone else will spend the time and effort to bring your home together within your personal guidelines. You can read a lot about design process, but so much of it comes down to listening and communication, and as much as anything else, you need to feel comfortable in being honest about what you don’t like. Designers are creatives, and it’s really important that you allow us to creatively execute an idea and not get so fixed on inspo photos that you can’t vary. You might be surprised at the amount of education I provide on why certain photos can’t be executed in the client’s actual environment.
What are some of your best designer tips?
- The easiest way to change a room is paint. It’s also the most cost effective.
- Splurge on the items that you’ll own and use the longest– sofas, chairs, etc. You can never go wrong with better quality.
- If you are afraid of wallpaper but want to try it, buy peel and stick for easy removal. Some of the major designer collaborations like Candace Olson also have peel and stick options, and they are beautiful!
- Decorate your home with the things that you love. Items purchased as “temporary” have a way of becoming permanent.
- Large scale furniture in a small room makes the room look larger
- If you have kids and pets, invest in furniture with performance fabrics.
What are your current favorite design trends?
Rooms saturated in color – ceiling, walls, and trim. Wallpaper is back – for a while in contemporary ways, but the “granny” styles are also very popular now and I think they can be fun in the right space. We just returned from the Spring Furniture Market in High Point, and natural stone was a major trend in everything from sconces to dining tables, and I am here for it!
What do you love about Peachtree City and the surrounding areas?
We love the cart paths for bike riding and the beauty of the lakes around the area. We get a lot of deer in our yard, and we have barred owls in the woods behind us. It’s really fun to hear them talking as a group – they sound like monkeys!
What TV show are you loving right now? Book? Movie? Podcast?
I’m more of a movie person, and it could be a period piece, or spy thriller, or anything in between. I love many genres, but my favorite is probably rom – coms from the mid 90’s to mid 2000’s. The awkward situations really make me laugh, and who doesn’t love a happy ending? They are a nice, light escape. On the music front, last year I became a Swiftie! I don’t know all of her music, but her joy, generosity, and artistry are a powerful combination. My favorite album is Evermore (deluxe version).
Is there anything else you would like to share with our Moms?
Enjoy your home at every stage of your life! Your memories will be of the kids and pets on the sofa, not the sofa, so make the best of it!
To book a design consultation, visit www.palmerkaydesign.com