Meet the Team: Kelsey

Why Interior Design?:
Funny story- I always swore I would never go into the design industry or work for my mother; we look and act so much alike that I wanted to create my own life and identity at work. So after I graduated college I chose a profession…..in fashion. I went to work corporately for fashion retailer Abercrombie & Fitch where my day-to-day responsibilities as a merchant allowed me to utilize both a strategic and creative mindset. While I loved my job at ANF, I missed being in Chicago, so I made the decision to move back in the summer of 2018 to be closer to family and friends. What started as a joking conversation with my mom about coming to work for her has turned into my new career- and I love it! Life Lesson: Never Say Never.

Why Studio Brunstrum?:
Growing up the daughter of a single parent who owned her own business – I was taught the value of hard work and perseverance from a young age. While I was extremely dedicated to the work I did at ANF, working for my mom multiplies that dedication a hundredfold. I absolutely love coming to work everyday knowing I get to help my mom make her dreams and goals a reality. I’ve also gotten to know an entirely different version of my mother – and discovered I take after my father, not my mother, in ways I wouldn’t have expected! Having a work “Susan” and a home “Mom” only reinforces the idea that my mm can do it all – my own personal Superwoman.

Favorite Part of Your Job?:
Bringing the feeling of family to the office – I was nervous that going to work for my mom would typecast me, segregating me from the rest of the office. Definitely not the case! Miles, Patti, and Cristina just get to hear a lot of funny family stories and we’ve become a work family ourselves. I love that I don’t have a work life and a home life – they’re blended!

Describe Your Personal Interiors Style: Similar to my personal fashion style – I call it classic, with a twist. I prefer to use neutrals as a color palette and add interest through texture (mohair, wood, snakeskin, hair on hide, etc.). While I love being in colorful spaces in other’s homes or at restaurants, I prefer to have my own interiors feel like a neutral starting point that can adapt to my day/mood. Or maybe I’m just scarred from the violently pink and orange sherbet colored walls I begged for in middle school!

Fast Facts:
Enneagram Type: 8 – The Challenger
Favorite Movie: The Sandlot (closely followed by Top Gun, Remember the Titans, and Oceans 11).
Best Advice You’ve Been Given: There’s no sense in worrying about the things you can’t control.
Life Mantra: Persevere – adapted from the childhood book “We’re Going on a Bear Hunt”: You can’t go over. You can’t go under it. You can’t go around it. Guess you have to go through it. (Which I take to mean: sometimes you just have to go through things but there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel, you just have to get there.)
Drink of Choice: Blue Moon. (But also coffee – Cristina says she won’t talk to me until half my coffee is finished in the morning).
Favorite Piece of Furniture in Your Home: My sectional – it’s the first “adult” purchase I made for my home!
Favorite Artist: My mom might disown me but…. I don’t have one.
Favorite Book: Any of the Harry Potters!
Ideal “Fake” Sick Day: Brunch and Cubs bleacher tickets.
Last Thing You Googled: If they have lobsters in the Pacific. (Yes – but a different type).
Favorite Vacation Spot: Greece!
Favorite Snack: Popcorn
Favorite Quote: “Fashion you can buy, but style you possess.” – Iris Apfel
Favorite Holiday: Thanksgiving
Favorite Activity in Chicago: October Cubs baseball