Today we’d like to introduce you to Kim Lewis.
Hi Kim, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
After graduating from Texas A&M University, I relocated to Austin, Texas to work with T3 Advertising, and then Four Hands as their Marketing Manager. At High Point furniture market, I met a producer with the television show ABC’s, “Extreme Makeover Home Edition”. Next thing I know, I’m moving to Los Angeles to work for the show as a Design Producer. I became the Lead Designer, and traveled with the show for 8 years designing over 120 homes across 43 states.
Kim Lewis Designs was founded in 2012 in Los Angeles, while I was working for EM:HE. Singer/songwriter Jewel and actress Tiffani Amber Thiessen were among my first clients.
My work has been featured on a variety of television networks including ABC, HGTV, TLC, National Geographic, Spike TV, Animal Planet, and FYI’s “Tiny House Nation”.
In 2014, I moved the studio back to Austin. My first client here was Chilantro, designing their first brick and mortar. Local clients following were Rebel Cheese, Crepe Crazy, Torchy’s, SummerMoon coffee, Kesos, Wood & Rose, EyeJoy, Steiner Eye Care, Juice Society and more.
My studio has moved into more hospitality design, focusing on restaurants, boutique hotels, mid-rise condomium buildings for sale and custom residential projects. We designed Poeta, one of Austin’s “Best new Restaurants” in 2024, Frances Modern Inn, a boutique hotel in East Austin. We’ve worked closely with local developers, Pearlstone Partners to create luxury condos for sale in coveted Austin neighborhoods.
I have a team of 7 women, and the studio is located in East Austin in a 1916 Craftsman on Cesar Chavez.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I am constantly learning, pushing myself and my team. Challenges are really found in the learning curve, and relying on self-taught solutions. My days are never the same. From being the Creative Director to Bookkeeping/Accounting, HR, Employee training and support, marketing, website maintenance, the tasks are never ending. It’s hard to carve out time for larger concept development for the brand. The day to day deadlines often pull me away from visionary leadership time. Balancing that while remaining a customer based service company is tough. The deadlines inevitably come home often, so work / life balance can be off at times.
Our team has grown quickly; from 2 employees in 2019, we doubled in growth the year after Covid to 4 employees, and again in 2024 to 7. Delegating is essential. I always thought being a mom would take me away from my career. But I adapted. Any good leader will flow with change and pivot with creative solutions. Becoming a mother almost gave me a super power as a business woman. My muscle and bandwidth for growth evolved and flexed. I hired people that embody the core values of kindness, bold, creativity and what we have now is an incredibly strong, unique culture of women in a mostly man’s world of construction. The gender challenges are real, and preconceived notions of women in construction /architecture/ design have started taking a turn for the better. Underestimations of knowledge and skills are set straight with education, kindness and a bold confidence in our work. We lock arms with builders and work in a collaborative spirit to see the best results.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I own an interior design firm that opened in 2012 in Los Angeles, but I moved it back to Austin in 2014. We design restaurants, bars, boutique hotels, condominium buildings, offices, retail, luxury residential homes. We are full service Interior Design, also offering clients Branding & Creative Direction for their marketing efforts. We draw floor plans, lighting plans, rendering services, interior construction drawings, select finishes, procure furniture, lighting and materials, and install.
With television experience, we offer set design for brands. We recently designed music video sets for country artists, Flatland Calvary (featuring Randy Rogers) and Josh Abbott Band.
We stand out with a bold, whimsy, unique style. We utilize vintage pieces and love playing our part in the sustainability conversation. Half my closet at home is vintage clothing. I prefer to reuse and reduce waste this way, so we implement that philosophy in our designs.
With my previous experience running the design team for “Extreme Makeover Home Edition”, we offer a “boots on the ground” approach. Design is so personal. Our competitive advantage is a mix of people skills, bold creativity and an ability to work alongside builders collaboratively.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
After designing for Extreme, I really saw how design can changes lives. How our environment can affect our mental health. My passion is using design to make positive change, inspiring lives and striking meaningful conversation. The best projects I’ve done are designing multiple therapeutic art centers for children rescued from trafficking. I have designed art centers in Ghana/West Africa, Cambodia (Battambong and Siem Reap), Chiang Mai Thailand and Catacamas Honduras (where I flew there with $4,000 cash in my pocket from a non-profit to spend one week renovating an at risk youth building).
I am a storyteller. I lost my mom when I was 10 and my dad three years ago. I’m writing a book about death, divorce and forgiveness, and the hope is it will inspire someone walking a similar path to my journey.
My family and I have a YouTube channel, where we document design projects, share tips and even share life as entrepreneurs and parents. Again, my hope is someone will watch our episodes and feel encouraged that they can do the thing that feels impossible.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kimlewisdesigns.com
- Instagram: kimlewisdesigns
- Facebook: kimlewisdesigns
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@KimLewis
Image Credits
Chase Daniel
Joey Puterbaugh
Likeness Studio
