Home Category

Designing Spaces with Active Client Listening

Beth Kooby, Principal Designer and Founder of Beth Kooby Design, is an Atlanta-based interior designer specializing in well-designed spaces for clients who seek balance between style and function. Beth works mostly in residential spaces: from new home construction and home renovations, to kitchen and bath renovations, to color palette selections. We sat down with Beth to learn about her featured project in Atlanta Magazine, where she featured an American Tin Ceilings copper tin ceiling.

A former Oncology Nurse Practitioner for many years, Beth's skill set is deeply rooted in the art of listening. Her design perspective blends a cheerful aesthetic with active client listening, where the outcome is more joyful spaces with the added benefit of long-lasting client relationships.

“My goal is to design a space that fits the client. We go through basic things, like the purpose of the room, how much they'll use it, who will use it (do we need more durable fabrics, less irreplaceably-expensive glass pieces, etc if kids or pets are involved), and what kind of feel or mood do they want the room to have.”

Beth believes that the whole process should be fun, from client engagement through design, and it shows in her award-winning work that has been featured in books, magazines, show houses, and design blogs.

Featured Project with a Tin Ceiling

In the above photo, Beth worked with a couple from Marietta, GA on a new home construction project, designing the entire space. The tin ceiling is located in the husband's music room, where he plays slide guitar and houses an extensive record album collection.

“The directive for this particular space was ‘70's, Bavarian Lodge'. I framed his favorite albums and hung them on the wall as ‘decor'. His slide guitar is in there, so it's a special room for him to close the doors and have a bit of alone time or hang with his friends.”

As to why Beth choose a copper ceiling from American Tin Ceilings, “The stone I selected for the fireplace leans more green, so I wanted the colors in the rest of the room to complement that. I personally love copper with green, so when I suggested we do something to spice up the ceiling, I immediately thought of copper ceilings…... and he loved the idea, too! American Tin Ceilings has such a great variety of colors and patterns, I was able to give him 2-3 options. Getting samples of the colors was very easy and super fast!”

Shop Pattern #1

Design Tips

Beth's industry experience gives her insight into helpful workflows and processes for design tips.

“Do as much research on what you like as you can. I prefer Pinterest or just pulling pages from magazines. Surfing around on Instagram is also a great source of inspiration.”

In terms of working with an interior designer “Be honest with your expectations of your interior designer. Ask as many questions as you need to understand their particular process. Be realistic about your budget! I work with all variations of budget, but I have to have a pretty good idea of what that is. Is really a good thing to talk about money!”

Want to check out more about Beth Kooby Design?
Instagram
Facebook
Website

More Good Reads

Home
Bringing Your Bathroom Design into 2024
Read more
Home
Curved Ceilings: A Symphony of Architecture and Elegance
Read more
Home
Distressed Design
Read more
Home
Art Deco Redux
Read more