Whether you’re here to learn how to live better with less in your home, or simply want a more peaceful home you can thrive in, I’m so glad you’re here! We can do all of these things!
CONTACT ME Please feel free to connect with me (Kristin) if you have any home questions or aren’t sure where to start in your home simplifying journey. I’d love to hear from you!
Kristin is a Registered Interior Designer (RID) in the State of Texas + a Nationally Certified Designer (NCIDQ) who’s thrilled + humbled to support you simplifying your home + life.
We’re in a year long series of interviews highlighting incredible women in our community. The focus of each interview is to have a candid conversation about their home, life, what they value, what feels challenging right now, and most importantly, what’s bringing them joy.
Our next interview is with Nicki Turner. Nicki is a one woman show over at Cori Rose Handmade where she creates lightweight clay jewelry. She’s based out of Polk County Florida, not too far from my sister, who’s also a Floridian. Nicki and I connected through mutual interest Instagram accounts many months ago. I landed on her page one day and loved what she was doing, as she was just starting up her handmade clay jewelry business at that time. I am most drawn to her use of color and I am a total sucker for her simple stud earrings (yes, she does big, bold pieces as well you’ll need to check out)! I also appreciate her ability design for the bold and minimal aesthetic simultaneously, which I feel is incredibly rare!
Most days you can find us DMing each other about our kids and encouraging each other on our small business adventures! I’ve loved watching her business grow, how she involves she kids in her making process, and seeing her keep pushing her creative boundaries through the designs in her shop. I’m absolutely thrilled to share more about her with you here!
Scroll down to enjoy my interview with Nicki about all things home and life.
Share a quick snapshot of your last 5 years:
Over the last five years I've have been transitioning roles from working full time, being in school, raising kids, and starting a new business.
What's your day to day like right now?
I drop my girls off at school in the morning and then return home to work.
While my girls are at school I'm making products and scheduling marketing events to promote my work. Throughout the week I also have webinars and meetings with virtual entrepreneur communities. My work day ends at 3 pm so that I can pick up my girls. Sometimes I leave projects from my business for after school so that they can join me. I love teaching them about clay and having their help.
How long have you been in your current home?
I've currently been in my home for almost four years. We were not looking to buy, but I walked through this house and fell in love. I saw the home online and it looked like an Austin Powers movie set. My friend was a realtor and was familiar with the neighborhood, so I asked her if I could be nosey and see the house. She warned me that it was a time capsule, but agreed. After my first walk though I fell in love and we started a long and grueling process of renovation (a story for another time). I'll never forget finishing our first walk through and my friend asking me what I thought. I told her I could see myself living there and my husband was like that was not the purpose of us visiting this house (lol).
Also, after purchasing this home we found out a lot of really cool history about the previous owners and their amazing contributions to our community.
What do you love most about your current home?
The size. It's very spacious and large, because the previous owners did a lot of entertaining.
What's something you'd love to change/or feels challenging for you in your current home?
There is still a lot that needs to be renovated, because we had to stay within a budget. Also, we have an insane amount of storage space all throughout the house and we don't utilize it well.
In the last year, have you spent any time decluttering/editing in your home (if so where/why)?
Here and there we have made efforts to declutter. Recently we've done some decluttering in our girls room, because we were inspired by advice from Kristin with Fuzzy Hippo Shop. She emphasized the importance of children's rooms being restful and gave a lot of insight on how to help kids with shared rooms have their own areas.
If you have spent time decluttering/editing, what was the result? Was it helpful?
Decluttering their room was extremely helpful. The girls are starting to prioritize making their room cozy and restful, by giving ideas on what to remove and add. They mostly want to add things (lol).
What part would you rather do - declutter OR organize (+ why)?
I'd much rather organize, because I have a hard time letting things go. I'm always worried I'm going to miss it, or that I should use it while I already have it. Haha, this probably means that I need to focus on decluttering rather than organizing.
Where's your favorite spot in your home right now?
I have a few, but my favorite is our dining room in the morning. Our home has a lot of windows and when the sun hits just right the rooms are golden, warm, and cozy.
What object in your home means a lot to you?
Our dining table. We built it with Ben's uncle and its taken a beating, but I love it. It can comfortably fit 10+ people.
Tell me something fun or quirky about you I probably don't know...
I played soccer from Kindergarten through college and I can play four instruments.
OK, NOW A FEW RAPID-FIRE HOME QUESTIONS!
Light/bright OR dark/moody:
I love both, but for my mental health I need Light/Bright
Open concept or separated rooms/nooks:
Open Concept
Color or neutrals:
Color
Real plants or faux:
Real Plants
Listen to music or read:
Listen to Music
Favorite morning or daily ritual:
Coffee or Tea in a quiet house
Morning person or night person:
Night Person
Favorite piece of furniture in your home:
Dining Room table or Piano
Do you dress like the interiors of your home?
No
THANK YOU NICKI for sharing more about your home and life with us! I love following along with your colorful designs and can’t wait to see what you’ll be creating next! Thank you for giving us a snapshot into this current season of life for you!
