Meet Joann Kandrac: Interior Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Joann Kandrac and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Joann, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
We had both worked in the corporate world for years and then left for personal reasons – Joann to raise her kids and Kelly to go back to design school and start fresh. We worked together at a design showroom for four years and become friends. We worked together on a show house and realized how well we worked together. We decided to take a big leap of faith and dive in! 

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Kandrac & Kole is an interior design firm in Atlanta, Georgia that prides itself on designing livable, comfortable and colorful spaces that are totally customized to reflect the personality and lifestyle of our clients. We were both business professionals prior to making interior design a second career. We are fortunate to have worked as successful business partners for 15 years. The fact that there are two of us gives us an edge against our competition as we both have different strengths that work well together. We have an “approachable” style” which makes clients feel comfortable right away. We are proud of our excellent communication skills, hands on approach and outstanding customer service. Having been in business for 15 years, we have learned a lot along the way. We have invested a substantial amount of time and money to continue our education over the years to keep improving our operations, sharpening our design skills and expanding our design knowledge as it pertains to trends, products and resources. We have used the power of saying “yes” to take on new challenges. We have enjoyed writing a blog for over 10 years and recording a successful podcast since January of 2018 with a loyal following and increased growth every month. Charity is a big part of our brand as we have made it our mission to give back. We have worked with Dwell with Dignity, Room Service Atlanta and Catalyst Resources International where we build a house every summer and support an orphanage in Guatemala.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
We would start out with breakfast at West Egg Cafe which serves Southern comfort food (think pimento cheese and bacon omelet) in a modern, energetic environment in the heart of Atlanta’s Westside. From there, a quick ride to Westside Market which is a huge space with a range of vendors selling furniture (new and vintage), art, rugs, accessories and collectibles. Then, a short ride to Gregg Irby Gallery, a 3400 sf space with both paintings and works on paper, many from emerging artists and seasoned ones and reasonably priced! Atlanta has so many eclectic neighborhoods such as Virginia Highlands, Cabbagetown, Inman Park and Decatur to name a few. We could spend several days walking around them eating, drinking and shopping. There are plenty of amazing attractions as well, The Georgia Aquarium, CNN Studio Tours, Atlanta Botanical Garden and High Museum of Art. One of our all time favorites is Scott Antique Market, the world’s largest monthly indoor antique show with more than 3500 exhibitors selling furniture, French home decor, antique watches, jewelry, silverware, vintage clothing, pillows, lighting, and home decor open on the 2nd weekend of every month. For dinnertime restaurants, these are our favorites – St. Cecelia, Fia Restaurant at the Burgess Hotel and Gunshow

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
The list is so long on those we would like to recognize that has helped our success but if we had to summarize it, it would be the Interior Design industry as a whole.

Website: https://www.kandrac-kole.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kandrackole/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kandrac-kole-interior-designs-inc/?viewAsMember=true
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KandracKole
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kandracandkolep

Image Credits
Emily Followill Photography – Atlanta Lauren Rubinstein Photography – Atlanta Sea Star Arts – Charleston