BIC January 2015 - klr design group profile

10th Anniversary

A Passion For Design

By John Hardy

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Karen Robertson, founder and owner (second from left), and the designers and team members of klr licensed interior design inc.

algary’s innovative klr licensed interior design professionals prioritize consultation, listening to clients, understanding their needs, sharing their vision, delivering design expertise in corporate, health-care, retail, specialty and residential projects and – creating great space.

How it happens is talent, skills, attention to detail, uncompromising project and budget management, up-to-date expertise in key interior design aspects like effective layouts and features, branding and graphic design, function, styles, colours – and a whole lot of teamwork and outright passion.

The uniquely refreshing approach and vibrant attitude of upbeat, gregarious, talented, contemporary interior designer Karen Robertson assembled the design-savvy team of designers, architects and graphic designers and launched klr interior design 10 successful and high-achiever years ago.

Karen Robertson is a gung-ho, personable and highenergy design professional who openly admits, with pride

and determination, that despite the design projects with which klr design group continues to earn its solid reputation, the company and its performance is entirely about people.

Clients trust klr design group with their projects and the klr design staff who make it all happen.

“Our core values are also our guiding principles, across the board,” she explains. “Love. Respect. Inspiration. And experience. It is the foundation of everything we do, our work and our decision-making. We have a superbly experienced design team of nine interior designers, three support staff as well as on-call architects and graphic designers.”

It may be un-corporate and even a bit harmlessly trite but Karen Robertson and the klr design team contagiously love what they do! And it shows, with every completion and the constant happy client feedback.

“We thrive on creating inspiring spaces that our clients can brag about. It’s such great satisfaction to know that our work

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enhances people’s lives. That’s pretty cool,” Robertson says with enthusiasm and a broad smile. “It may sound unusual – because it is – but it comes down to making people happy.

Ultimately all we do, from consultation, inspiration, design to completion, it’s all about the client.”

She references a long list of mostly Calgary-area corporate office clients, retail, health-care clinics, specialty spaces and residential projects on the go. The latter being a newer specialty to her team brought on by client request. Specialty projects include those such as the seven-star Fitness Centre at Eighth Avenue Place, Webber Academy Science Wing in which the students were involved with the design process and, the not-for-profit Centre for Newcomers.

CONGRATULATIONS KLR INTERIOR DESIGN ON 10 GREAT YEARS OF SERVICE! 3405 - 9th Street SE Calgary, AB, T2G 3C1 (403) 243-0434 www.amestile.com Inspire. Design. Create.

klr design group and Fox Architects

“The most important and unconditional aspect of what we do is listening and looking after the needs of our client. It’s the most important. We genuinely care about our clients and each other, as well as the results and the impact our designs have on people.

“We never, ever, design for ourselves. It’s always for our client,” Robertson says with infectious positivity. “It feels so good and gratifying to know we are not only enhancing people’s lifestyles in their home, impacting their improved workplace but that we have an opportunity to make a difference in their quality of life, with designs that support their business’ culture and expressiveness and their core values.”

Although the klr design team of professionals is terrifically up to date on the latest styles, trends and options, they work according to a client-driven consensus that every design opportunity and klr design project must reflect the uniqueness of each client.

Congratulations

klr licensed interior design on your 10th anniversary!

siftoninterlake.com | 403.243.1233

Congratulations to klr design group on your 10th Anniversary!

5746 Burleigh Cres. S.E. 800.661.1208 • 403.259.3467 • www.tierrasol.ca

Business is all about developing and maintaining relationships

We are proud to have been a part of klr licensed interior design inc.’s first 10 years, and most certainly will be a part of their next 10 and beyond.

We wish you every success in the coming years.

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Calgary • Edmonton • Vancouver • Seattle

KLR Design Group • 10th Anniversary • 2

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About One Global Design • Established in 2010 • 16 cities • 435 professionals • 3 countries – US, Canada and Mexico • 1 solution to serve your needs One Global Design - partners meeting, San Francisco, CA

“A big part of what makes our job fresh and exciting,” she explains, “is that each client — corporate, health care, retail, specialty and residential — is unique. Responding uniquely and customizing each design project also gives us a competitive-edge difference.”

She highlights some key aspects of contemporary design features and client needs.

“Open work environments still serve a valid purpose. It’s

a design solution that supports culture and communication, which is an important functional need for many businesses.

But collaboration space or multiple means of communication space can be successfully achieved in both open and closed workplace environments.”

She points out that the traditional ‘designated’ assigned workspace has dropped in popularity, in favour of flexible multipurpose workspace. A key reason is that it just doesn’t

CONGRATULATIONS KLR INTERIOR DESIGN INC. LIGNUM INTERIORS IS PROUD TO PLAY A PART IN YOUR SUCCESS Lignum Interiors has provided over 30 years of exceptional service in Calgary Project Management Construction Management General Contracting LIGNUMINTERIORS.COM

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Engineering lounge

make financial sense for businesses to have unused and vacant real estate. Interior design can create efficiency by doing more with less.

“After all, office space, like clients, is not a one-size-fits-all factor. That’s what makes it exciting,” she adds. “We never know what we are walking into until we meet with our clients, discuss, listen and understand their business, their vision, their brand and their needs.”

Robertson illustrates design difference with employeegenerational differences. “Generation Y or millennials are now a driver in our workplaces and businesses are paying attention. They are the ‘we,’ not ‘me’ generation. They gain gratification from giving and achieving. They are strong, influential and they value community. They are not about ‘how big is my office?’

“Ideally, the design and layout of a workplace tells the story of an organization in a way that resonates with employees, suppliers, and customers and the owners,” the Calgary-based interior design professional explains a primary klr design principle and client focus. “It should reflect the core values of the business, and it is ultimately the formula for successful workplace design.”

She highlights that the klr residential design reflects trending. It is showing a subtle return to a more formal feel, with the popular use of natural materials and sophisticated, state-of-the-art lighting solutions. “But even with residential designs, the open plan creates a more casual and welcoming environment that is popular. It serves both the perception of open, larger spaces and the ability to create a greater sense of community in a home.”

Whether it is a residential, corporate, retail or specialty interior design project, the consistently hot topic and

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predictable client question is about the sometimes fickle and ever-changeable topic of COLOUR. To be as up to date as possible, the klr design team recently attended a seminar by the Color Marketing Group, the respected, not-for-profit, international association of colour design professionals involved in the use of colour as it applies to the profitable marketing of goods and services.

Another value-added and potent benefit for klr interior design clients is the tremendous opportunity of the company having been invited a few years ago to become a member of ONE Global Design, a selected team of 16 exceptional interior design and architectural firms throughout North America, each of whom are individually best of class in their own respective markets and who share outstanding skills and talents and one common approach – delivering superior design solutions and personalized customer service.

ONE Global Design is growing in locations and is an additional and excellent talent pool resource for the klr professionals and for their Calgary-area clients. ONE Global Design has created task teams. Calgary is working with Los Angeles, Washington, Austin and Mexico City on what is called “ONE University.” This is essentially a staff exchange program that will give upcoming stars the opportunity to experience life as a design professional for a week in another culture.

Karen Robertson’s high-energy, creative spirit, drive and passion for design and for people inspires the klr design team members as well as loyal klr interior design clients.

She is a supercharged pro with a dynamic, refreshing, unconditionally positive, straight and honest, no-nonsense approach. “We are a goal-oriented group who always strives to be better. Becoming is better than being. I don’t think enough people get that … yet,” she shrugs, winks and smiles. •

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