Two Designers Met in the Pinterest Comments and Launched a Firm Together
When Tami Ramsay and Krista Nye Nicholas started chatting in the comments section of a photo on Pinterest nine years ago, neither one had any idea that a business partnership was about to begin. The two began talking after their mutual friend, Molly Andrews Burke of Chairloom, pinned a vintage rattan chair that they both fawned over online. Shortly thereafter, Ramsay and Nicholas attended a design conference together in 2013, and by the end of it, their firm Cloth & Kind was founded. (The firm’s name refers to their shared love of fabrics, although the designers say they enjoy the double meaning people attach to the word kind.)
“A fast friendship developed over a similar aesthetic and a crazy love of textiles,” Ramsay says. “Nine years later, we’re happier than ever that kismet brought us together in this wackadoodle, fabulously fun business of design.”
The same love of textiles and creating spaces with history and heart that initially connected the two designers can be seen today in the more than 20 major projects they have designed, their e-commerce shop, and a to-the-trade showroom that launched in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where Nicholas lives today. Ramsay, however, has lived in Athens, Georgia, ever since she attended the University of Georgia there as an undergraduate. Their two home cities color their work, creating a style that melds Southern and Midwestern sensibilities. Both Ramsay and Nicholas are self-taught; together they have developed a style that is layered and personal.
Here, the duo share their inspiration behind the design of a recent Northville, Michigan, home and tell us how they balance it all while working miles apart.
ELLE Decor: First of all, how do you work day-to-day while living in different states?
Tami Ramsay: We live on Google Hangouts. When it was just the two of us starting out, we’d literally sit on a Hangout virtually all day long, working “together.” Not much is different now, except that we have a team of eight people between our studio offices in Athens and Ann Arbor. We work collaboratively, so someone is always on a Hangout with the other studio. It’s become the norm for us. Of course, nothing replaces seeing each other in person, which we often do for client site visits, trade shows, or inspirational travel. We just got back from a trip to India together!
ED: What were your goals in designing this Michigan home for a family of four?
Krista Nye Nicholas: The house had been a builder’s personal home when our clients purchased it, and it sorely lacked the character and substance they longed for in their forever home. From the start, our clients made it clear that they appreciated and valued our design sensibilities and wanted our help in totally reimagining the interiors of their new residence. Nothing was off-limits in terms of ideas, and they were totally game for our suggestions. The perfect clients, really!
ED: There is a lot of reclaimed wood and natural materials throughout the house. Was that part of the plan?
TR: The home was in dire need of character when we first laid eyes on it, and for us that meant infusing reclaimed elements, vintage pieces, and lots of layers, texture, and pattern. We used the reclaimed-wood beams and reworked the entire kitchen and living room areas to unify the spaces while adding the patina of well-worn wood. This area was the biggest design challenge, but fortunately we worked with the talented Guidobono Building Company, and they were able to transform this part of the house into the warm and inviting heart of the home that you see now.
ED: Your e-commerce site just launched the first in a series of helpful design guides. Why did you focus the first one on lighting?
KNN: We’ve always wanted to create Cloth & Kind style guides, so people can shop using images from our past projects. There is so much information in our designer heads, and we wanted a way to share it with people who are design lovers—beyond just the clients we work with—in a way that is not only pretty and inspiring, but also super practical. So the first guide is a no-holds-barred resource on all things lighting. Our hope is that it both informs and inspires people to lighten things up in their homes—literally and figuratively.
ED: What’s next for Cloth & Kind?
TR: We’re pretty happy taking a breather for the moment, but big dreams have always been our thing. Someday we will have a textile line and maybe lighting too, and we are in conversations with a publisher about our first book. The future looks bright, and we’re grateful to be doing what we’re passionate about every day!
You Might Also Like
