(This is part of an occasional series of conversations with interior designers around the country about their favorite tricks of the trade and what’s driving their success.)
The “+” in Kaminski + Pew represents the additive nature of the Philadelphia-based firm. It offers architecture + interior design services. Its work is elegant + kid friendly. It balances a love of historic buildings + a goal of creating spaces for contemporary living.
Kaminski + Pew is architect Kevin Kaminski + interior designer Alexis Pew, a married couple who founded the award-winning company in 2014.
“We like to focus on creating transformational architecture and transformational design,” Kaminski says.
Coming together
Kaminsky and Pew were working in their respective fields — Kaminski at a large architecture firm and Pew at an interior design and home staging firm — when they met. Even early on, they joked about starting a business together.
“Once we were engaged and figured out this (relationship) was long term, the opportunity presented itself and we said, ‘Let’s try this out,’” Pew says.
The firm specializes in interior renovations, from architectural design through to furnishings and decor. Projects in the Philadelphia area keep Kaminski + Pew busy but the firm also works in California, Florida, North Carolina, New Jersey and Texas and has done a project in Italy. Current projects include a carriage house in the Mount Airy section of Philadelphia and two penthouse condos, one new construction and one in a historic building.
“One (project) I’m most proud of is a townhouse renovation we recently completed that was a very complex project and took the better part of four years to finish,” Kaminski says. “We worked with a wonderful client, and they were really accommodating. They bought a beautiful home, but it needed a fair amount of work. At one point, I was standing on dirt in the basement and could see all the way up four floors through the roof. I remember standing next to the client at that point. And he said, ‘Are you going to put this all back together?’ We did … and it turned out really well.”
The strengths of the “+”
In addition to the couple, the Kaminski + Pew staff includes a project architect, interior designer and operations manager. (Read on for more about another valuable member of the team.) It is one of few firms in the Philadelphia area that specializes in both residential architecture and interior design, the couple say.
“When we’re doing a renovation project and planning rooms, we’re always thinking, ‘How do people use this space? How do they move in here? Are there places we can put their art on their wall?’ So, we really do approach it from both sides of the design spectrum,” Kaminski says.
The in-house balance of architectural and interior design has been successful. Kaminski + Pew has earned honors from the local chapters of the American Society of Interior Designers and AIA, as well as the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia.
“Our focus is on creating spaces that are timeless, but that also feel relevant and that are good for contemporary ways of living,” Pew says.
“And,” adds Kaminski, “it’s interesting … that with almost every project on our website, (the clients) have young children, which might be surprising. But all the furniture and fabrics are selected to be incredibly durable and stainproof. We can create elegant interiors, beautiful spaces that are still suitable for everyday life. We have two small kids, as well, so we understand.” (The couple’s children are 3 and 6 and “full of energy,” Pew says.)
Process improvement
In the past couple of years, the firm has focused on strengthening its new client onboarding process, with a focus on ensuring a good fit between the Kaminski + Pew team and the client.
“We want to make sure the planned investment is in line with what they’d like to achieve and make sure the client understands and appreciates our design process, so we’re all on the same page because working together on an architecture project is a long-term relationship,” Pew says. “You might be working together for three or four years to renovate or build something, so we want to have a good foundation for working together.”
One change has been to add more touch points between the firm and a prospective client before Kaminski + Pew makes a formal proposal. The process starts with potential clients filling out an online intake form that’s reviewed by the operations manager and, if the project is a good fit, brought to Kaminski and Pew. If they agree, the next step is sending out an investment guide that explains the firm’s processes and outlines pricing structures. It also includes a scheduling link for an informational call. Only after that does the couple schedule an in-person meeting with prospective clients.
“So far, (the new process) has yielded more successful projects,” Pew says. “Previously, we were very quick to issue a proposal, but we’ve determined it’s important to have a face-to-face meeting before we bring a client on board. … We want to get a sense of who they are, how we communicate with each other — and if they’re nice.”
A formal welcome package includes more details about what clients can expect going forward.
Here’s more from the couple about what makes their business hum and how they get it all done:
DNN: What social media is most valuable to you?
Alexis Pew: “Instagram is the one that we primarily focus on and a little bit of Facebook, mostly just to share there whatever we post Instagram. It’s funny: I feel like a lot of the best clients we’ve had aren’t really on social media. Even clients we’ve had for years, I don’t think follow us on social media.”
DNN: What workplace tools help you get it all done?
AP: “One thing we’ve been working on is how to automate things, making things easier and more efficient. For our project management software, we use Asana, which has been great. All our projects go in there. We can assign various tasks, estimate time for them and set due dates. It’s useful to see where we are in a project and what needs to be done. … We’ve also started to use scheduling software for all our meetings, which has helped reduce the back-and-forth emails and is easier for our clients. … We’ve been using Acuity but now we’re working on integrating it into our website design, so that will be through Wix. … We also use AutoCAD and Revit, primarily for architecture projects, and we’ve started to incorporate renderings into our deliverables, so we use Sketchup and Podium for that.”
DNN: Are you using any artificial intelligence tools in your work?
Kevin Kaminski: “We’ve played around with AI in a number of arenas. Photoshop has some promising AI tools but, generally speaking, we’ve haven’t found anything that has been an incredible time-saver.”
AP: “I think visualization AI tools aren’t quite developed to the point that we need them to be. But I’ve used AI a fair amount in terms of captioning things or if I need to write an email to a client to explain something to them and can’t quite find the right word. That’s been helpful to me, just in terms of communicating clearly.”
DNN: Where do you turn for advice or guidance about your business or a project?
KK: “We have kind of an open network of colleagues and architects to bounce ideas off and ask questions and get general feedback. It’s an informal community. It’s very small and very close.”
AP: “I read up on best practices and listen to podcasts — “Trade Tales” from Business of Home, “The Interior Collective,” “The Chairish (Podcast).”
DNN: Where do you like to shop for furnishings for projects? Who are some of your favorite vendors?
AP: “It really is dependent on the client and the project. We work in a lot of different styles, but in terms of go-to vendors, we love Four Hands, Noir. For lighting, we do a lot of work with Visual Comfort and Hudson Valley Lighting Group, Arteriors. … We do a lot of fully custom upholstery with a local workroom, which is how we prefer to work. For rugs, we like Jaipur and Loloi. We do try to get down to High Point to see what’s new and interesting once a year. … If we’re looking for antique or vintage pieces, there’s a local firm called Material Culture … They’ve got some interesting, more authentic pieces.”
DNN: What item do you always take with you to a client meeting?
AP: “A notepad because writing things down helps me to remember. We’re dabbling with the idea of using AI note-taking software that records the conversation and automates a transcript. … (At initial client meetings,) we’ve also started doing a more visual presentation of how our process works, so we have a slideshow to help us talk through that and give clients an example of what they can expect from working with us.”
DNN: What’s ahead for Kaminski + Pew in the next couple of years?
AP: “We’ll continue to streamline our business and how we do things. And we’re looking to identify even more the types of projects we enjoy doing and focus on how to do more of those. I think after 10 years, we’re finally starting to understand what our strengths are and what Kevin and I see as a good, finished result. We’re focusing more on single-family residences, for renovations that go all the way through to furniture. That is our sweet spot, where we do the architecture, the finishes, the furnishings.”
DNN: Finally, tell me about the most important member of your team, office dog Georges.AP: “He’s our first baby. We got him not long after we started the business. He’s 8 years old and he’s a 90-pound Weimaraner — and he comes everywhere with us, including to work every day. … He was born in France. Kevin had previously had a Weimaraner, and we were looking for a new dog. We were set up with a friend’s mother who breeds Weimaraners, so, long story short, when we were in Paris, we picked Georges up.” (Editor’s note: Georges is not only handsome, he’s bilingual, too. Quite the good boy!)
