The Design Questionnaire With Hailey Kolbe

kitchen design hailey kolbe design photo michael hunter

In this edition of Love Happens’ Proust-style Design Questionnaire, join us for a peek inside the creative and inspiring mind of Hailey Kolbe. As founder of the eponymous Texas-based design firm, the work of Hailey Kolbe highlights the comfort of a southern home with innovation and a modern edge. Specializing in residential renovations and new builds that embody the people living there, HK Design is all about individuality and good design! Read on and meet Hailey!

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The Lh Design Questionnaire
with Hailey Kolbe, founder of Hailey Kolbe Design


What is your idea of perfect happiness?

Truly, heaven, but here on earth, it would be with my husband, Chad, living in the country in a Greek Revival farmhouse. It would sit on a hill, overlooking a pond, surrounded by huge oak trees, a barn with a few horses, chickens, a greenhouse, a vegetable garden, and a pool. It would have to have lots of room to host friends and family and be a short driving distance to a small town with a lot of antiques.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

I believe my greatest achievement to be when I faithfully and prayerfully made the decision to leave my first career as a Registered Nurse to pursue interior design. Each project and publication I achieve provide such a rewarding feeling, but nothing like the gratefulness and fulfillment I have in knowing how far I’ve come. I am beyond thankful the Lord has granted me such incredible opportunities to pursue my heart’s truest passion, creating beautiful spaces for my clients to thrive, but the real achievement is in the courage to step out in faith when success was unknown.

living room design by haily kolbe texas
Waxahachie project designed by Hailey Kolbe with Josh Ortiz of Ambrose Furniture Words, Builder: J.D. Smith Custom Homes, Published by Texasliving Magazine, Photo by Butch Ireland Photography

What profession does your alter ego have?

A musician – a career fueled by creativity and the adrenaline of performing.

The project you will never forget.

Each project I’ve worked on in my design career holds a special place in my heart, but Project Barwick stands out—a full-service remodel of my client’s childhood home. It was a unique and emotional experience to transform a home with so much history into a space that honored the past while allowing space for new memories for my client Kelli and her son Alex. I’ll never forget this project not only for the interiors I was able to create but because of the friendship I now have with Kelli—when I connect with a client on an emotional and spiritual level there is a harmony and essence achieved that you feel immediately when you walk into the home.

living room design by hailey kolbe

Your favorite business tool or resource.

Hands down, mentorship. The value of a trusting mentor relationship that allows you the space to grow, process ideas and challenges, hold you accountable, and encourage you to go after exactly what you want is invaluable. It takes time to build these relationships. It not only propels you forward but transforms your experience as a designer or business owner.

I have such a heart for individuals who are just starting out in their career in design and need a consistent voice to aid in the challenges of client relations, pricing, project organization, and processes. So, I’ve created a mentorship program to provide this assistance to designers who just aren’t quite ready to hire a business coach. Next best tool, the podcast “A Well Designed Business” with LuAnn Nigara—it’s a game-changer.

The most timeless design.

For me it’s not a particular aesthetic, it’s a design that elicits a feeling when you enter into the space—it has depth and the appropriate layers with one-of-a-kind pieces and you leave with a new sensibility.

sitting room with bar design by hailey kolbe and josh ortiz of ambrose furniture works
Nantucket project designed by Hailey Kolbe with Josh Ortiz of Ambrose Furniture Works, GC Glenda Mariott at G Designs, Published by Texasliving Magazine, Photos by Butch Ireland Photography

The biggest design faux pas.

A design that lacks balance and scale.

Your design motto.

Hailey Kolbe Design strives to serve each client with a personalized experience to create individualized interiors that embody the people living there.

Our publisher KOKET makes statement décor, if you were to design a room around one KOKET piece, which would it be, and why?

The Botanica Sconce—I love the dimension and details. I can just imagine them layered over a patterned wallpaper in a powder room for a fun surprise or down a beautiful soft white hallway with black and white marble floors and an arched ceiling.

botanica floral design sconce brass koket luxury lighting

Love happens when…

You live and make decisions from a place of authenticity, not fueled by comparison, instead led by your own spiritual convictions in deep reflection, awareness, and grace.

Learn more about Hailey Kolbe Design at haileykolbe.com.


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