There have been some changes around here friends, and I’m really excited to share them with you! Happy Meets Home has officially rebranded to Collected Living Design. It’s really a fun story, so let’s dive in.
It Started On Instagram
A few years ago, a friend of mine told me about another designer in Kansas City, and thought I should reach out to her. Having friends in the industry is really helpful, so I scheduled drinks with her.
We met at a restaurant and immediately hit it off. By the end of the meeting, she told me that we were going to work together someday. I wasn’t quite sure about that, as she was a complete stranger after all.
Abby: I just had a good feeling. The way we hit it off made me think we would be a really good team. It was our first time meeting and we closed down the bar! I immediately had a vision of a work space, and saw Shandy leaning over a table working on a design, and as weird as that sounds, I just knew that something was going to happen.
We discovered we had a ton of crazy things in common, like both being from small towns in Southwest Kansas, Abby’s sister and I share a birthday (her name is Jandy, my name is Shandy), we have 3 children the same ages (hers are all boys, mine are all girls), and our dads both are named Randy.
Our friendship continued to grow and develop over the next year, and then a dream started to grow too.
Shop Collected Living
Abby: I’d had a dream for a really long time of owning a shop. My husband makes furniture, he’s an artist, and I love design, so naturally a shop felt like a really good fit for us. It was a way for us to work together, and we also wanted to build something our children could be a part of someday. I love the Kansas City culture, and really wanted to bring something unique to us to the marketplace.
By this point in our friendship, Abby had me really excited about this idea of owning a shop, and we started the process of researching locations. Never in a million years would I have thought that I would have a shop space in the West Bottoms here in Kansas City, but after 10 First Friday weekends, I’m in love with the experience.
First Friday’s in the West Bottoms is a once a month event, and our space is located on the second floor of Bella Patina. We have curated a collection of pieces that we love to use in our own homes as well as in client projects. You can see some of our collection on our website, and we also recently got space in Restoration Emporium on the Plaza, which is open every day.
Interior Designers in Kansas City
After about 2 months of working on the shop together, plus working on design clients on my own, it was clear that a change had to happen. Abby was also an interior designer before we met, so it seemed obvious that we should work together on the design clients too.
Abby: I told you we were going to work together.
And she was right. And now we have big goals for where Collected Living Design is headed, as well as our shop spaces.
Since we started working together our vision and mission for what we do has gotten much more clear. It’s not just about our love for pretty things. Our mission is to make life beautiful. What you choose to surround yourself with directly impacts how you feel, about yourself, about others, and about your life in general.
We also design with family in mind. If your home is beautiful but not usable or comfortable for your family, what have you really gained? With 6 children between our two families, we have real life every day experience with how to be family friendly and beautiful at the same time. You can see some work we’ve done in our online portfolio.
Schedule a Phone Call
We would love to talk with you about your home! At Collected Living Design, we do a free 20 minute call to discuss your needs and goals in your space, and to see if we would be a good fit for you. Schedule a call with us! We can’t wait to talk to you.
