Today we’d like to introduce you to Karrie Drinkhahn.
Hi Karrie, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
My story follows me to many places. Present day, our team of “One Liners” are in various cities, with co-founders in Detroit, Michigan, and at our headquarters in Miami, Florida. We have projects nationwide with a couple of projects in the metro Tampa area in different phases of development. The first is a new construction multi-family project in East Tampa that is scheduled to install and complete in Spring 2023. The second, a new construction project in the Westshore area is just in the early stages of design and development which we expect to see completed in 2-3 years. There is so much wonderful history in Tampa, we are thrilled to be a small part of the next chapter for the city.
At the beginning of my story as an Interior Designer, I got my start in 1998, at a global hospitality design firm in Chicago. As a young designer, I was able to dive into the world of hotel design, combining my passions for interiors and travel. I was fortunate to have a promising start to my career – something I do not take for granted. My career has given me the chance to see and live in many places. A quote from Voltaire has been a constant mantra for my life, and my words to live by.
“Wherever my travels may lead, paradise is where I am.” ~ Voltaire.
Hard work, long hours, and a bit of divine timing (both personally and professionally) led me to the opportunity to open a regional office for my former firm in Miami, Florida in 2005. It was in Miami, that my professional DNA was shaped into the Interior Designer and entrepreneur that I am today. The team grew to a team of 12-15 creatives, where I was the Principal, responsible for managing and reporting to HQ, along with overseeing design projects, business development, and anything else a small office needed…sometimes that was simply a coffee run to Costco.
When I left the firm in 2014, I was working directly with the CEO and President managing social media, public relations, and business development globally for all five offices. Working in time zones from Hong Kong to Chicago proved to be a constant schedule, and I was ready to learn & experience different sides of the industry. It was in 2014, that I went to work for a hospitality art consulting firm based in Atlanta. My territory was the US, where I traveled to numerous cities, getting to know other talented designers and firms. It also provided me the platform to fuse my passion for art & design. They are creative cousins, but the development details of each are very different, and my job was to assist designers to understand all the options that were available to them. The possibilities are endless!
My mantra is paradise is where I am, and somehow, I seem to be a chameleon of sorts – adapting to new surroundings. This is something I genuinely enjoy, learning about different cities, which has resulted in a network of friends and contacts around the country.
This brings me back to the present day, where it was as an art consultant that I met my business partner, Susan LaFleur. We immediately connected, she was living in Miami but was also born and spent her childhood in Michigan. I wanted to get back to design, and the stars aligned for us to partner. We decided to launch an interior design firm, run by women, that empowered designers to be the leaders of tomorrow. I moved back to Michigan to be near family but spend time each month in Florida, my second home… or as they call it, the ‘lower, lower Michigan peninsula’.
Our One Line Design team is embarking on our 4th anniversary this February, and we are 10 creatives strong. We are blessed with incredible clients, and I am so grateful to do what I love all while continuing to explore new destinations.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a smooth road?
Throughout my years in the design industry, there have been ups and downs, challenges, triumphs, successes, and failures. Some of them personal, some professional, and other global setbacks like the downturn of 2008/2009 and the Covid pandemic to name the latest.
It creates character, right? It sounds a bit cliche, but I live by the golden rule. I believe that good is returned to those that are good to others. So far, in our four years as One Line, Susan and I have stayed true to this leadership approach to our firm’s work, and it has proven to be successful for us.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about One Line Design Studio?
To start, I am just so proud of myself and my business partner, Susan. We both had incredible careers working for great companies, but we wanted more. We wanted more for ourselves, our families, and the team we aspired to build. We wanted an environment where designers, and especially women, were empowered with successful careers and personal lives – however that looked for each person. We wanted to be our own boss, work with the incredible clients, and deliver the most creative work. Sounds idyllic, right? It is.
We are a boutique interior design firm focused on commercial, multifamily, and the hospitality development markets. We successfully lead our projects by infusing our collective passion for art, design, fashion, and travel to offer unparalleled design with One Line. Check our website and learn a bit more about our talented team and award-winning projects: www.onelinedesignstudio.com.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
I tell people we are in the business of selling time and creative capital. We don’t have a tangible product to sell, so we focus on building relationships and perpetually growing our client base. Our core business is ever evolving to continually find new luxury development clients…whom we enjoy collaborating with. We spend more time with those we work with than those we live with, so it is important our ideals are aligned from the beginning.
How can you help? Reach out to us if you have a project needing an Interior Designer. Tell your network about our talented team. Follow us on social media. Share with friends. Check out one of our projects next time you are in town. The world is small; six degrees of One Line? Let’s make it a trending hashtag!
Contact Info:
- Website:www.onelinedesignstudio.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/designwithoneline/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/designwithoneline
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/onelinedesignstudio
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/Design_Oneline
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karriedrinkhahn/
Image Credits
Barry Grossman Photography and Karina Rojas Photography
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