Real Estate with Renee Featuring K & A Coastal Design

Good morning, Southwest Florida, and to those near and far, and good morning, Ashley.

Good morning, how are you?

I'm good. What a great way to start the last day of the— I always have to, now that I'm in real estate, caveat by saying the last day of the standard work week.

Yeah, exactly.

Not your work week or my work week, but there are people that are celebrating.

Mine doesn't end till Sunday.

Exactly, same here. So I always say, but there are people out there that are really excited that it's a Friday, and I'm thrilled to get to spend my Friday morning with you.

Great, me too.

Well, my name is Renee Han. I am with William Rivas Real Estate, and I started these broadcast as a way for me to give back to the community. So I had purchased the software and thought it would be a great way during COVID when businesses were limited in how they could operate, of being able to showcase local businesses while their physical doors might be shut. And now as more business has been able to open up, that need has not been as much. So I've selfishly hijacked my own show to start to take it in the direction of real estate. And I am highlighting different businesses that in my, you know, involvement in real estate, I get asked all the time for different recommendations, whether it's for electricians, closing companies, inspectors, interior designers and decorators, furniture, hairstyle. I mean, you name it, the whole gamut. And what I wanted to do is pull forward some of those businesses that I typically recommend to others so that we can get you introduced in a more broad way. And so that's brought me today to invite Ashley with K&A Coastal Design. And Ashley and I came into contact initially through Facebook, and then I had occasion to visit her former store. And meet her, and she's got a lot of exciting things going on. So Ashley, before we get into the business side, would you be kind enough to do a little bit of a personal introduction for the audience?

Sure. So I'm Ashley, and I am from Boston, Massachusetts, born and raised in Boston proper, grew up in the South Shore. I was born to a mom who was an artist. My dad was a home builder. Both of my brothers build custom cabinetry, and it's art and fashion and design has always been some part of my life. I have an art studio at my home, I teach art classes in addition to having the store and a design business.

Well, and what a cool combination because I didn't know your family's background and you think about the art side and the build side and how those worlds have come together and what you do to bring those two things together because you certainly got a talent in the arts and design is absolutely a form of art as I think everyone will attest to. And you merge that with people, oftentimes people's build or renovations. So I know in the couple cases that I've come into contact with you, it's been with people who are coming down and wanting to put their touch on their little slice of paradise here. So Ashley, what I wanted to do is, you've obviously got a lot of different areas that your talents can be applied, both in real estate but broader than that. So can you share some of the services that you offer to people?

Of course. So I'm a design consultant, and what I do is, is I come in when the homeowners have already purchased their home they've already purchased some of the furnishings, but now they need the final touches. They need the rugs, the lamps, the, the bedding, say, all of the art for the walls. So that's one part of the service that I offer. The other part is I actually come in on the ground floor after the home is built, and I help them pick out their flooring, their countertops, their cabinets, their sinks, their fixtures. Light fixtures. Um, so I offer both services, full remodels, full homes, everything.

And you have a beautiful new store. Why don't you tell us a little bit about your store?

Okay. So I was previously for 5 years located inside the Fine Consignment in Naples, and I sublet a back area of their store. That kind of launched my business so much so that I really wanted to have my own space. And this space I'm in, the Outback Plaza, opened up about 2 months ago. And I actually saw this space 3 years ago and wanted it, but it was occupied. So I kind of waited, and then when it came open for me to come in and make an offer, I was able to. And so I've moved here. It's, it's the best. I have absolutely fantastic neighbors in the plaza. Foot traffic here is great. I, I couldn't be happier.

And if the name doesn't give it away, it's got a real coastal flair to it.

Yes, yes. So I specialize in coastal design. That is my area of expertise.

Well, and I remember, I'll share that my, um, my own mother, who, um, is always, by the way, buying things for her little house even if she already has something for it, said to me one day, "Oh, I'm so disappointed. I wanted to go into that cute little coastal place and go get some things and it's gone." And I said, "It's not gone, it's just moved." It's moved.

Across the street no less.

Yeah, you do have a great location and it's nice to have a more prominent storefront for yourself. So the beauty of that is when you're doing design work, Ashley, I imagine being able to pull that in and actually to have some things on hand is nice.

Yeah, because my clients can come right in the store and they can actually touch things and see things in person, so it really does help.

Yeah, well, and when people come here, they love, love, love— even if up north their style is very different, there is a definite interest when you get down to Paradise here that people love elements.

Definitely, most definitely. Yep. Yeah.

So I wanted to ask you, we talked a little bit about the coastal, but with so many resources available in Naples for help with design stuff, what would you share with people is really sort of your niche and your expertise if they're trying to figure out would Ashley be the right one for us?

Right, so like I mentioned before, I specialize in coastal. Cottage Coastal, Contemporary Coastal, and just plain Coastal Coastal. So like you said, people are moving here from up north and they're coming here because it is paradise and they want a different look. This is their vacation place to be. So what I can bring them is that look, you know. Um, some people of course don't want to go overboard and do like crazy, crazy, uh, coastal, but then I have the people who are renting their places out and those are the places that I can go in and I can just really deck them out coastal. The other clients want more of a contemporary coastal, less is more look, lots of beautiful sea glass colors, light fabrics, and comfort, comfort, comfort, comfort. I can't stress it enough because so many people are spending time at home now that they need their homes to be livable.

And that is so true. It was, um, back when I was with Caine Premier Properties, my broker asked me to do a design board because I, I'm not near as talented as you by any stretch, but there are times when I get involved in that as I'm looking to sell property, and it's, it's one of my favorite areas. But she had asked me design, do a design board that represents what style you think helps sell properties. And I put this whole board together with furnishings and I called it, what did I call it? Casual coastal. Yeah.

Because it is.

Nobody wants crabs crawling all across their wall. It's kind of cutesy and whimsical. Right. But being able to make it look sophisticated is important too. So Ashley, when homeowners are thinking about particularly on the resale later, even if they're buying it for themselves to enjoy for a few years, or if they've pulled you in There we are.

I lost you.

You know, I almost need this software to come in with like a commercial when it does that, right?

Yeah.

So we're back live with Ashley. What I was asking is, what are some of the latest decorating crazes that you find are most appealing to broader audience if somebody does have that resale in mind?

So if it's the— if I'm coming in to just do the furnishings, we're keeping the furniture very light, very easy to care for fabrics. The new performance fabrics are very popular 'cause they're stain resistant. And then mixing a lot of different fibers together, maybe a seagrass coffee table with a cream-colored overstuffed couch, throwing in an aqua rug and a couple of glass aqua lamps, beautiful art. The art is so important because it pulls the whole room together. And then of course your accessories, but everyone is keeping everything light and bright. You don't see a lot of dark furniture. You don't see a lot of heavy furniture. I do a lot with swivel chairs because I think that with all the open concept floor plans that swivel bar stools, swivel counter stools, and swivel chairs are extremely important. Because like I said, families are spending more time at home and with the swivel chairs, they can talk to anyone in the house. I just like that whole look.

I love it because it makes me realize I did one thing correct in my house. I don't know if you can see—

swivel chairs—

those are my 4 swivel chairs.

Yeah, yeah, very important.

Yay! There's a lot I didn't do right, but I got one right. Ashley, I think you were talking about art, and pardon me if I'm remembering incorrectly, but I've seen you do some art. Have you done some of your own?

Yes, so what launched me into this business 7 years ago here in Naples was a furniture company had seen my art on social media and they contacted me and they hired me to create 15 icons, sea turtles, octopus, mermaids, shorebirds for the tops of their bar stools. And so I created the 15 icons and they bought them and they now distribute them all over Florida. And that's kind of what launched me, was my art career. Now I don't get to paint as much as I'd like. I do custom pieces, um, because I don't— when I get home at night, I, I love to do something, so I'm always creating. Right now I'm making resin coasters, and they've been selling like crazy at the store. And I use all seashells and sea glass from Naples and Marco. And I'm always doing something. I think it's that creative gene um, that I have that just makes me want to create.

Well, what a great way to turn your outlet into income.

Exactly, exactly.

Yeah, I just got my daughter for her birthday, um, and if anybody ever sees my post, I have some artistic daughters. They love to bake and do different things, and I bought them a bunch of resin stuff to go do it. It looks like a really neat, uh, way to do a lot of different things.

Yeah, so, um, eventually here at store, we'll turn our back room into a classroom. So once, um, season winds down, we'll start doing resin classes. And we've been doing them at my home studio. We make tables, big geodes, resin— like I said, the coasters, resin trays, resin lazy Susans. And the classes are extremely popular. And, um, you know, resin's one of those things that you've got to have a little bit of guidance when using it.

Yep, I heard it's really easy to screw up even though YouTube makes it look so easy.

Yeah, it is very easy, and if your kids need any guidance, you just let me know and I'll give them a class.

Well, I'm actually thinking, because I love to plan outings for my customers, and we've done the board and brush and all of that, but I'd love when your back studio opens up, I'd love to reserve a spot and bring some of my customers because it's a great way— Oh, it would be fantastic. Yeah, it's a great way to get people together to make something that they can use in their new homes.

Exactly, exactly, yep.

Sign me up. Well, I wanted, we talked about some of the things that are most appealing and with furniture and different decorating things. What are some of the decorating no-nos, Ashley? Stay away from them.

Yeah, so I think having a home that is just a showcase and not a livable, place is a big problem. Um, that's why I create areas and houses that are comfortable, um, not just look good. Like a chair, for instance. The chair may be a beautiful chair, but it's totally uncomfortable and it's not practical. My whole thing is that your house should be livable, everything you have should be practical, um, and you can find, you know, elegance in any chair that has comfort. It doesn't have to be, you know, a straight back uncomfortable chair. So I guess, you know, the bottom line is just to find fabrics and comfortable furniture for your home. Don't worry about how it looks. You just really want it to be functional. I think everything in a home has to be functional. And stay away from, you know, big heavy furniture. Some people still like the dark furniture, which is nothing wrong with that. You can work it into your home, but heavy pieces we're all trying to lighten right now and make our lives easier. And you can do that with furniture and art and all that.

Well, and I would agree wholeheartedly because again, as I come in on the selling end trying to help people showcase their homes, the reality is I could show you two homes, they could be the exact same homes. So the walls are the same, the rooms are the same, the paint color's the same, And depending on how and if they have those rooms styled makes all the difference in the appeal to others. I can never stress it enough, and it's hard for people to appreciate without me running side-by-side projects sometimes. Right, right.

But it's so true. I always tell clients when they're moving down here, 'cause a lot of my clients I haven't even met. I have 5 design clients I'm redoing their homes We do everything through FaceTime. And they all want to know, should I bring my furniture with me? I've got this antique dresser that my great-grandmother gave me and it's a Henry Dunn and it's worth a lot of money. And I say, listen, you're gonna get it here and you're gonna wanna consign it. So you're better off just leaving your things up north if you can, and then getting new furnishings once you get here, 'cause the look is totally different.

Absolutely. And actually, to that point on furniture, even though, you know, you've got the storefront, I wouldn't want anybody to think that's all that's available because you work across a wide array of furniture manufacturers, correct?

Oh, most definitely, most definitely. And I work with, with local furniture stores too. I like to incorporate other businesses. I'm a big small business supporter, and there's lots of great consignment stores in Naples and great little furniture stores. Um, just yesterday I bought a headboard from, um, Posh Pearl. And, you know, I'm always trying to give business to other stores because they refer business to me. So I think that that's super important. And I can find anyone most anything that they're looking for. If I don't have it, I'll have a source that will have it.

Well, and Ashley, I remember a customer of mine Uh, commercial break. So, potty break. What I was saying there is you helped another one of my customers, and I don't want people when they hear consignment to think, you know, the— well, gosh, I would never have a consigned item. This was in a very multimillion-dollar home, and you helped someone with a beautiful sectional couch that was a luxury brand couch. And I believe you actually even helped them find a cleaner that would make it just as new. And it's beautiful. I've seen it.

Mm-hmm. Yep. Yeah. I mean, consignment shops here are amazing because a lot of the builder's models end up at these consignment shops. And you know, face it, this is Naples. Nobody has bad furniture here.

Absolutely. And don't get me wrong, Ashley will help you find brand new shiny pieces too. She's just working on a complete rebuild in Royal Harbor. Yeah. With a coastal flair, correct?

Yes. So that's been my biggest project to date. The owners found me a few years ago at my store and said, you know, if we ever move down here, we're going to look you up. And sure enough, they did. And we just finished designing and building an amazing home in Royal Harbor. It's absolutely gorgeous. 5 bedrooms, 4 baths, infinity pool. And I was able to be a part of the entire design process. Owners just kind of gave me carte blanche and said, go for it. And I did, and they just arrived last night and are just blown away. They absolutely love it.

I love it.

I created the home of their dreams.

Yeah, I've seen the pictures. It's stunning. You did a marvelous job. Thank you.

It was fun.

It was fantastic. Yeah. Well, let me ask this. If somebody actually is interested in engaging in their services, what's— how do those things get started? What's the best way? How does somebody know what you can do and can't, what it will cost, what it won't? Talk a little bit about that engagement process.

Okay, so how it happens is, is first there's an initial design consult where I go to their home. I have a design questionnaire. It's 4 pages long. I know that sounds intensive, but it's really not. It's a me get to know you questionnaire, and it covers everything from the size of the TV that you're gonna have, the components you need, do you have grandchildren, do you have pets? How many people are going to occupy the home? All the things that are important to them. So, the initial consultation involves the questionnaire, and then we sit down. I work on an hourly rate. We go through each room in the house and we decide what they need, and then I write up a recommendation. And then from there, we just start room by room and get the project done. Usually takes about a month to 2 months depending if it's a full remodel or if it's just me coming in and adding the final touches.

Fantastic. And I will encourage so that you don't have to say this. Sometimes people don't realize the amount of volume in our industry that we're dealing with at any given time. And there is a tendency to show up and say, okay, I'd like to start tomorrow. Um, that it is getting ready to be— well, it's been busy actually. Forget we— the low season I think went away 2 years ago. But as you're thinking about this, being able to be proactive and engage somebody like Ashley sooner versus later is going to be a big advantage to you because these services do get gobbled up during the busy season and actually the summers as well, because people are trying to prepare things before they get here for high season. So let this not be one of those last minute things you think about, although, you know, you're welcome to take a shot and call Ashley and she may have an opening at the last minute, but being thoughtful and planful about it will certainly help make sure your needs can be met. And I imagine, Ashley, that's true in your world as well.

Yeah, most definitely. And I mean, I never say no to anyone. So sometimes I get myself a little overwhelmed, take on too many projects, but it's what keeps me going.

Yeah, absolutely. Well, Ashley, I hope that you have a fabulous season coming up and that the holidays go well. I appreciate you taking time this morning to be able to offer some insights. Any parting thoughts or comments from you for our audience that may be watching us live or on replay?

Yeah, just, you know, I'm here in my store all the time. And feel free to stop by. And if you have design questions, I love, love, love designing. So I can help you. Just come and ask questions. I'm always here.

And Ashley, give us the address. I know you said it's in the Outback Plaza, but what's the address of your store?

So it's 4910 Tamiami Trail, Suite 304. I'm right next to Mimosa's, um, right in the Outback Plaza.

So if you're not familiar where that is, folks, if you are on Tamiami Trail just south of Pine Ridge, South, it's on your left-hand side. So you've got Outback at one end of the, what I called the horseshoe shape, and, um, K&A Coastal is right around almost to the end of the other, uh, end of the horseshoe.

Yes, exactly.

Well, fantastic everyone. Thank you for joining us on this Friday morning. I hope that this was helpful. Again, this is all about introducing people into our community so that when they're looking for resources— and everyone would love for the holidays to be able to beautify their homes, and sometimes it's the simplest things, and sometimes it might be time for a full-blown big project— Ashley is able to do everything and everything in between. So again, Ashley, thank you for your time this morning.

Thank you, thank you. Have a great Thanksgiving.

You as well, and everyone have a great weekend.

Bye.