ps i asked the computer to pretty please turn a guttonous photo of me into a magazine cover and it didn’t upset me
IT’S ME,
CHRISTIE KRISTL
who i am and why it should matter to you
I’ve already said this (and I only slightly apologize for the redundancy) but interior design is a really personal business. You’re welcoming someone into your home, entrusting them to help create a space based on your needs, your dreams, and you have to be some level of vulnerable with that person in order to make it work.
Lucky for you, I consider myself an unlicensed therapist who roots all designs in joy and human understanding. My ABOUT page is meant to be a little different, because I’d like to think that I am a little different…. maybe you are too ;)
Client Management - in SOFTWARE:
Most recently, before switching to design, I was the head of client relations at a software company (a subsidiary of Booking.com.. if ya know it). More specifically, and with a fat-ass pat on my back, I was the GLOBAL DIRECTOR OF ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT, leading over 110 account managers internationally. I didn’t start in that spot, no I sure didn’t. I joined in an entry-level position when the company was still a startup, my department was comprised of 10 people, and this job was technically a step backwards in pay and title. Oh, they also didn’t have a desk for me so I had to work out of a spot under the stairs (IM NOT JOKING AT ALL).
Client Management - in MARKETING:
Across the span of 7 years, I worked at a large agency for Ford (with 2,500 employees) and then moved over to a small mom n’ pop agency in Madison, WI with 20 people total and no HR department. Both jobs were again in ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT, responsible for managing projects, coordinating with internal trades, and collaborating with clients. Sensing a theme here, are you?
MOTHERING: I have three children, two are of the human variety and one is a tuxedo cat (although he’s a human at heart). My children are the main reason I go to therapy, and I don’t mean that in a funny way. I mean that because I am consistently trying to figure out who I am, who I want to be, and therapy helps me understand myself more so that I can be the best version of me as a mother but also as a businesswoman, a partner, a friend, an artist, etc. (alongside the parts that aren’t so shiny).
PARTNERING: I have a husband, Sean. He’s a cool guy. We’ve been together for 12 years, and it’s one of the hardest and most rewarding relationships I’ve ever had. We’ve been through IVF together, we’ve lived in three different states together, we’re raising two girls together. It takes a lot of work, but he’s a true partner in every sense of the word. He’s also funny in all the ways that I’m not, and that’s important to me.
GENERAL…ING: I’m an avid reader (but only at night because I’m not trying to read during the day with toddlers in-house). I love an art museum visit and would prefer to be alone and on a different mental plane so I can absorb everything at my own pace. I love spending time with my family, both intermediate and extended (family is everything to me). I enjoy rotting on the couch and watching TV shows on end when I can. I love game nights, most specifically I love euchre parties. And if I could eat just chips for the rest of my life and have that provide me with the appropriate nutrients and sustenance forever then I would.
SPARKNOTES VERSION:
I genuinely like working with people. Always have. (this is not to be mistaken for me saying I like working with “everyone”. I don’t. Some people should not be human-facing). To me, it’s such a rewarding process to invest the time in getting to know my clients - what excites them, what motivates them, what don’t they like, why don’t they like it. Humans are interesting. Design is interesting. I truly like being the bridge that gaps those two worlds together.
While I like to say my company philosophy is rooted in joy and human understanding, I have a rigid core value system that ALWAYS includes:
RESPECT - KINDNESS - HONESTY - INTEGRITY
(and then a dash of humor and cat hair)
I had an exceptionally difficult time getting my headshots done. So much so that I asked for a small shot of tequila to get started. I don’t know that it helped me much.
But for context, this is me. A human lady.