Episode 38: Interview with Samantha Keeping

Scott Williams: Sweet home Santa Barbara where the skies are so blue, sweet home Santa Barbara what’s worked for me can work for you.

Jonathan Robinson: Welcome friends, to Sweet Home Santa Barbara. I’m your co-host Jonathan Robinson and with my friend Realtor and co-host Scott Williams. And Scott, today we have another interview in our long series of interviews, somebody that you’ve worked with in the past, Samantha Keeping. Let me give a short bio of Samantha and then we will interrogate her as we usually do our various interviewees. So, Samantha has been in Santa Barbara from 1978. She has a degree in design from Santa Barbara City College. She started her business Keeping Interiors in 2001 and her clients are folks who either want a full remodel or specific design projects. I found in talking to her that one interesting thing was that a lot of her clients she just works with over Zoom, which I might ask her about. And that’s a little bit about Samantha and her business, Keeping Interiors. One question I have for you, Samantha, is what inspired you to start that business?

Samantha Keeping: Well, I had worked for other people for quite a while, and I decided to go on a big journey. I went to Europe, and I traveled for three months. I went to 11 countries by myself, and I was inspired by so many beautiful things and learned about the history of how things started in the world and also about furnishings and beautiful castles and everything. So, I came back, and I was flying home from New Zealand, I remember this very clearly and I just kind of like got this thunderbolt of inspiration. I’m like, oh, well, I’m just going to start my business now. And I came home, and I started in my living room on an eight foot card table and I got out my Rolodex. Yes, I know, I’m dating myself now. Where I used to work, I kept my Rolodex, and I started calling everybody I knew on the Rolodex. Everyone remembered me and said, yes, we’ll support you. And I started in 2001 and I just never looked back, and I just kept on going. So that’s how I started.

Scott: It’s worth noting that about that time somewhere around 2002 or three I met Samantha for the first time and persuaded her that she and I should teach an adult, had class together on staging Homes for sale. And I remember well, there was a room full of people out the Wake Center that we both talked to.

Samantha: Yes, I remember that was a long time ago, Scott, but we had a really good thing going there and we created some very good tips for everyone, and we had some very good questions. I remember that. But it was also a good working relationship that we developed by doing that classes and also helping you with your projects as well with your clients.

Jonathan: My understanding is that you’re not really doing that type of work anymore, what is your specialty? Keeping interiors?

Samantha: My specialty really is full house remodels from the ground up, new construction. I really love the building process where I start from the blueprints, working with the clients, exactly what they’re looking for and really creating that and making that come to fruition for them. And starting from the construction part all the way through fabrics and furnishings and window coverings and putting the art on the walls and it’s like from start to finish. So that’s my specialty. That’s what I’m known for here in Santa Barbara. I love a good remodel because it’s a lot of troubleshooting and figuring out how it’s going to make it look better and beautiful and I love that process too.

Jonathan: Know, I’m wondering, I am a psychotherapist and I work with a lot of couples in the remodel process because couples doing remodeling often are at ODS with each other and it’s one of the things that leads to divorce a lot of the time. I’m wondering, do you ever smooth that process out? Do you help people through that stressful experience?

Samantha: Well, I could write a book about that. I have some really good stories from over the years of  couples fighting, throwing stuff at each other in front of me, screaming and crying and just dealing with. I took psychology classes in college because that was part of the program that I was in and I learned a lot. But I also learned a lot being in the field and watching the dynamics of a couple and party being a really good interior designer is listening, listening, listening. That is the biggest quality that you can have as a professional because when you listen, you really understand them better. And also, you see the dynamics. Who runs the checkbook? Who’s the budget person who likes to spend the money and have fun. So, you learn that very quickly in the process. And then also, too, being a designer, sometimes I have to be a referee between the two of them and come to a place where it’s a common ground, where one person over another is being heard. And let’s say their design aesthetic is different than their husband and wife and how to blend those two together so they feel happy and it’s a cohesive feeling in their home rather than this like punch, punch, punch, oh honey, you just do whatever you want. It doesn’t work because then the other person is not happy. But I have learned some tricks over the years on how to handle that. It’s not easy sometimes and there’s some very uncomfortable conversations, but you just got to hold your ground and be calm and don’t engage in their crossfire. That’s not a good thing either, but that’s just experience.

Jonathan: What I hear you say is that if this therapy thing I’ve been doing for 40 years doesn’t work out, I have a possible career in interior design that might.

Samantha: Oh, sure, no problem. Yeah. Are you good with colors? Can you…

Jonathan: No. Particularly.

Samantha: No. Okay. All right. Well, that’ll be a learning curve for you.

Scott: So, you advise psychology classes for anybody who’s going into interior design?

Samantha:  I highly recommend it because it’s not just about doing what I call the pretty. It’s about really understanding what makes people tick and what’s important to them in their home or their office or business where they’re working. You just have to really ask the really good and sometimes hard questions too, because some of the questions can make them feel uncomfortable. Nobody likes talking about budget. That seems to be the bad word. But you have to discuss it and also how things are going to work. So, it just depends. Some clients are very easy, and they’re just like, this is our budget. Here we go. This is possible, and it’s just go, go. And other clients, it takes a little bit more work to get that information out of them and also understanding what they’re really wanting.

Jonathan: Well, what’s the most important thing to consider when designing a space or working with couples, trying to figure out their space?

Samantha: Well, that’s kind of a two-part question if you’re looking at a space to design. As I walk into space, it’s all about scale and understanding the proportions of the space and the light because those two things are kind of like your groundwork from moving forward. So those are really important. And also, when you’re planning it, having a solid floor plan in place, that is a very important thing because that’s how you function in the space. Working with couples, as I go through the house, I’m softly interviewing them. They don’t realize it, but I ask very key questions that I have kind of developed over the years to kind of get some information out of them and also coming up with a common ground with them, so they feel comfortable talking to me about sometimes very personal things. So, yeah, you have to be a part psychologist, being interior designer for sure. That answer your question?

Jonathan: Yeah.

Samantha: That’s a two partner there.

Jonathan: I want to make sure Scott has time to ask questions too.

Scott: Well, when you’re asking questions is certainly a good thing. You could give us some examples of ways in which you probe or how do you go around or through or unorder over things that are in the way there. What do you say? What kind of questions do you ask?

Samantha: Well, sometimes it depends on what the topic is, obviously. But sometimes I’ll say when you walk into this room or your bathroom or wherever it is, what do you envision for yourself? How do you want to feel in space? And they’ll say, “oh, I really want it to feel light and airy and fresh”, So what does that exactly mean? Do you want to see outdoor greenery in your windows? Do you want beautiful marble tile? What colors do you like? They’re all leading questions for them to express what they want. But mostly it’s like, do you need storage? Do you have anywhere to sit down and put on your makeup in the morning? How’s the lighting for you? I have probably 100 questions, but under pressure like this, I don’t know them off the top of my head, but I have a whole bunch, I promise you.

Scott: Yeah. I’m curious. Do you charge by a project, or do you charge by hour? How do you work that out?

Samantha: I charge by the hour because I find that there’s the fluidity of a project, and when you do a set fee, and there are designers out there who do set fee, it’s very controlled. It’s like the goals are here, this is what the room is, you have one revision. You have to have it done by a certain time. It’s very boxed in. Whereas sometimes I feel that kind of hampers a project, and I find that also, too. Another problem with that is that when clients start to trust you and they see how capable you are and how good you are, then this thing called Scope Creep comes in, and it just keeps on mounting and going and going. And one job, you get hired, literally. This just happened last year, I was hired to do all new lighting throughout the house, and here I am a year later, I have completely transformed their exterior backyard with spas and decks and beautiful spaces to entertain in. Now, we’re doing a full gut remodel on the inside of the house now, so if I did a set fee, I’d be kind of in trouble. But like I said, every designer has their process and whatever works best for them. That’s just mine.

Scott: Well, some of this, I’m sure, was learned in school, and probably a fair amount more was learned on the job. How does all this come to you, that this creativity that you’re talking to us about here, where does that come from?

Samantha: I think that either you got it, or you don’t, and I would just happen to have it. So, I can remember as a kid, I’m sure you hear a lot of these stories of interior designers saying that when they were kids, they would move furniture around and do all these different things to their bedrooms. And I truly did that. But my parents are really great. They really encouraged me to do creative things. And my dad had a business back then, it was a candle business, and he would bring home these huge boxes from work, and I was just like kid in a candy store. And my mom would give me old blankets and they would give me I had this big room in the back of the house, and I would design a house, and then I would lay down the carpet as my carpet… lay down the old blankets as my carpeting. And I drew on the cardboard boxes, the windows, and all the details to the house. I was a little kid doing this, and my parents thought, okay, and then I would charge them a fee to walk through the house with me. So, I was kind of like an entrepreneur, even when I was a little kid. So, it just kind of snowballed from there, I think it was just my whole life. I love color. I’m really good at it. Scott can attest to that. And I just kind of knew in my heart and my gut that that’s what I wanted to be.

Scott: You mentioned that you work with a lot of your clients over Zoom. How does that work? Is that a new thing or is that what you’ve been doing for a while?

Samantha: Well, probably the last three or four years is definitely more common. Well, we all know going through the pandemic, that really was a huge part of it. And a lot of the clients that I work know these are their second or third homes or vacation homes, and they’re not here full time. And so, I still need to keep the ball rolling. Either they come into Santa Barbara and see me so they can come and do all the furnishings and textiles that we need to get done or any construction that needs to be completed. If not, then I take videos for them and I explain to them what’s going on. Then for selections, I will lay them all out here in my studio and I’ll literally do an entire video on all of the selections. And then they get back to me and say, oh, I like that rug. I like know fabric.

 I have even taken FedEx boxes, packed everything up, overnighted it to them, have them lay it all out, and then I do a zoom meeting with them as they’re going through all the samples, which are all labeled for the client to see, and then they pack it up and they ship it back with any notes or comments, which they do. So, I’ve become very fluid on Zoom and learning how to meet with clients in different ways that keeps their projects going without it stopping, and they feel when they do come, they see all this progress. I also have systems and processes with myself and my team that on Fridays we send them an update email with all the things that we’ve completed for them throughout the entire week so they know exactly what is going on, number one. And number two, when they receive their bill, they’re going to go, okay, well, look at all the emails Samantha sent with everything that they did this last month. So, it really cuts back on the pushback when they receive your invoices and also keeps them informed. Clients like to be informed now there’s different levels of that information. Some clients like to talk to me a little bit more in the week, and that’s fine. Other clients like just expect to see their Friday update email. Just depends.

Jonathan: Any last questions, Scott?

Scott: Samantha, you’re called a designer, but in all these projects there’s probably also an architect. More than one architect. Architect and there’s a builder. What’s the dance that you do with those other people?

Samantha: That’s a great question. The dance that I do is fill in where they don’t. An architect is really great at designing the house, making the floor plan sing. I also come in and work with the architect as well and kind of move and shift things around. And sometimes based on what the client’s looking for or want, the architect may not have done the interior finishes, as I call it, which means your cabinetry layout, lighting plan, those things I really fine tune because I do interiors.

 And the general contractor, I like working with general contractors because I work with them the most, to tell you the truth, because their boots on the ground, things are happening, it’s in motion. I have to be there on site a lot of the times to see how the progress is coming along, troubleshoot, any issues that may arise. Also, we communicate with the contractors. I use Google Drive quite a bit and I upload all of the drawings for them in there so they have it real time. So, I do that. Some clients I like want me to work directly with the architect of creating the whole entire design. Every project is a little bit different, but you have to work well with others in this industry and you have to work with a lot of different personalities, for sure. Yes.

Jonathan: Is there anything that we haven’t covered that you think would be important to discuss?

Samantha: I would say a good question would be is what to tell these younger designers that are coming up in the industry. When I started, the industry is a completely different than it is now. I mean, the internet is nowhere near what it was when I started. And nowadays they come out of school, and they’ve learned some drafting programs and some color theory and maybe furniture history and that’s it. But what they really need is business background because, yes, I’m creative in my business, but maybe the design part is like 20% and the business is 80% and that is really a challenge. And as being a creative person, being grounded and getting in the weeds of dealing with running a business was really difficult for me because I just like to do the pretty, I don’t want to do the business. But being your own business owner, you have to do all the background of running a business and I think that they need to learn that more.

 I would also suggest that they would listen to business podcasts. Well, that’s my business line in the office since I’m in the studio ringing in the background and I sent my team out. They’re all out at a lunch. So, I also would have them listen to business podcasts, specifically specializing in interior design that has literally transformed the industry, in my opinion. And also hiring a bookkeeper. Super important. There’s a lot to know. And also, interior design is moving so much faster than it did when I started my business. I mean, it’s like a warp speed 24/7. It’s just go, go, so it’s not that slow down, if you like, just to kind of do dabble in it. This is not the industry to get into.

Jonathan: I think the last question for me that just came out of that all of this sort of is part of, like, fashion, which comes and goes. What’s your hit on what you do as far as thinking about it as fashion or not? How’s that occurred for you?

Samantha: That’s a great question. Yes, fashion, you need to pay attention to it, because when you start seeing what’s coming down the runways all across the board, then you know it’s going to hit the interior design industry. But what used to take almost a year to do is now happening in six months. So you need to pay attention to that because the color trends will change, fabrics will change, but you also, as a designer, need to be always looking ahead and seeing what’s coming up, because most people don’t really pay attention to that. But when you’re in the business, you do need to pay attention to it. Definitely.

Jonathan: How do you compare fashion coming along versus tried and true and always good and solid? Kind of a mashup you’ve got to do there.

Samantha: Yeah, that’s true. I would say that there’s always a classic look to interior designs in all different styles, for sure. But you need to have a way of taking the things from fashion and incorporating it into your designs without it being trendy. Does that make sense? So, you can take a little bit of it, you don’t have to do your entire room in hot pink. You can have a couple pillows in hot pink, but not the whole space. Does that make sense?

Jonathan: I assume hot pink is a fashion right now. Is that Barbie pink?

Samantha: Yeah, I guess so.

Jonathan: Okay.

Scott: I’m hoping my orange shag carpeting comes back into style soon.

Samantha: Oh, well, it is back in style. Don’t get rid of that orange shag rug. The 70 color, I call it the 70s decades. Those colors, the warm honeys, the burnt oranges, the soft greens, the lighter colored woods, those are all coming back into the trend of design right now. No longer is… the grayish movement is over. That’s done. I’m so glad I was done before it was done.

Samantha: Yeah, you got to say hip, Scott. You got to roll with it. You just got to keep on moving.

Jonathan: I knew if I didn’t redesign my house long enough, that would come back into trend. So that’s good.

Samantha: You could freshen things up. It’s all good.

Jonathan: Okay, we might be in touch. So how can people get in touch with you, Samantha?

Samantha: Sure. They can definitely get in touch with Keeping Interiors. We have our Instagram, which is keeping underscore Interiors. We can find us on Instagram. We have our website, which is keepinginteriors.com. Of course, you can also reach me, Samantha@keepinginteriors.com, which is my email. And you can call our office here at the studio. It’s 855-63-6307

Jonathan: Good. Lots of choices. And what’s the best way to get in contact with you, Scott?

Scott: Scott@scottwilliams.com will do very nicely.

Jonathan: And thank all our listeners for another great episode of Sweet Home Santa Barbara.

Scott: Thank you for listening. Please subscribe to our podcast on your favorite app. If you know someone preparing to sell their home, please tell them about the podcast, visit Scottwilliams.com to contact me and download the two free e-Booklets “Is My House Saleable Now?” And “How not to buy a money pit” Thank you for listening.