Conversations with Carla Khabbaz

Today we’d like to introduce you to Carla Khabbaz.

Hi Carla, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My love of design started at a young age. I was the kid rearranging furniture my parent’s home on rainy days while my mother was at work. I loved going to fabric stores, looking through wallpaper books and home decor magazines while other kids were playing.

My family home was a mix of traditional furnishings and antiques from across the globe which influenced my love of combining old with new and utilizing colorful accents infused with texture.

Fast forward to college where I attended Purdue University and graduated with a degree in Graphic Design. From there, I moved to New York City and worked for a few years in the fashion industry. I left New York and lived in both Boulder, CO and Tampa, FL where I help positions as a graphic designer for various organizations.

In 2000, I shifted my focus to full-time mom. When I wasn’t chasing down my two children, I spent all of my free time designing and decorating several homes for our family and friends. I was passionate about it and loved all of the opportunities that came my way. In 2008, I decided to make it official and went back to school to receive a degree in interior design. In 2010, I launched her own business and the rest is history.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has been a fairly smooth road, but nothing is without its challenges. I’d say my biggest learning lessons have come from running a business. It’s one thing to be a successful designer, but running your own business is a completely different skill set that I’ve had to learn as I go.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I love to design, plain and simple. I love walking into a space and being able to immediately see the transformation in my mind’s eye. It’s like a huge dopamine hit and gets my creativity going.

I love working through the design process from Conceptual to Installation and seeing the transformation come together at every step of the way.

I am know for (and love) designing kitchens. There is so much thought and planning that goes into designing a kitchen that not only looks great, but functions well. I love the process of getting to know my client’s, their preferences, habits and lifestyle and working closely with them to interpret their design ideas into reality.

I think we provide a high-touch luxury experience throughout our design process that sets us apart from other firms. We have a tight process we take clients through that is organized and the primary goal is to anticipate their needs at every step of the process. We really want the client to feel supported and taken care of when they are working with us.

I also love doing my Design Day service which is a quick turnaround service for smaller projects that we fit in when our schedule allows. We essentially provide the design and the client executes on it. It is a fun contract to our full service offering.

Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
I have joined a mastermind before comprised of other designers which I found to be incredibly helpful and supportive. It is great to be able to ask questions, share stories and get feedback from other’s in the field. As for networking, I don’t do it as much as I should — but my advice would be to network with industry partners who might be a good referral source for you and always go in with the mindset of “what can I offer” vs “what can I get.”

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.carlakhabbaz.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carlakhabbazdesignhouse/

Image Credits
For the photo with white oak/white wood kitchen range hood credit Brandon Munoz. For all other photos, credit Kylie Fitts