Meet Jillian Lilek of Jillian Lilek Design Studio

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jillian Lilek.

Hi Jillian, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Since I was little I have loved art. I have wonderful memories of sitting at the coffee table and coloring with my mom or having my Grandma teach me new painting techniques in her unfinished basement that smelled of fresh painted canvases and earth. When my dad took us camping I would build tiny structures for the bugs out of the natural materials off the forest floor. All my school notes had doodles in the margins and any textbook needed to be covered with construction paper was also filled with drawings. Art consistently brought me joy.

It wasn’t until high school that I was introduced to the art of interior design. My school offered an intro to design course where we learned the basics – how to use colors in a space, selecting furniture, and piecing it all together to create a cohesive look – “this is fun”, I thought! So off I went, searching for the best Interior Design program a college could offer me. Four years later, I graduated with a degree in Interior Design from Kansas State University. While there, I gained extensive knowledge on the technical attributes of design – mastery of design softwares, an understanding of building codes and construction methods, expertise in textiles and material properties, space planning, lighting design, and the ability to ensure functional efficiency and compliance with safety regulations.

After college I had the humbling opportunity to work for an award-winning boutique design firm out of New York City where we designed private residences in the Bahamas. I became a sponge. Along with growing my knowlege on vendors I learned the different aspects of a business – sourcing, ordering, budgeting, client relations, installations, and much more.

In 2017 I married my husband which brought me to Kansas City. At the time, the demand for design was low and most companies weren’t hiring. So, I made a switch and worked as a project manager for a construction company where I managed the roller window shade division. At this point, I was far removed from beauty and art, but I knew this role would help my growth, and it did. Project management allowed me to deepen my understanding on every aspect of design, construction, and business. As a result, I earned my NCIDQ certification in 2020, which is one of the main ways our industry recognizes professional competence for interior designers.

I was grateful for my climb in life because each different professional experience, along with my NCIDQ certification, led me to open my business, Jillian Lilek Design Studio, in 2021.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I have been very fortunate with my journey. I have a wonderful support team. My parents, my brothers, my friends, and my husband have all supported my ideas, realistic or whacky. I was never alone in getting to where I am today and I am forever grateful to them.

My largest obstacle I had to overcome was achieving my certification, but being a certified designer was important to me. I knew it would provide security to my clients because health, safety, and welfare of the public is a key factor in design. It’s very important to be well-rounded in design. One who can bring innovative creativity to a design as well as understand how to create a space that is accessible for all is a skill I sought – the NCIDQ pushed me to that next level in design.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Jillian Lilek Design Studio?
At the heart of our studio is family – we are a mother-daughter design team united by the idea that everything around you should be beautiful. We provide a full-service interior design scope for both Residential and Commercial design. We are with our clients from conceptualization where we deliver the best floor plan for their needs to installation, where that same floor plan comes to life with all the selections made in between. Our goal is to help consolidate all the Pinterest saves, magazine clippings, and unending thoughts and questions that take up space in your mind and compile them into one beautiful cohesive space that also has a touch of us incorporated into it.

Not only do we work closely with the client but also with the architect and contractors so that communication is streamlined and a design is developed that is unique and functional to you. Our studio also has the ability to provide drawings of our own for certain design elements like custom built-ins.

Design should be fun and imaginative! So, when it comes time to source the pieces that make a space a home, we like to take the clients to the design center – it’s an experience for everybody. I love keeping up on new vendors and pieces that are showcased in each showroom and we feel it’s important to give that same experience to our clients.

I’ve often been asked what my design style is and the short answer is timeless, but every design should also have a dash of unexpected detail. We would be delighted to provide our services to any client looking for timeless elegance paired with unique surprising elements.

We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
I love antiquing! This may be surprising to some because people who know me know that I like clean and new, but the thought of owning a piece of history and modernizing it into your life is beautiful to me. Juxtaposition gives design depth – when a timeless antique can live beautifully alongside something fresh and new a connection between two contrasting items has been established. To me, it creates comfort in a way – like finding an old book in a new library. We achieve our design approach of ‘new yet timeless’ through clean lines and classic proportions, which give a space structure that won’t fall out of style. A neutral palette layered with texture and some pops of color here and there keeps it feeling current. We also use quality materials like stone, wood, and natural fibers because they age beautifully. Going back to the basics, harmony is a key principle of design – knowing how to blend the old with the new in a way that feels polished and effortless will allow you to achieve that harmony.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jillianlilekdesignstudio/

Image Credits
Sierra Ann Photography