Kristen Ruhe: Bringing visions of home to reality
Visiting Kristen Ruhe Design Studio in the Jasper River Centre is an invitation to imagine how your home or personal space can be transformed into an expression of your essence.
Ruhe specializes in interior styling, design, 3D renderings and space planning for residential and commercial clients. She recently moved her full-service design studio into the River Centre, 225 River Centre Landing, Suite B, creating an inviting space to meet with clients and allow them to explore materials, paint swatches and architectural elements in the attached showroom.
Ruhe started KRDS originally as a part-time business in her home, offering home styling by helping to select furniture, decor, paint colors, lighting, artwork, etc. However, that work eventually paved the way for clients to begin requesting additional interior work and revealed a need for a company specializing in space planning with the ability to tie all the finishes together.
With a growing company taking over her home and part-time becoming full-time, Ruhe decided it was time to open an office.
“After six years, the timing was right to expand and offer a full-service design experience to our community,” Says Ruhe.
After an extensive remodeling process to transform the space into her ideal office and material showroom, Ruhe is celebrating the new location with a ribbon-cutting at 11:30 a.m. Friday, March 3, 2023 in conjunction with the Jasper Chamber of Commerce and the City of Jasper.
The studio is open by appointment only at this time.
To book an appointment or learn more about the services offered, please visit http://www.kristenruhedesignstudio.com, follow on Instagram @kristenruhe or Facebook @Kristen Ruhe Design Studio.
Here is a Q&A with Kristen about her business.
Can you tell me why you opened up in the River Center or what attracted you to the location?
I loved the location in the center of town, but more than that, I appreciated the thoughtfulness that went into redeveloping a former factory and making it a mixed-use facility for our city. I love mixing old and new in my design work, and the space I found was old with original beams, brick and block walls with cracks, and an exposed ceiling. I wanted to turn this into a very cozy space to house my studio and make clients feel at home.
Last, I had a special connection to this place. My Gramps worked there for years when it was the Jasper Cabinet Co. and my dad, when Mayor, was very instrumental in working with Jane, the developer, in making it a reality. So it just seemed like the perfect fit for me.
What is your background in design?
After graduating from IU, I actually began my career 20 years ago in various director roles in management and marketing (Simon Property Group in Indianapolis, Dubois County Visitor Center, Seufert Construction), which is a very creative field consisting of advertising, graphic design, project management, public relations and visual strategy.
During my time at Seufert Construction, I developed a keen sense of spatial awareness and planning, color and finish concepts and overall knowledge of the industry. This eventually led to my love for design over marketing.
What are you looking forward to with the new location?
The new location has given me a space to create, meet clients and allow me to have the much-needed space to present overall design concepts to clients. With my very own sample room filled with thousands of samples of flooring, paint, cabinetry, countertops, finishes for sinks and faucets, lighting, cabinet hardware, decor, etc., I have a seamless process that works well to help clients achieve that overall look they so desire.
What do you love about the services you offer?
I love that I can help someone envision their space with 3D renderings, then tie it all together in real life to make their dreams for their homes a reality. My favorite thing is when a client tears up after a project is complete! That is the absolute best feeling.
