The Story of AK&CO.

From the Beginning: An Inherent Passion

To this day, my mom reminds me that when I was a little girl, I used to notice the smallest details in a space.

Whether it was the tiny little butterfly on a piece of tissue paper or a dirty spot on the tile floor, honing in on the details was always a natural tendency of mine. Around the age of 10, my mom encouraged me to look into the profession of Interior Design. She often noticed me rearranging the furniture in my room, and when she asked what I was trying to accomplish, I would tell her that I was “trying to make the space in the room feel more comfortable.” My love for interior design was inherent from the start.

Fast forward to the summer before my junior year in high school, and I was visiting the campus of Florida State University to look at their nationally acclaimed interior design program. During that initial visit, the professors were quite confused as to why a sophomore in high school was visiting. I knew even before setting foot on that campus that I would be matriculating there in another two and a half years, and before I knew it, I had set my sights and packed everything up (including matching bed and towel linens) to start my first semester as a freshman at Florida State University.

AN ODE TO FSU: VIRES, ARTES MORES

That first year as an interior design major was extremely grueling as the program only accepts 40 students per year. After countless hours, often staying up later than I would like to admit, I was accepted into the program as their top selection for the upcoming sophomore year. The next three years set the foundational framework of the true elements and principles of interior design and how those are all combined to create a well-balanced interior space.

The summer following my junior year at FSU, I had the opportunity to study abroad in Italy for six weeks. That experience— seeing the architecture and design that I had only read about in books— heavily influenced and shaped my understanding of classical architecture and art history. It was within those moments of physically standing in the great coliseum and being inches away from the brush strokes of Botticelli, that I began to understand how the experience of a critical eye or attention to detail can bring life into art and its influence in our lives.  I returned from that trip energized and decided to pursue a business minor and an undergraduate thesis during my last two semesters. As graduation approached in the spring, I made the decision to further pursue my undergraduate research of Haitian orphanages and education in interior design by securing admittance into the Master of Fine Arts program.

During the summer following the completion of my undergraduate studies, I had the opportunity to intern in Atlanta, Georgia with a full-service, residential-focused firm called Pineapple House Interior Design.  During that time I worked closely with their lead designers and learned the industry standards for innovative design, customer service and successful project management. That summer was insightful but all too brief; and soon after, I returned to FSU to begin my graduate studies focusing on orphanage design in Haiti.  During those two years, I traveled and stayed at an orphanage in Port-au-Prince, Haiti as well as another children’s home in Atlanta.  Both of those experiences provided new meaning and context to my emerging research topic on orphanages, and the boundless ways we, as designers, can equip less developed countries with environments that offer future generations of children better health, increased safety and well-being, and ultimately - hope.

Next Stop: New York City

Fast forward three years and enter Meyer Davis Studio, a firm that still to this day remains very near and dear to my heart. The people and work that come out of that company embody some of the most creative ideas I’ve ever had the opportunity to develop and bring to life.  Between working on the renovation, construction, and completion of a new co-working brand called The Assemblage ( you can take a look at their website here!), to completing a couple of retail store renovations for the boutique eye-wear brand Morgenthal Frederics, my days were long and filled with learning.  I cannot begin to explain the number of times I would get home after a 10 or 12-hour day and talk my husband’s ear off about this incredible new concept our studio had developed for a hotel or residence we were working on.  During this time my knowledge for the design process grew exponentially, and I came to understand what it truly meant to be a full-service interior design studio.  

For almost four years I was fortunate enough to work in that NY office; and during that time my husband and I made the conscious decision to extend our time living in NYC for an additional three years while he journeyed through a little something called residency. We continued doing the New York City grind: working hard for what we loved while living our life to the fullest, exploring every new restaurant and every special event the city had to offer.

Right around that time, we found out I was due with my first son Graham, and I decided to begin offering my design skills with an interior design consulting firm. What slowly started out as one to two projects quickly morphed into a total of 8 completed projects over the course of 12 months.  From kitchen renovations to custom furniture curation, the sky became the limit.  I was able to take the process I had refined within the realm of hospitality and apply that to the world of residential interiors.

  What wasn’t apparent to me at the time— but has become very striking now as I sit here another year (and baby) later— is that the most unique element about designing for hotel brands is that each one has their own unique identity. Whether it be the aroma diffused throughout the hotel lobby or a consistent color palette known to the brand, each has a very thoughtful and curated design story that is used to create a brand “identity.”  This “identity” is the same unifying factor that takes an exterior shell from a house to a home. 

From New York to Florida: Meet AK&CO.

We moved back to Florida after seven years in NYC; and I was now a wife, a mother, and a business owner. After launching AK&CO. in May of 2019 and subsequently completing a dozen projects in New York, I was ready to begin a new chapter in a new place (one that included more sunshine and shorter winters).

Today, my work as an interior designer is to partner, dig deep and truly understand the person I am working with— what they are known for, what makes them happy, who their true “self” really is or where they are headed. That process of discovery comes with a lot of vulnerability on both the designer and client’s end.  It requires a strong layer of trust.  When that trust is apparent in the design process, it allows the most creative ideas to infuse into a home. It creates a consistent identity.  Trust allows me, as the designer, to provide my clients with something uniquely attributed to their tastes and interests, their very own custom end product.  The unique combinations of textures, finishes, shapes, and colors all combine to reveal a client’s genuine self and a space where they can live their life to the fullest.

As for the business, the name AK&CO. holds a lot of meaning in and of itself. AK is short for my maiden name Amanda Krueger and the CO. is short for company. I believe that as creators we are only as strong as the company we keep; and as a designer, I know that the best results, as well as the most joy-filled moments, come from collaboration and relationships. No project can succeed without the juxtaposition of give and take, trust and vulnerability, honesty and perseverance, or the sharing of talents. Though AK&CO. is known to the IRS as a company of one, I know that there are many artists, vendors, trades, and followers that contribute to AK&CO. as a whole.

My Intentions: To Inspire, Educate and Connect Deeper

With this notion of giving in mind, we will be launching this blog as a component of AK&CO. to inspire and share the design journey from one project to the next.  Here, we will share with our readers new knowledge as it becomes available. We will introduce up and coming vendors based on collaborations we are working on, offer insight into the world of customization in furniture and millwork and answer any questions that come up along the way as we dig deeper into the world of interior design. 

It is my hope as the founder and visionary behind AK&CO., that this blog not only allows us to connect on a deeper level with our readers, but that it also becomes a source of inspiration to others, that the ideas I share and the things that I find interesting spark thoughtfulness in the environments you live in and shape more alluring spaces for your day to day lives.  

If you have a thought to add or question to ask, please let me know in the comment box below.

Here we go! x