>Kick @$$ Job of the Week: Kristen Fountain Davis

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Griffinite Kristen Fountain Davis owns and operates KFD Designs, an Atlanta-based interior design and decorative painting company. She spends her days decorating clients’ homes, painting furniture, and gathering inspiration by reading home design blogs. This job description warrants KFD to be The Grip’s first feature in “Kick @$$ Jobs.” For more pictures of her work and to read what projects she’s currently working on, follow her at www.kfddesigns.blogspot.com.

How did you get your kick @$$ job?
[Kristen Fountain Davis] I graduated from Georgia State University with a degree in fine arts, with a concentration in drawing. I just really loved drawing. A strange major, but 18-year-olds don’t always pick the most practical degrees! I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do after graduation, but ended up working at a faux painting company. I stayed there for a while and learned the tricks of the trade, then decided to branch out on my own. I’ve always loved interior design and wanted to figure out how to mesh the two together – chic interior design and faux painting. My decorative painting has slowly evolved into a style that is “me” and one that I truly enjoy.

What is a faux painting company? Like faux finishes?
[Kristen Fountain Davis] Yes, faux and decorative finishes. I learned about how glaze works, and how to use it; tricks on taping, striping, stippling, stries, venetian plaster, stencils, and more. There are a lot of things that you have to learn about painting walls, and I am grateful for all that I learned while working there.

Describe a “normal” or “average” day for you. Do you have any of those?
[Kristen Fountain Davis] I wake up in the morning, pour a cup of coffee, then click around and catch up on my favorite blogs. Some of my most-visited blogs are: designsponge.com, ohjoy.blogs.com, makingitlovely.com, and younghouselove.com. Creative blogs provide such inspiration for me, and most of these are home-design-related. Almost every day I travel to a client’s home for work. I love that I am in a different spot each week, or every few days! It keeps my routine different, and my immediate gratification levels high.

What’s the best thing about your job?
[Kristen Fountain Davis] When I can tell that a client is really, really happy with my work.

What’s the one thing you hear most when you tell people what you do?
[Kristen Fountain Davis] “You should come to my house!”

What’s your favorite project that you’ve ever done?
[Kristen Fountain Davis] This is a really hard question! Almost every time I complete a project, I say “This is my new favorite project!” However, I am working on several furniture pieces for a company that makes paint right now, and they are giving me almost completely free reign over everything (which includes about 30 different pieces). It’s really fun to have complete creative control over what happens to each piece, and to come up with new patterns and combinations for them. They will be used in the company’s pamphlets and in a display showroom. Another favorite project was a recent “wall of trees” inspired by Cole & Son wallpaper.

Can you tell us more about this job with the furniture company? That’s a lot of furniture!
[Kristen Fountain Davis] Tit definitely is a lot of pieces. It’s a company called Synta, who manufactures paint in Atlanta. I am in charge of painting about 30 pieces that will be used on a showroom floor in L.A. at a product convention, where Synta will sell their products to major hardware and craft stores. I’m not really sure what their plans are for the pieces after the show, but I know that they will be on display there to “show off” the paint and the new product line, which is based off of Pantone colors. It’s a great new line, and I’m excited to see the craft world get a hold of it! The pieces will also be photographed for pamphlets which will be available alongside the paint in the stores that they are sold in.

Other than fantastic artistic skill, is there any specific skill(s) needed to do what you do? What advice would you give to someone thinking of or taking the plunge into self-employment or freelance artistry?
[Kristen Fountain Davis] Specific skills would include being able to paint and draw. As far as taking the plunge into freelance artistry, I would say have a “back up” part-time job at first. I used to nanny part-time until I was able to be completely self-employed. And be prepared to go where your jobs and skills take you. Also, personally, I think a college degree is important in almost every vocation these days.

Your blog bio mentions that you spend your time eating pickled items. Care to elaborate?
[Kristen Fountain Davis] Oh man, I just really love pickles. Hah!

Do you like pickled okra, pickled eggs, anything other than plain pickles?
[Kristen Fountain Davis] I do like pickled okra, it’s delicious, and I welcome any pickled okra that is sent my way. I’ve only ever seen pickled eggs in fairly deserted gas stations, with the red tinted liquid inside, and every time I see them I cringe at the grossness. I love a good ol’ Claussen pickle, and my grandmother makes these killer sweet and spicy pickles with sugar and Tobasco that are awesome. My mouth is watering just thinking about them. I also love pickled jalapeños!