The road to brilliant design often includes significant obstacles along the way. This is certainly true for local interior designer, Kristin Dittmar. Talented and tenacious, she refuses to let recessions or pandemics stop her from producing remarkable results.
We love Kristin’s work and are excited to see how she turns the struggles of pandemic life into the inspiration for her upcoming projects. Our enthusiasm is even greater after chatting with her about the latest design initiatives and sources of inspiration.
Turning Early Challenges Into Exciting Opportunities
Kristin’s career began at what most would deem an inopportune time: during the Great Recession. After graduating from Northern Arizona University in 2007, she started working for a designer in Aspen — but he left for Dallas just as the recession was taking over in 2008. She stuck it out, however, and even started her own design firm.
What initially appeared to be a huge challenge ultimately benefited Kristin’s emerging career. At the time, many of her clients scored great deals on property in the Aspen area. Born and bred there, she drew on her in-depth understanding of — and passion for — the community while implementing her signature modern-mountain aesthetic.
Interior Design During the COVID Era
These days, the top challenges at Kristin Dittmar Design look a little different. There’s no denying the difficulty of keeping up with interior design trends amid a pandemic. During this challenging time, Kristin’s typical sources of inspiration — travel and trade shows — have largely been out of reach. As such, she’s dependent on reps to keep her in the loop.
Another struggle? Limited access to materials. While this was a concern before COVID too over, shortages have accelerated in the past year. Often, the effects are surprising. Foam, for example, is in short supply. Few could have predicted that unprecedented winter storms in Texas would shut down production plants, but now, wait times are measured in months instead of weeks.
If all this has taught Kristin anything, it’s the value of balance. While she’s as passionate about her work as ever, she’s also made an effort to focus on family life.
Gratitude is another key takeaway from the pandemic. Kristin is thankful for all the opportunities she enjoys, of course, but also far more appreciative of travel and other passions that she was forced to put on hold. Kristin looks forward to an upcoming Milan trip for a design event, and, eventually, hitting the ultimate location on her bucket list: St. Barths.
The Latest Success Story: Red Mountain on Willoughby Way.
Kristin didn’t let the pandemic stop her from completing a multi-year project. Featuring gorgeous views of the mountain landscape (including Ajax and Sopris ), this home features a visually impressive fireplace made possible by one of our favorite companies: Artistic Tile. The house also features rich slabs throughout.
As Kristin moves forward with new projects, she’s eager to dive in with the latest interior design trends. She’s noticed that darker, richer colors are beginning to take over. While she expects that a strong market will always exist for light neutrals, she’s glad to have the opportunity to work with different colors and aesthetics.
We look forward to continuing to work with Kristin as she takes on ambitious new projects in a post-COVID world. The appreciation goes both ways; she knows that she can always count on our team for fresh tiles that are consistently on-trend. Our quick service is also a high point, especially given how prevalent delays are in the design world right now.
Kristin is an outstanding contributor to Aspen’s design scene and certainly one of our favorite collaborators. We are grateful she looks to Decorative Materials as a source of breathtaking tiles and endless inspiration. If you’d like to learn more about our approach to tile design, feel free to get in touch online or make an appointment to visit one of our showrooms.
