Kylie Wilks took 20 years of experience in the building industry and turned it into a business that not only saves people time, money, and stress when building a new home or renovating but gives them the confidence that they will end up with the home they have always dreamt of.
Tell us about Felt & Stone Design.
If you’re about to start building your dream home, you may ask yourself what is involved in building or renovating a home. Where can I find a template that lists everything I have to select? Can I design my own house plan? How will I choose my interiors? Enter Felt and Stone Design, a hub based around helping people in their selections for a house build or renovation, including initial design concept and design of joinery. The business has three parts; The Design Room, The Build Room, and Moodboard In A Box. The Design Room is a one-on-one personalised design service that provides you with an enjoyable experience in getting your build ready (instead of a stressful one). It gives your builder comprehensive information to help them put together a quote and acts as a building bible to assist them greatly when it’s time to start building. When building or renovating, you can feel overwhelmed with choices, be it paint colours, door handles, flooring options, bathroom tiles, kitchen tiles, sinks, taps, toilets - the list goes on. I often see people deterred by this and decide it’s too hard to build or renovate. Using The Design Room service removes this angst and saves you time, money, and uncertainty. The Build Room is an electronic planner that guides you through selections and the necessary steps for a new build or renovation. The planner includes everything from roof colour to door furniture. There are sections for custom joinery, planning for paint selections, tile selections, heating and cooling, and so much more. You can use this planner to record your thoughts on different options you have looked at, and when you’re ready, print it as a PDF and hand it to your builder. They will love you for it, as it reduces the risk of miscommunication and can save you thousands of dollars in the build process. Moodboard In A Box is for those who love looking through home magazines or scrolling Pinterest for inspiration but think they could never pull that “look” together. It is a box of samples that enables you to achieve a style that appeals to you, with the bonus of being wrapped up beautifully and delivered straight to your door. These boxes include paint chips in A4 size, tiles samples, joinery colours, stone benchtop samples, handles, wallpaper, rug cuts, and timber flooring options. We also include a ‘Source it Here’ info card to direct you where to order everything.
What inspired you to start Felt & Stone?
When my husband and I had our own building company, I watched client after client become incredibly stressed and apprehensive about fixture and colour selections. But with my help, they enjoyed the process and appreciated me walking them through the design & selection process. We have recently walked away from the building industry as builders, but I missed that part of my role. So I took my twenty years of building experience and turned it into Felt & Stone Design.We are unique in that I have twenty years of hands-on experience behind me, which allows me to answer questions that clients may be hesitant to ask their builders. I understand a process that most people haven’t done before, and with that comes the ability to offer clients insight from a builders’ point of view.
What have you sacrificed at each stage of your career?
When you own your own business, you’re always sacrificing something. Whether it’s time, money, family, friends, or yourself, it’s an ongoing balancing act.
What's the best piece of business advice that you have ever received?
Change is the only constant in life. The past is gone, and nobody knows what the future holds. The only thing permanent is the present moment. In business, you must learn, embrace, accept, and apply.
What's on the horizon for Felt & Stone Design in 2023?
This year I want to focus on marketing and promoting the Moodboard In A Box service, as this is still a reasonably new part of the business.Later in the year, I have a collaboration in place on the educational process of building a new home. Watch this space!
Location: INVERELL | NSW Website: feltandstone.com.au Instagram: felt_stone_design
Photography: Hannah KatePhotography