Chelsea Kloss | Owner

I’m a Southern girl, born and raised, where you’re taught early that dogs are family and “y’all” is the best way to describe a group. Despite my strong roots, from an early age I felt compelled to travel and experience cultural diversity firsthand. This passion for travel is an integral part of what has shaped my global perspective as well as my design aesthetic.

My journey as a designer started after earning my degree in Interior Design at Texas State University-San Marcos in 2005, and then launched my career in the creative epicenter of Austin, Texas. I found myself collaborating with families, builders, architects, developers and innovative business owners creating killer spaces and having a blast doing what I love most.

I thrive in having the opportunity to curate custom spaces that tell a story and nurture community. I enjoy implementing Universal Design into my residential projects which allows spaces to be inclusive of people with all types of physical needs in addition to aging in place. The commercial spaces I’ve designed, like yoga studios and coffee shops, are distinctive because they have a residential flare to them. My style is eclectic and my appreciation for negative space coupled with bright, fresh color palettes gives my projects an understated yet cheerful persona.

I’m a fierce advocate for my clients and find my loyalty and concern for their investments to be something that sets me apart from others. I work on innovative projects with fun people in cool places. If that sounds like what you’ve got cooking, I’d love to hear more about how I can be involved.

Krista Allenby | Project Manager

Krista joined the CKI team in January of 2020 as Project Manager extraordinaire and has been positively influencing our process since day one. In stark contrast to Chelsea’s Southern upbringing, Krista was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts. Her formative years in boarding school allowed her to embrace the diversity of her international peers and welcome the beauty in the unfamiliar. Krista’s achievements while rowing varsity crew took her abroad to compete internationally and further cultivated an expanded global perspective and a passion for meeting new people.

Stateside, Krista received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Northeastern University and she continued investing in her creative passion for photography through a certification from the Hallmark Institute of Photography. Krista’s diverse life experiences range from Deckhand on Boston Harbor to Executive Assistant at a boutique financial firm. While she has called states like Colorado, Connecticut, New York and California home, Krista has truly found her place in Austin, Texas. Her attention to detail and systems-oriented organization style keeps her ahead of any possible deviations on project schedules. Krista recognizes that she is fueled by collaboration which allows her to excel in client and builder relationships alike.

From an early age, Krista identified a strong desire to help animals in need which has led her to foster countless animals from the shelter community. With the help of her own rescue dog (Sebastian) and cat (Oliver), Krista rehabilitates medical-needs dogs and cats and provides each foster with important socialization skills to thrive in their forever homes. When she’s not whipping things into shape at CKI, Krista is a dog adventure photographer and owner of Ruff Adventures.