This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
One could describe Kristin Rocke's home as traditional, with a splash of whimsy. A custom chandelier made of amber Swarovski crystals hangs above a gleaming baby grand piano. An irreverent painting — one in the artist Shawn Huckins' "texts" series — is mounted on one wall, a more conventional rendering of a lone tree on the other.
It's this combination of classic style with original artistic elements that's winning the Salt Lake-based interior designer clients from across the country. And it's what prompted Traditional Home magazine in its May issue to name Rocke as one of "10 New Trad Designers to Watch in 2013."
Jenny Bradley, senior design and lifestyles editor for Traditional Home, notes that Rocke's strength is juxtaposing the fresh with the comfortable.
"She's fearless when it comes to using daring patterns, vibrant color or pairing the unexpected with the familiar," Bradley said. "That said, her projects are still traditional at their core."
The description couldn't be more accurate of Rocke (pronounced roe-key) herself, dressed in a tangerine blouse, comfortable jeans and leopard-patterned flats. A native of Salt Lake City, she graduated from the University of Utah with design degrees and began her career as an idealistic urban planner, working at the Utah Transit Authority. But she got impatient with the slow pace of change and decided to switch to her early passion of interior design.
She remembers redecorating her mother's bedroom as a surprise present when she was 12.
"Construction to me is so optimistic," she said. "There's something so exhilarating and exciting about having an idea and then seeing it materialize."
She launched her company, K. Rocke Design, in 2004 out of her home in Holladay to stay close to her two sons. Now 42 and 300 clients later, she still runs her business from a sunny corner home office.
"When they were little, I had nannies, but I was available and I love that," Rocke said. "It's so freeing."
Like most entrepreneurial ventures, starting the business was grueling.
"There were three to four years that all was a blur," Rocke recalled.
But staying true to her traditional-yet-original approach brought in clients and more referrals, ranging from private homes in Florida and California to the Silver Baron Lodge in Deer Valley. Mary Ann Empey, general manager of the lodge, has worked with Rocke for the past eight years.
"The thing that impresses me about Kristin, she does all these big projects, but she'll spend five hours with someone on a $50 pillow," Empey said. "She's so committed to the clients she works with, from [the] pillow up to a $100,000 renovation."
Rocke says she loves the diversity of projects and the creative freedom of interior design. At the moment, she's fashioning a four-story chandelier made of chain and crystal for a client in Park City.
"You become really intimate with your clients and their families," Rocke said. "It's an honor and a privilege to participate in people's lives like that."
Rocke admits that hiring an interior designer by-the-hour is a luxury item, but she argues that working with designers can save a client money in the long run because they can get volume discounts.
"I get 40 percent discounts off of furniture and custom fabrics," Rocke said. "The discounts tend to offset the design fees."
Luxury or not, Rocke's artistic, warm and individualized approach is raising her profile in an industry dominated by big-city dwellers, said Bradley of Traditional Home.
"Our goal for this issue is to honor designers from across the country, not just those on the coasts, so we were thrilled when we found out that Kristin is based in Salt Lake City," Bradley said. "She's proved that you don't need to be from New York or Los Angeles to make your mark in the design world."
Twitter: @jnpearce —
Rocke's tips for interior design
Don't do what everyone else is doing. "Stay outside the main thrust of any trend."
If you embrace a trend, do it in small ways. "Add details that are less expensive so you can change it out."
Include only what you love. "I'd rather have every piece be important."
Invest in quality wood furniture. "Fabrics will wear and colors will date, but you'll probably hold on to your case goods."