The KJ Collective
Today special guest is Kelly Farraro the creator behind The KJ Collective. Kelly has managed to turn her small blog into a highly recognised and informative Interiors wonderland within this competitive industry.
Her savy business skills, entreprenual talent and her natural interior design flair as made The KJ Collective a household name. Well known in the media, Kelly has also managed to keep her feet firmly on the ground and has remained a geniune, approachable and all round lovely person to talk too.
I love Kelly's colourful modern classic style and her coastal home is amazing. Read on to discover more about the powerhouse that is The KJ Collective and why you should be following her every move..
Tell us a little more about you, your background and your family etc?
I'm one of three siblings & Melbourne native. Growing up we spent family holidays at Anglesea, on the west coast of Victoria....I can't get enough of the place, it's beach all the way for our family ! My husband, Braydan & I have 2 boys, Wes & Max.....they certainly keep us busy & we try to get down the beach as much as we can to relax on the weekends.
I'm grateful for the wonderful support & encouragement by my family, they're great! ( I do drive them slightly crazy moving things around the home constantly too! )
As far as career goes, I have worked our family business in one form or another my whole life, a national plumbing & kitchen retailer to the building industry...I loved it, building is in my blood! I've have a Degree in Business, which I gained whilst I worked full time, took a bit of time off with each of my kids...& then back to it!!
Working in a family business has to one of the most rewarding experiences of my life!
I started 'The KJ Collective' a few years ago, as a way to showcase & share my love of interiors, art, styling & sharing unique finds. I have always been a 'go to' person for interiors advice for family & friends, I saw this as a natural addition to compliment working in our family business.
Can you explain a little about what The KJ Collective offers?
'The KJ Collective' offers 'interiors inspiration' to my readers as well as a growing platform for creative business to showcase their products through my blog & IG.
I love to feature upcoming brands as well as more established ones we all love .... prioritising on keeping my feed fresh & inspiring.
I really love styling up areas within my home with new & exciting products.
I also offer an private decorating & sourcing service, helping clients with my 'little black book' of suppliers.
What was the inspiration behind creating The KJ Collective and why this name?
I brainstormed my business for a little while before I came up with my name...THE K J COLLECTIVE!
I wanted a name which covered a lot of different areas allowing my brand to grow & develop over time with a broad scope & little restrictions....I believed a word such as 'collective' was perfect.
( KJ - aka Kelly - Jayne....)
What challenges did you face in the early days growing the business and how did you overcome them if any?
Like any new business, it's about starting and having the courage to actually start, I'd talked about it for a long time. Being recognised for your work, knowledge and passion, it all takes time.
Embracing the technology available at my fingertips was also a challenge, mainly due to lack of time, as well as developing my own branding with amazing creatives. I outsourced where I could but still wanted to take the time to understand the process.
I'm very driven & have overcame a lot of challenges by planning, listening, talking to mentors about my ideas....& having a lot of patience! That's hard when you want things yesterday ...
What have been the highlights of The KJ Collective? What are you the most proud of?
I've had a few Editorials in print ....what a buzz that is!
I've also been asked to be 'guest editor' on a number of websites including, Adairs, Shoptrawl & attended events as a guest of 'Inside Out' magazine to write a blog feature ...that was fantastic! I also worked closely with Kreo Home on the launch of her 'local is the new black campaign', blogging about local creatives
I have also met some incredibly talented people following my journey, some who have become great friends, they get it & they get me! I'm really grateful !
I'm often being asked for my advice from businesses large and small to which I play a mentoring role. Being able to bring my business experience & knowledge to an industry I love is a dream come true!
My photos & styling has been featured in the glossy pages of 'Home Beautiful' & 'Inside Out' Magazine ...such a thrill.
Below is a styling session from The Wild Collective and Kelly's home featured in GT Magazine as part of the Geelong Advertiser
Kelly featured below as Adairs Style Editor
You’ve got a great social media following. Can you give us any tips on how to grow your audience on platforms like Instagram?
Relevance, Authenticity, Consistency, Frequency.
Know your brand, be yourself & engage with your followers.
My followers have come on board organically, and has taken time. Good things take time!
Where would you like to see The KJ Collective in 2 year’s time?
I have a few things happening on the horizon, but ideally I'd have to say that I'd like by brand & business to have grown significantly.
I find it hard to shut off & are full of ideas .... so stay tuned!
You obviously have a talent for styling, how would you describe your personal interior style at home?
I'd describe it as 'Modern Classic'.
I love modern furniture & try to invest in great pieces, may that be furniture or art that won't date. I absoluty love bespoke design! Quality not quantity.
I'm building a new home at the moment and have designed it around mid century theme with a modern twist....what an experience that has been, I've loved it!
What would be your top 3 next big interior design trends we should look out for?
Marble - This isn't going anywhere! We will continue to see it in our homes in a large format ( kitchens & bathrooms ) & I'm loving the amazing homewares around at the moment too.
Modern Gyspy - I love the 'Modern Gypsy / Boho' feel at the moment, I'm seeing a lot of stunning cushions with fun fringing, tassels & pom poms! It brings such warmth into modern interiors.
Photographic Art - Photographic art is making a strong resurgence into the interiors area & I'm loving the diversity in subject matter that I am seeing across IG particularly.
Do you have a favourite quote or inspirational mantra that you love and if so what is it?
Ohh how I love a good quote, there are probably too many to mention....but an old time favourite is 'Do it once & do it well!'.
Thanks for having me onboard Emma!
A big thank you Kelly for taking the time to have a quick chat. Your an inspiration to every one in the industry. Make sure you are following kelly on Instagram @thekjcollective. You can also keep in touch on Kelly's blog over here.
