Rising Stars: Meet Kristen Collins

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristen Collins.

Hi Kristen, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I have always had a passion for art since I was a child. My parents would put me in various art programs throughout the state of Michigan. I went to the University of Michigan and started in the Art & Design school, but completed my degree with a BS in Architecture. During that time, I gained a number of skills and knowledge that I use in my business today. When the pandemic hit NY, In March of 2020, I moved back to Michigan while completing graduate school at Cornell. In August, a few months after graduation and starting my career, I began to miss designing and decided to use my time after work to start a few projects. I had discovered epoxy a few years prior and decided to try it out as my first project. I quickly fell in love with the material and its versatility. After months of trial and error, I decided to launch Abode Impressions (a luxury custom home decor brand) in October 2020. Since launching Abode Impressions has been in 4 retail stores, a brick-and-mortar holiday pop-up, home and garden shows, and local art fairs. This year at the Detroit Home and Garden Show, we launched our Epoxy Countertop Services, and have been quite busy with installations in our client’s homes ever since!

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
For the most part, it has been a smooth road since launching. The biggest challenge has been to keep going when business gets slow but always remember my “why”. Which has always been to create functional decor and modern art for residential and commercial spaces across the country! I’ve learned so many lessons along the way such as: 1) the importance of truly knowing your customer base, 2) saying “no” to some opportunities so that I’m not overbooked and can provide my customers quality, 4) the details matter when it comes to packaging, and so much more.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Abode Impressions is a custom luxury home decor brand. Everything we sell is made by hand using a method known as flow art. We typically coat our products in epoxy to increase their longevity. No two products are ever the same and our customers often want to use our products for something other than its’ intended purpose. For example, many customers ask if they can hang our serving trays, or use our ceramic tile coasters for their backsplash. We primarily focus the business on products such as serving trays (wooden, acrylic), coasters, wine stoppers, and our epoxy countertop service.

What matters most to you? Why?
I love speaking with my clients and customers directly. Many people are usually interested in how I made the products or they want a custom piece made specifically for their space. Custom pieces are truly my favorite because I know they are being intentional about adding a functional piece that doubles as modern art.

Pricing:

• Serving Trays $85 – $200+
• Coasters $30+
• Wine Stoppers $15+
• Paintings $250+

Contact Info:

• Website: www.abodeimpressions.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/abode.impressions
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/AbodeImpressions