Project Highlight, Holiday Updates, and Can You Believe It’s 2025?
Dear all,
Happy New Year!
This newsletter, our project highlight is an interior remodel we completed in Montecito in December. Our clients moved back into their home just in time for the holidays! A huge thank you and big love to Ana Corcran, Principal at Studio Corcran Design, for choosing us and trusting us to bring her vision to life on this project. She put together a beautiful, comprehensive design and, as always, was a pleasure to collaborate with. Big thank you to everyone who worked so hard on this project to make sure our clients were not delayed one second for their desired move in date. A big win for everyone! Feel free to check out the project gallery here. I actually staged and styled this shoot with my assistant. It was super fun, and I think it turned out pretty well! Why not click here to schedule a consultation with us about your next project? I see no good reason myself.
In other new years news…
Kellow Construction is heading into 2025, just like you! And so far, so good. The three of us went to Club Med in Zihuatanejo, MX, in December. I had booked this trip for us way back in December 2023. At the time, it felt like the vacation was so far away, and guess what? Surprise, surprise, before we knew it, a year had flown by, and it was time to go! We all really enjoyed swimming in the warm water, being cared for by the staff at Club Med (!), Kiel got to surf, and Danny had a pool shallow enough for him to "swim."
Being in Mexico is always such a treat. For me, there’s no comparison. The only place I love more than almost anywhere in Mexico is Santa Barbara. Many generations of my family have spent time in and out of Mexico. Fun fact: I’m fluent in Spanish! Mexico is absolutely gorgeous, and in my opinion, hands down, it has the best design aesthetic.
Currently, my Aunt Malary and Uncle Ray live full-time in Troncones. They bought a beachfront lot there in the early ’90s and developed something beautiful on it shortly after. It was really special to get to see them as well. We were so grateful for their hospitality, laughter, and everything the trip brought us. Now, we’re happy to be back home!
We have several projects in design and pre-construction right now, though things have slowed down a bit due to many governing bodies being closed over the holidays. Honestly, slowness can be something I treasure under the right conditions. In construction, though, slowness isn’t usually something we appreciate. On the one hand, I love being present and embracing a slower pace; on the other hand, in this trade, time is literally money, and "the quicker, the better" tends to reign supreme. We pride ourselves on moving quickly at Kellow Construction, so this slower period has been an adjustment, and a good reminder to relax and wait when things are beyond our control. Hard for us to do!
It’s also tax season, which gives me a great opportunity to give a big shoutout to our bookkeeper, Jenae Juarez, who was incredibly helpful and on it in 2024, making this time of year stress-free when it comes to tax prep. Bless you, Jenae! In 2024, I took over the majority of bookkeeping duties with Jenae’s help. She has been an honest advisor, always willing to help in any way she can, ego-free, which is so unusual and special. Bookkeeping, being an unregulated trade, attracts all kinds of people (if you know what I mean). Jenae is the first person since Liz (back in Oregon in 2015) who has really risen to the occasion. So, if you need someone, I highly recommend reaching out to her. This recommendation comes from an extremely discerning client (ME!). Here is a link to her website.
I actually found Jenae through the Women’s Economic Ventures (WEV) Santa Barbara graduate directory on their website: https://www.wevonline.org/. WEV is an amazing program. Definitely check it out!
Jenae completed the WEV program, which I have so much respect for, but what I respect most is how obvious it is that her primary intention is to truly support us and our needs. So, if you have a bookkeeper who drives you nuts, or if you’re thinking about hiring one for the first time, check her out, she’ll make it easy, I promise.
This newsletter is not as short and sweet as I set out to be. So in other words it is not at all like my current favorite album by Sabrina Carpenter, "Short and Sweet." Please keep us in mind for all your projects, big and small. And remember, we can handle all your permitting and design in-house. We’ve got you covered!
Forever keeping it real, and I hope you are too.
Sincerely,
Emily Kellow
