Meet Kelsey | Knitwear Designer / owner of Studio Kelsey

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kelsey and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kelsey, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Growing up, both of my parents worked together in a business they started the year they got married – and they still do to this day! My sister later joined the business, so it’s become a big part of our family dynamic. I remember thinking ‘there’s no way I’d want to be an entrepreneur’ because I’d seen all the ups, downs, and realities of running a small business.

Look at me now! Owning my own business and spilling all of my love and energy into it.

I learned to knit while living in Ireland. It started as a hobby while I was working a full time job. I was posting about my work online, and I was approached early on to make a small run of knits to sell through a magazine. This was my first opportunity to see if people would appreciate the value in my handmade pieces. I didn’t know many other brands that were producing small-scale handmade garments at a higher price point, so it felt really scary to place this value on my work. I was validated by these pieces selling out very quickly and I knew there was something to it. Of course, my audience was much smaller than the magazine’s, so I haven’t had that instant success repeat from the start! But I love that I have that to look back on as a reminder.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am a textile designer specializing in knit garments & home textiles. I design and make all of my pieces in my Nashville studio. I use a vintage non-automated knitting machine, which means it is completely hand powered. Each piece is fully fashioned, meaning it is shaped row by row, producing little-to-no-waste. The production method of my materials is also low waste. I knit with a really beautiful merino wool from a sustainable mill in Ireland. I love this wool for its quality and unique depth of color that is created by the traditional methods of production in this region of Ireland. I also love the relationship I’ve built with this mill over the years. Having lived in Ireland for the first 5 years of my knitting journey, I’ve been able to visit the mill and see their process myself.
I am most proud of my intarsia work. Intarsia is a technique for knitting imagery or “pictures”. It is labor intensive and difficult to re-produce on an industrial scale, making it really unique to the handmade process. I knit intarsia pieces as wall hangings and as garments. Most people know my business for garments, but I also work business-to-business with interior designers on custom wall hangings.
I feel that my processes, color palette, and sustainable Irish materials set me apart from others.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
This is a good exercise as I’m trying to convince my bestie in Dublin to visit Nashville. Kathryn, if you’re seeing this, this is what we’ll get up to!!!!

Eat & Drink:

For breakfast we’re going to Dozen, probably multiple times.

For coffee; I’m not a coffee drinker and neither is Kathryn, but if we are meeting other coffee drinkers I would suggest No Free Coffee or Living Waters brewery where we could also get a delicious beer.

For lunch or dinner;

King Tut’s for Egyptian food (i love their chicken shawarma plate)

Guacamayas for Mexican food & the best happy hour ($4 margs)

Mas Tacos because you can’t come to Nashville and not have it.

Xiao Bao for best Asian food and good drink selection.

Osake is my favorite sushi spot & another excellent happy hour.

Bad Idea for sampling half glasses of delicious wines & equally delicious food.

For drinks & late night bites we’ll go to;

Twin Kegs for food & drinks & maybe for some karaoke??

Dukes for best late night sandwich & drinks.

Dinos for all the late night (or anytime, really) cravings.

To do:

Catch a show at the best venue in town, The Blue Room at Third Man Records.

See what’s on at Elephant Gallery.

See a movie at The Belcourt.

Shop for treasures at Torres Vintage.

Visit the best book & curated goods shop, The Green Ray.

Walk down 12 South and stop into Imogene & Willie to drool at beautifully made clothing.

We’d go to the farmers market at Bicentennial Capitol Mall where we’d also walk around the park and see some beautiful views of the city.

Buy some bottles of wine from Woodland Wines, the best curated selection.

Bring home a piece of Nashville by getting some memorabilia from Music Valley Archive.

If you’re wanting to bring home a super unique and high quality piece of nashville, get fit for a custom pair of jeans by the denim-queen, Kelsey Baucom.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My husband, Dave Meaney! He’s the absolute greatest and he is such a massive part of my business. He’s a master of so many creative endeavors, I’m always inspired by him while also receiving endless help from him — he’s incredibly generous with his time and energy. I’m positive that I wouldn’t be where I am with my business if it weren’t for his support and motivation.

He co-runs a design studio called New Hat, they specialize in surface design and have really made Nashville a more beautiful place one project at a time.

Website: https://www.studiokelsey.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/studio_kelsey/

Image Credits
Studio Kelsey, Liv Hamilton, Iris Humm