Kristi Reed embodies the best of cutting-edge design. As a member of the generation of young people for whom technology has been a constant, she is completely at ease and terrifically skilled on the computer. But Kristi is not just any tech-savvy member of the first digital generation.
From an early age, Kristi showed a fascination with construction, often dragging her parents through homes being built in their Indianapolis suburb. By watching an art show on television in grade school, she taught herself one and two-point perspective. By middle school, her significant artistic ability was getting notice, and by the time she was a junior in high school, her home design was selected from among her peers to be built by the vocational building trades class. As a Senior, she was the first girl to actually enroll in the VBT class and build the home she had designed. She developed her own architectural independent study course, winning her third place in an American Institute of Architects national competition.
Kristi’s family spent summers in New Hampshire, where her family had built a series of homes in the 1920s. Summers there at Lake Ossipee fostered a deep connection to nature that remains strong in both her lifestyle activities and her intent in design. Kristi relaxes by practicing yoga and by heading out into nature to camp.
It is difficult to become a discerning designer without the experience of travel. Since effective architecture and design flow from the immediate culture and the practical needs of the surrounding environment, traveling allows one to see how good architecture naturally varies across locales. Fortunately for Kristi, she traveled extensively with her family in the States and pursued her own travel agenda in Japan, Australia, Thailand, and Central and South America as a young adult.
Though Kristi had intended to study architecture at Savannah College of Art & Design in Georgia, she shifted course and graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design. In that program, she honed some of her most valuable design skills. She became proficient in the use of such computer-based design tools as Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, AutoCad, and SketchUp. Proficiency with these programs greatly increased her capacity to execute and present her creative ideas.
Paul Wiseman hired Kristi directly out of college. Starting her career at The Wiseman Group was a foundational launching point from which Kristi has continued her design and educational pursuits. Now in the interior architecture department, she has returned to the field she loves so much. She works with all of the design staff in creating interior architectural elements, designing custom furniture, interpreting and drawing staff visions, and, importantly, creating colorful 3-D renderings that allow clients to visualize their projects.
Because sustainable building practices are important to her, Kristi has spearheaded efforts to make the firm greener in its design approaches. She attained LEED AP credentials through the Green Building Certification Institute and a Certificate Degree in Sustainable Design at University of California, Berkeley, all while working full time at TWG. Kristi is bright, tech-savvy, artistic, and conscientious − a real asset to the firm.
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| Rendering of a colorful entertainment room designed for younger members of the family |
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| The envisioned space beautifully realized |
