Meet the Talented Design Duo Behind Kroesser + Strat
When storytelling meets design, the result is nothing short of enchanting—especially in the hands of Anna Kroesser and Amelia Strat, the visionary duo behind Kroesser + Strat Design. With over 15 years of collaboration, they’ve carved out a name for themselves on the East Coast of the USA and beyond, known for crafting contemporary interiors that are as personal as they are polished.
Specializing in luxury residential, commercial, and hospitality design, their aesthetic blends livable elegance with a touch of humor and a deep appreciation for layered beauty. Amelia’s lifelong love for interiors meets Anna’s background in event production, creating a dynamic partnership grounded in creativity and technical skill.
At Kroesser + Strat, the goal is simple: to design inviting, unique spaces that reflect the people who live in them. Read on for a peek inside the inspiring world of Anna Kroesser and Amelia Strat, the women behind Kroesser + Strat Design, in this edition of Love Happens’ Design Questionnaire!
Lh Design Questionnaire with Anna Kroesser & Amelia Strat of Kroesser + Strat Design
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Just being with family. The older we get, the more we are faced with the old adage of “life is short.” My kids are often asking why I’m staring at them and well, yes, because I am obsessed with them, but also because they are such a visual marker of time. It all goes by so fast and being with them on a slow Sunday with no obligations or traveling and watching them experience something so brand new—it just doesn’t get any better than that.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Motherhood. Not just the creating of, but the care + nurturing that is being a mother. There are thousands of how-to books on being a mother and a million more instagram accounts telling you how to do it all, but at the end of the day when you’re standing face to face with your child (sometimes resembling a western showdown) all the things you learned or thought you had learned go out the window and you have to rely on your gut instinct of how to be in and handle that moment. I often tell my kids I don’t always get it right, every day is a brand new experience when you’re a parent. and the lack of ego that emerges as a result of being completely transparent that you are not perfect and do not have it all together is really very freeing.
What profession does your alter ego have?
1000% I’m a farmer. I live on 200 acres of land filled with crops, animals, flowers + my family.
The project you will never forget.
It has to be our Riverside Drive project for so many different reasons. We started it a few months before Covid, it then paused for many months while we navigated how to do a major renovation in a city apartment with all the restrictions + shutdowns that Covid brought with it. In addition to that, we were dealing with labor + manufacturing delays on every single element of the project, insane increases in cost—it was a lot. But with all of the setbacks and navigating of new territory, we had incredible clients—truly wonderful to work with—creative + collaborative. Above all, KIND when things got difficult, and in the end, we were just so happy with the design, and we felt pretty proud of getting through it with everything that it took to make it all happen.
Your favorite business tool or resource.
We’ve been using Canva the last few years to put together our design presentations. It’s really user-friendly, easy to remove backgrounds and add links, etc. With Covid, we pivoted big time to virtual presentations, and having the ability to maximize the information we were sharing with our clients without having to stand side-by-side during every meeting has proven to be pretty efficient.
The most timeless design.
It is a design that evokes happiness time and time again and that will be and feel different for everyone. Our goal for our projects is for our clients to feel joy when they walk into their homes—that the homes reflect who they are. We love a good trend like anyone else, but space has to be able to evolve with the times and not be so pigeonholed into a specific aesthetic that it grows tired.
The biggest design faux pas.
Overstyling. Styling is, of course, incredibly important to the end design, but we see so often that there are way too many “things” in a room—bookshelves are a big culprit because there is an urge to fill the space. Just turn on any design show, and you’ll see what we mean. Just an endless amount of accessories everywhere you turn and it detracts from the overall design + aesthetic.
Your design motto.
Great design is key, but the relationship with the client is more important, even. Transparency with our clients is our #1 mantra. We must create a trusting partnership with them because, at the end of the day, no matter how incredible the design is, if the client is bitter about how the process went, the project fails. And not only does it feel terrible, but you lose out on countless future projects as referrals are our #1 form of gaining new projects.
Our publisher, KOKET, sells statement décor. If you were to design a room around one of their pieces, which would it be, and why?
We love the Paris Dining Table. Travertine is such a classic material, we love the curves of the top + base in combination with the walnut wood.
Love Happens when…
You let down your walls. That can mean in a very big way, but also in smaller ways. Putting down your phone when your kids are trying to show you something that seems silly but is important to them. By engaging in meaningful conversation with your partner, friends, and family even if you are dog tired from the day and just want to go to bed. And pretty importantly, letting go of the small stuff. I had a pretty humbling experience a couple weeks back when I was very annoyed by something. But when I found out the real reason as to why it was happening, that all went away. I was able to connect with the people who I felt annoyed by, and it resulted in a really beautiful experience for us all.
Explore more work by the fabulous Anna Kroesser & Amelia Strat of Kroesser + Strat Design at kroesserstrat.com.
All Photos Courtesy of Kroesser + Strat Design
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