Date:  December 18, 2007  |  

Kaki Hockersmith’s innate aptitude for organization and crafting visually appealing and functional spaces first took root when she was working on store planning for Dillard’s. She credits the structure and precision she learned through that job as being the driving forces behind her successful and varied design career. From her beginnings at Dillard’s, Kaki followed her work to the Arkansas Governor’s Mansion and to The Clinton-era White House, with many interesting and significant stops along the way.

When former President Bill Clinton was governor of Arkansas, he and wife Hillary enlisted Kaki to restore and re-design the Governor’s Mansion’s living quarters. This relationship would grow into a close friendship, and when the Clintons moved into The White House, they again turned to Kaki. She was able to re-design, renovate and remodel numerous public and private spaces in The White House, including the Oval Office, treaty room, family dining room and many others. From this, Kaki worked on behalf of the United States Navy to design rooms at Camp David, including the president’s cabin, dining hall and lodge.

With a vast knowledge of some of the most historic spaces in the country, it was only natural that Kaki was appointed to The Committee for the Preservation of The White House in 1993, to continue renovations to the blue room, grand entry hall, the state dining room and others. For the eight years of the Clintons’ stay in The White House, Kaki would continue to work not only as their personal designer, but also on the preservation of The White House itself. “I would stay with them often when I traveled to D.C.,” she says. “They always treated me like family, and those years changed my life forever.”
 
Years after the Clintons left The White House, they requested Kaki design the executive level of the Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock. “With the amazing architectura; opportunity and vast views, I convinced Bill and Hillary to go for a more contemporary look in the upstairs living quarters, rather than their usual more traditional style,” she says. “They wanted a very peaceful, warm and inviting atmosphere, and we were able to create that with contemporary lines and forms.” While most visitors to the library will not be able to experience Kaki’s work on the executive level, they can tour the re-creation of the Oval Office on display, which includes all of Kaki’s design elements from the original.

With such a breadth of experience and worldly influences, Kaki knew just what she wanted when she sat down to design her own Edgehill home with husband Max Mehlburger. “We both love Italian architecture and design,” she says. “And, we wanted the exterior and interior aesthetic to be as accurate as possible for new construction.” Heavily influences by Palladian architecture, Kaki created a villa-style home with lots of outdoor spaces and beautiful sight lines throughout. “We enjoy giving parties, and functional aspects such as traffic flow were just as important in the design as the sweeping views and architectural elements.”

The floor plan, also drawn by Kaki, is one of privacy. Rooms are situated to look into the home, and most face the interior three-sided courtyard, complete with a large koi pond that flows down to a lower level with plenty of seating areas. “As empty-nesters, Max and I preferred to have fewer rooms which were larger in size,” she says. “We have two guest suites, each with a balcony overlooking the front courtyard and access to another larger balcony over the interior courtyard.”

On the interior, Kaki desired a comfortable and welcoming elegance. “I wanted beautiful rooms where guests would actually sit down,” she says. “It’s no good to have amazing spaces if no one can live in them.” Throughout her home, sentimental photographs and memorabilia add an element of ease. “I don’t think people should fill their homes with accessories,” she says. “If it’s just stuff, it has no meaning. I enjoy stunning artwork and important accent items. They make a house truly a home.”

With the home completed, Kaki and Max enjoy spending time in every area. “We really live in this house,” she says. “We’ll have coffee in the front courtyard, lunch in the pergola and a glass of wine on the second-floor balcony.” While Kaki’s first love is design, she has found an equal affinity for entertaining. “I find that planning a party or an event is very similar to planning a home,” she says. “They are both a creative production with a consistent style, theme and colors, and there is always a team of subcontractors to coordinate, from the caterers to the musicians. I find many parallels, and that’s possibly why I enjoy both so much.”

Through her full-service design firm, Kaki Hockersmith Interiors in Little Rock, Kaki offers her clients a true one-stop shop. “We really work with the client from the initial concept to completion.” Kaki and her team begin with the architectural structure of the project and often hand their drawings and renditions directly over to the contractors. Millwork is a personal favorite of Kaki’s, and she is a hands-on contributor to the design and creation of each piece. “I’m not a fan of the traditional built-in furnishings, but we use beautiful millwork to create pieces that present themselves as furniture, not just storage,” she says. “We also custom-make furniture. We can design any piece of furniture and cover it with one of the thousands of fabrics I offer.” Walking through Kaki’s office, guests find room after room of door samples, fabric books, artwork, hard surfaces and more, including the Wood-Mode kitchen and showroom bathroom. “When we give a presentation to a client, we simply walk in the other room and pull a sample of exactly what we’re talking about,” she says. “Our resource rooms offer clients a hands-on and visual experience. The best part about all my experiences and the friendships with design professionals and business owners I’ve developed over the years and around the world is that I can bring them directly to my clients.”