Kira Gould

Professionally I'm a full-time real estate agent with an an interior design, editorial and marketing background; personally I'm a wife, a mother of two, an avid traveler and tennis player.

I moved to Los Angeles from New York City in September of 2003. When I first arrived I was still the editorial director of Elements of Living, an interior design resource magazine that I helped found. When my second child was born in 2004, I decided that commuting back and forth to New York every month or two was not going to work, so I decided to launch a new career in real estate.

Though my background is in interior design and magazines (see below for more details), I LOVE real estate, and have discovered that I am very good at what I do. It seems that my previous careers have helped to shape this one. The interior design is incredibly applicable. I use those skills with every client, whether it's to advise on staging when they are trying to sell, or helping to see the unrealized potential of a fixer, or outfitting their new home with new furnishings, design goes hand-in-hand with real estate.

The magazine/editorial/advertising/marketing skills are also very handy. The success of a listing being sold depends heavily on the positioning of the house in the marketplace. You need to know who the likely buyer is of the house, and then market effectively to that buyer. The flyers need to look a certain way, the wording needs to be just so, the advertisements need to be in certain publications and websites. It's fascinating!

And apparently, I am good at what I do. I was awarded Rookie of the Year at the close of my first complete year in real estate. In 2007 I was awarded Elite Platinum Club membership, for being in the top 3% of all KW Southern California production.

In-depth Background
I'll go back, but not all the way to the beginning. Let's start with college, which is where I met the love of my life: my husband, Gordon Gould, and learned that what you study the first time around is not necessarily what you'll do for a career.

I did my undergraduate work at the Claremont Colleges -- studying psychology, political science and visual arts. After a year off, in which I traveled throughout New Zealand, Australia and Southeast Asia, I went back to school at the New York School of Interior Design. (New York is the best place in America to learn design -- it's all around you, it infects your waking and sleeping worlds.) While there I worked for some of New York's top design talent, including Peter Pennoyer Architects and Katie Ridder. After six years, I decided to go out on my own, and started (of all things!) a magazine.

Not exactly the next logical step, but I've always had a strong entrepreneurial drive, and a magazine is a great way to reach people and share design concepts. Started in 1999 with a fellow alum of NYSID, LeeAnn Baker, the magazine was called To the Trade, and it focused on products and resources, as opposed to the typical shelter magazine, which focuses on finished projects. The magazine was quite a success in terms of concept and following (we had a devoted and growing audience). The design world embraced it, but we needed more funding, and were in the process of raising capital when the market crashed shortly after 9/11.

Pregnant at the time, I decided to take a hiatus, and write a book. I partnered with Chris Kincaid, another like-minded entrepreneur, to spearhead a book series for McGraw-Hill. We formed a company called Elements Media, and packaged our books for McGraw-Hill under the brand Elements of Living. I wrote the first book, entitled Big Home, Big Challenge, and five additional titles followed.

Never one to leave a project unfinished, I proposed to Chris that we revive the resource magazine as part of the brand. He had always wanted to do other publishing verticals, so it made sense. We published the first issue of Elements of Living in November of 2004. We published the magazine for 2 and 1/2 years. Today, it's being redesigned as an interior design resource website.

A natural offshoot of the magazine was to be commentator on the design industry at large. A big fan of public speaking, I gladly hosted many a panel discussion at design events all over the country; talked to reporters from all walks of media including cable television, local and national radio, and publications such as The Wall Street Journal; and guest-lectured courses at leading universities including Parsons, New York University (NYU) and Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT).

In April, 2006 I threw my hat into the real estate ring, working with both buyers and sellers. I have always had a passion for real estate -- as a child I would ride my bike to open houses and attend them by myself, saying that my mother was feeling ill, and wanted me to do a bit of reconnaissance work for her. Interior design and residential real estate go hand-in-hand. As a designer I can add value to my relationships with clients, either staging their house if they're selling, or helping them to envision the home they want if they're buying.

In my spare time, I sit on a few boards: the advisory board of the New York School of Interior Design, the board of trustees for Childbirth Connection, and now the board of my son's preschool: Crestwood Hills Coop. Three amazing organizations, though all very different from each other. They complement the major aspects of my life: interior design and motherhood.

Though this is practically the last paragraph of my biography, being a mother is an extremely important part of my life. It is one of the most fulfilling roles I've ever participated in. My children, Kylan and Oliver, are the best teachers, and through them I'm able to live in the present -- which to me is one of the most valuable gifts anyone has ever given me. Everything is new, fresh and exciting again through the eyes of a child. And never have I felt such love.

Speaking of love, I only briefly mentioned my husband Gordon Gould in a paragraph above. He deserves many more lines of text, but I will let him describe himself, as he does so adequately in his own blog. Suffice it to say, that he is the love of my life and my best friend.

And a final aside, I left New York, the land of design to move to Los Angeles, the land of sunshine. But I am happy to report (and will be doing so regularly) that LA is a new design frontier filled with fantastic products and resources.

Happy living, everyday!