Meet your Home Design Specialist and the team that you will work with personally. We are a package deal. Before you allow us to get to know you, take some time to get cozy with our story.

With over 20 years of friendship, forming in the early days of high school. It is a bond that continued through college, moving out of state, weddings, the addition of children, and through the experiences of life & loss.  Today, this dynamic duo, continues to lean on one another constantly. It is about friends you call family. Speaking of family, these two women are no strangers to the hustle and bustle of life.  They have managed full-time corporate careers with the addition of both being mothers of three young children.  The chaos of balancing it all has led to life lessons and a defined focus on what is most important in life…family, friendships, and highlighting traditions. 

Both Kristin and Meagan come from long term careers that required designing solutions, providing exceptional customer service, and establishing successful partnerships daily. Both spent time away from Rochester only to come back home to their roots. Their connection to the Upstate NY region and love for the people that surround them tied into their passion and experience with design and decorating led to the creation of Upstate Roots Design, LLC.  

Meet the Beating Hearts Behind the Brand:

Meet Kristin

Kristin’s drive is fueled on a deep love for her family, friendships, and a feeling of home. She was born and raised in Rochester, NY with a detoured adventure in the beautiful city of Chicago that lasted 7 years. Kristin is married to her grade school sweetheart who ventured with her out to Chicago after college. They moved back to Rochester from Chicago in 2011 with plans to start a family of their own and are now blessed with 3 energetic, loving children.

Kristin was taught from an early age that a “home” is not defined by what you have…rather a home is a feeling & where experiences are created and shared. That being said, she was surrounded by creativity from the very early stages of her life. She has fond memories of her mom decorating every square inch of their house, and continuously re-creating their home…now a quality she learned she has inherited. She is no doubt a self-proclaimed, “Daddy’s girl.” She adored the creative, do it yourself, hardworking man that brought all of her unique, trendy, and rustic home decor visions to life with in her own home. Little did she know that her Dad would be the one that fueled the fire inside of her to design and decorate homes for others.

The official start to her design journey began when her Dad was diagnosed with cancer and lost his tough fight, less than one year later in 2016. It is easy to immediately understand when you meet Kristin that it is her roots, her passion & knowledge for design, and constant need to fill her dad’s boots that inspires her to bring the feeling of home to others. Throughout her professional career, Kristin has been referred to as tenacious, passionate, solution oriented and a fun/loving soul. She is a firm believer that your home should represent your story. And whatever your story is, she takes great pride in listening and helping you bring it to life.

Meet Meagan

Meagan's roots are deep across Western NY.  She was born, raised, and married in Rochester with an extended period of time living in Buffalo.  The goal to shift directly into her master's program after college graduation landed her in the Buffalo area.  An unexpected introduction to the future love of her life during a Buffalo Bills game was the result in calling Buffalo home for 9 years to follow.  It was there that they brought home their fur baby, welcomed their first child, and enjoyed their time exploring the rapidly expanding city.  Today, they call Rochester home with the addition of twins, completing their family of five.  They cherish having family close by on both sides.  Despite Meagan's love for sunshine, beaches, and palm trees...it is family and friendships that remain a top priority and kept her roots close to home.

If you know Meagan's family, it is easy to understand where her creative and visionary mindset began.  Her mom is the true definition of an Etsy success story with her talent to create one of a kind customized items and her ability to have a design idea conceptualized within minutes of describing your vision.  Also, a daddy's girl, she looks up to her father as the man with the invisible cape; he could literally do it all, fix anything, and mentor her through everything.  A tradition carried down to her babies when they tell her "Papa will fix it for me."  After years of old and new friends telling her that she belonged in home design and asking for help in the decorating of their own homes...it all began with small favors. Meagan has been recognized in her 12 year corporate career for her ability to provide exceptional customer service, communicate effectively, and bring her customer's vision to life.  It is her professional experiences combined with her passion for the aesthetics, and kind hearted personal attributes that have helped to build a new brand in design.