Based in the Midwest, Kobel + Co is an interior design studio creating thoughtful, livable homes at the intersection of beauty and comfort. Founded by Mallory Robins and Elizabeth Bennett, the firm creates spaces that balance old and new, high and low, and sophistication with ease. Offering both full service design and their signature Shoppable Design, Kobel + Co works with clients nationwide to deliver cohesive, tailored interiors—whether through hands-on project management or a streamlined, virtual design plan that puts a custom vision directly at the client’s fingertips.
What prompted your interest in interior design?
MR: Truly a lifelong passion. We physically cannot enter a room without mentally reworking or reveling in it. I’m moving furniture, she’s dimming lights and lowering art—all in our minds. We have an immense passion for interior design and the way it shapes your interaction with the physical world.
What was your experience in the industry before starting Kobel + Co?
EB: I have a degree in industrial design and experience in both fashion and product design. Mallory has a business background and experience in brand management. What we often find sets us apart as a studio is our strong business/corporate background. A huge portion of this business is planning, organization, communication, project management, and running multiple work streams effectively and efficiently.
How do you two know each other and what led you to start your own business?
MR: We technically met in college but Kobel + Co didn’t really begin until 2017, when I finally answered a long-standing pull toward design and launched the studio. A couple of years later, I bumped into Elizabeth at a school event for our kiddos and things just clicked! I floated the idea of teaming up, Elizabeth took the leap, and the partnership just worked. It’s been an amazing ride building Kobel + Co together, one project (and many laughs) at a time and we’ve never looked back.
You offer “Shoppable Design” for your clients. Can you share more about option?
EB: Shoppable Design is our e-design offering, ideal for clients who want a Kobel point of view on their space but aren’t ready to invest in full service design. These projects typically focus on one to two rooms and are heavily furniture and decor based. We love these projects. They’re high impact for clients who need a clear roadmap to furnish and refine a space, and for us they’re a fun, creative way to “dip into” a design without the multi-year timeline of full service work. We’ve designed hundreds of rooms across the country, and seeing clients follow up with final photos is a huge joy.
How would you describe your aesthetic?
MR: Grounded, playful, unexpected.
EB: Curated, elevated, discerning.
Favorite space to design?
EB: Kids’ rooms are always an absolute delight. We’re thrilled when clients keep them in scope—people often underestimate how much a thoughtfully designed room can shape a child. I live for a kitchen and Mallory loves just about any floorplan she can pull apart and put back together. We love reworking a home for better flow!
How do you approach combining old/new and high/low?
MR: This is core to our studio. While every project is tailored individually, the through-line in our work is the essence of a collected space. We work hard to ensure no room feels as though it was purchased in one sitting, from one vendor or is of one era. Instead, it should look and feel as though the client has carried meaningful pieces across generations. We also love to mix in value points—it keeps the finished product from feeling too precious and adds to the layered, lived-in quality we’re known for.
Dream project?
MR and EB: A boutique hotel is absolutely on our hit list. But right now? Honestly, our own homes! We have the great fortune of pouring our hearts into other people’s spaces, each with its own distinct aesthetic. And like the old adage, the cobbler’s children have no shoes—we rarely pause to pour into our own. We’d love the chance to turn that inward.
