EFFINGHAM, IL, September 21, 2026 – What started as a college dream has grown into a family-owned interior design firm helping homeowners throughout Central Illinois create spaces that feel just as good to live in as they look.
The Effingham County Chamber welcomes Design No. 7 Interiors, owned by husband-and-wife team Kelsey and Austin Johnson, as one of its newest members.
Kelsey started Design No. 7 while she was still in college before she and Austin relaunched the business in 2020. She made the move to Design No. 7 full time in 2022 and today serves as Owner and Principal Designer.
More recently, Austin left his teaching career to join Design No. 7 full time. Together with full-time Junior Associate Designer Nina Hakman, the three-person team has turned what began as Kelsey’s college dream into a growing family-owned business.
For Chamber President & CEO Katie Koester, welcoming Design No. 7 as a Chamber member also brings things a bit full circle. Katie first got to know Kelsey when Kelsey was a student in the Effingham County CEO program and has since had the opportunity to watch her grow as a business owner. She has also experienced Design No. 7’s work firsthand after working with the team on her own home remodel.
“It has been really special to watch Kelsey take an idea she had as a student and turn it into the business Design No. 7 is today,” Koester said. “And having worked with her on my own home, I’ve seen the care and attention she puts into the entire process. She takes the time to understand how you live in your space, and that personal approach comes through in the finished design.”
Design No. 7 works with clients on new construction, renovations, furniture and décor updates, and one-on-one design consultations. For full-service projects, the team helps guide homeowners through their architectural blueprints through selections, furnishings, procurement, and final installation, taking what can sometimes feel like an overwhelming process and making it more manageable and personal.
Rather than simply creating a beautiful room, the Design No. 7 team focuses on understanding how each client lives and creating a finished space that is both beautiful and livable.
Design No. 7 Interiors offices out of the XCHNG in Effingham. To learn more, call 217-994-6502, email kelsey@designno7interiors.com or visit designno7interiors.com. Prospective clients can also schedule a complimentary Discovery Call through the website to talk through their project and learn more about the Design No. 7 process.
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Pictured (left to right): Chamber Operations Assistant Jenny Shelley, Michael Wall (HSHS St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital Foundation), Austin Johnson, Kelsey Johnson, Nina Hakman, Chamber President & CEO Katie Koester, and Chamber Membership Director Becky Brown