Get To Know Us

Kayce Newell is a founding principal and lead designer at LKW Design Associates, where her belief in building lasting relationships with clients has helped shape the company's mantra to bring creative solutions with quality client service to every project.  Kayce’s ability to develop client relationships based on respect, trust, and confidence has been the key to her success as a designer.  With more than 15 years of experience as an interior designer, she possesses an innate desire to create and design interiors that exceed clients’ expectations.  With an eye for quality, a superior sense of style, and a client-centered approach to business, Kayce Newell has proven herself as an innovative designer. 

After graduating from Texas Tech University with a Bachelor of Interior Design, Kayce moved to the Vail Valley in 2006 and was honored to be awarded the ASID Crystal Award for Emerging Designer in 2010.  Kayce also earned her NCIDQ Certification that same year.  Kayce and Jamie’s work is regularly featured in leading design and lifestyle publications including Luxe Interiors + Design and Mountain Living.  They were named to Luxe’s inaugural class of Next In Design, a new signature program celebrating the freshest, most exciting young firms around the country, and will be featured in the September/October 2023 “Ones to Watch “edition of Luxe. 

Beyond her accomplishments, she embraces nature and precious family time through skiing, mountain biking and camping.  Kayce grew up riding horses on a ranch in Texas, but now you can find her and son, Finn, riding the mountain bike trails in Eagle, CO.  Kayce knows how to embrace the “NOW” and is known for occasionally heading to the ski slopes before work with her husband, Jason, on an epic powder day.  Hayden, her daughter, and Kayce’s “mini-me” loves to dance and her favorite snack is veggies.  The Newell family also indulges their curiosity for travel, by exploring diverse cultures and local cuisine. 

Fun fact about Kayce – You never have to guess what she is thinking. Kayce thinks out loud and her facial expressions tell the rest of the story.

Jamie Critchlow has been designing interiors since the age of 5 when she started rearranging the furniture in her childhood home, a penchant she maintains to this day.  Jamie moved to the Vail Valley in 2008 after studying Architecture and Design at the Architecture College at the University of Nebraska.  Prior to moving to Colorado, she studied Interior Design in London and worked at an Interior Design Firm in Chicago.  In 2010 Jamie went on to earn her NCIDQ.

In 2013 she co-founded LKW Design Associates with best friend and business partner Kayce Newell, with a vision of creating inspired spaces with their signature look - approachable luxury with clean lines and a welcoming vibe.  The design duo focuses on making clients feel at home in their spaces and excited to entertain family and friends, not unlike their own propensity for hosting a good party.

With her “can do” spirit and a sense of fearlessness, Jamie brings her unwavering entrepreneurial spirit to LKW Design allowing the business to accelerate its growth through creativity, strategic risk-taking, and hard work.  She loves the collaborative process of each project between Client, Designers, Architect and Builder to explore the best possible solutions for spatial configuration and finishing design details to make each project personalized for the end user.

When she’s not in the design studio or working late from her home office, Jamie loves spending her free time exploring the outdoors and traveling as often as able with her young family.  The Critchlow family does everything together, and they enjoy taking advantage of the many activities available in Colorado through each season.  Their son, Lachlan, is sharp as a tack and at six years old, has the vocabulary of someone twice his age.  And daughter, Graelyn, loves to climb and can often be found at the top of the bookshelf ladder in Jamie and Kayce’s office.  Jamie and her husband, Taylor, have a ‘tiny’ art addiction and love buying unique pieces to hang in their home at local art shows and while traveling. 

Fun fact about Jamie - In a different life, she would be a travel blogger with a specialty in planning once-in-a-lifetime vacations for clients. 

Amanda knew at a young age her passion was design.  Her dad, owning a construction company, allowed her to make site visits at a very young age.  She was in awe of the work her dad could accomplish and knew she wanted to be a part of making the world a more beautiful place, just like him.

She attended the University of Missouri-Columbia and graduated with a Bachelor's in Interior Design and from there her career was just getting started.  She worked as a designer in Austin TX, growing and learning, until her dream of living in the mountains became a reality when she landed a job in Breckenridge.  She knew quickly that the mountain modern style of design was her calling.  After 5 years in Summit, she was drawn to the Vail area and its endless possibilities for design.  She made the move to Avon and knew this would be her forever home.

Amanda is happiest when her clients are happy.  She doesn't shy away from pushing the boundaries with them.  She is great at understanding her client's visions and integrating their needs and functions into her designs.  She loves a good challenge and prides herself on her space planning skills.  She can take on any style her client's might have, from mountain modern to minimalist to traditional, she can do it all!

Amanda's other passions in life are skiing, in and out of bounds, during the winter and mountain biking during the summer.  She loves mapping out new backcountry locations and exploring this beautiful state with her fiancé, Peter, and their pup, Mr. Minor.  Her parents, bringing her to Dead shows at a young age, instilled the love of live music into her. Because of this, you can often find her enjoying concerts with her friends on the weekends. 

Fun fact about Amanda - Amanda is extremely into fitness and is certified to teach Barre classes.  She loves making people sweat and getting those thighs burning!

Shea’s been in and out of the Vail Valley since 2014.  Initially journeying there for the classic “one winter season,” she arrived after graduating from Michigan State University with BFA degrees in Ceramics and Photography.  Shea showcased her large-scale installation work in major museums across the Midwest, was an integral member of a well-known West Michigan artist collective, and competed multiple times in Art Prize, a globally recognized artist competition. 

At the end of 2020, Shea moved to Denver to pursue her lifelong dream of attending Design school.  She’s currently finishing her degree in Interior Architecture and Sustainable Design through Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design.  She moved back to the Vail Valley at the end of 2022 and has been working in interior design ever since. 

Shea’s kept her passion for ceramics alive by selling her creations through local farmer’s markets, pop-ups, and holiday markets. You can usually find her teaching ceramics classes throughout the valley, out on the river, road tripping for concerts, summiting a mountain with her boyfriend and fur child, or skiing from bell to bell.

Fun fact about Shea - Shea spent a number of years as a bartender and can make you just about any classic cocktail (or its variant) at the drop of a hat!  She secretly dreams of opening (and designing) her own bar and restaurant one day.

Tracey joined the LKW Team in January 2023, and brings more than 25 years of experience in customer service, administration, creative marketing, HR support, sales, management, inventory control, and product development.  Over half of her career was in the jewelry industry where she progressed into the position of Director of Design and R&D for a well-known luxury jewelry designer.  Her curious nature and willingness to try new things, makes her a bit of a jack of all trades.  She also has a knack for putting things together and is an avid puzzler.

Among her many talents, Tracey focuses on managing the firm's daily order demands, vendor relationships and creating marketing collateral. We count on her communication and organizational strengths to create and execute processes required to complete projects on time and within budget. 

When she's not at the office, you can find her pursuing her love for adventure and the outdoors – mountain biking, hiking, skiing powder in the side country, and fly fishing with her husband, Kurt.

Fun fact about Tracey – Growing up, her family spent the summers on a lake in Wisconsin and Tracey learned how to drive a boat before getting her driver’s license.