HomeGrown’s event with Drapery Street is unfortunately no longer occurring. Although, we would love to take this opportunity to continue to cater to your design needs by diving in to getting to know our new senior interior designer, Kaitlin Kowalski, better! Here’s her story, interviewed by our Marketing and Operations Manager, Elle Fleenor. 

Elle: Kaitlin, can you walk us through your journey into the interior design industry? What led you to the career you have now? What inspired you to journey towards interior design, and what continues to inspire you today in your field?  

Katilin: After graduating from The Art Institute of Indianapolis, I settled into a job at Arhaus Furniture as a Design Consultant. I quickly realized that I enjoyed the bigger projects where I could get to know the clients on a more personal level. Wanting more of that in a career I seek other opportunities. I found a position with a luxury design firm where I was able to grow not only as a designer but as a person. Being passionate about design and people, I find joy in creating their space to match their personalities. I find inspiration all the time in this field. Whether it’s through the people and clients I work with closely or the people I share my personal life with. Everyone has their own way of thinking and seeing things and I find so much beauty in that. It has taught me to view spaces with all their potential.

Elle: Could you share some examples of projects you’ve worked on in the past that you’re particularly proud of? With that, what challenges have you overcome with past projects? 

Kaitlin: I worked on a house in Colorado a few years back, and it was my first house as a lead designer. This house turned out beautifully but there were definitely some challenges with it being in a mountain town, during COVID, and the time difference. Made me learn how to be more detailed in my emails and drawings and be more direct. 

Elle: How do you keep up with the latest interior design trends, and how do you integrate them into your work? 

Kaitlin: Trends are tricking in the design field in my opinion. I know it’s hard for clients to see past them when they are in the middle of the design process. So I do integrate them into the design but in places where they can be easily replaced with the next trend coming down the line. 

Elle: Some projects may have tight deadlines. How do you manage your time between projects effectively to meet these specific dates to meet clients’ needs without compromising project quality? 

Kaitlin: working hard. Sometimes that means putting in extra hours to make sure things are getting done correctly. I do not want to have the clients redo something down the road because we rushed through making a decision. 

Elle: Describe the process of what it looks like to work with you. What steps do you take to ensure client satisfaction, and what software or technological tools do you typically use in your design process? 

Kaitlin: After our consultation and when we decide to move forward with the project I will take the time to not only get a better understanding of the project scope, but also get to know you better. I will ask for some inspirational photos to know your style. I will then put together an inspirational presentation and ask for detailed feedback. This helps with the sourcing process. In between the inspiration presentation and sourcing, I will visit the site to do field measurements. I will then use CAD to draw out the spaces and use this for space planning. Once products and materials are selected and depending on what our contract states I will then have spaces rendered to help visualize what they will be getting. I know these projects for clients can be very stressful and overwhelming. But I like to remind clients that this should be a fun and exciting time. Making your house your home and I am here to help your housing dreams come true.  

Elle: Communication is key in any collaborative environment. How do you ensure clear and effective communication with clients, the rest of the HomeGrown team, and contractors during your design process? 

Kaitlin: Sending updates to clients and teams regarding all things and letting the clients know realistic expectations. Things do go wrong in projects. We learn from them and as long as we work as a team we can come up with solutions a lot quicker. 

Elle: As a senior interior designer, how do you support the rest of your team, who may not have as much industry knowledge and experience as you? How do you help to educate them and assist in developing their skills? 

Kaitlin: This is one of my favorite things about working with HomeGrown. I value their input very much. In the past, I have only worked with people who were designers and we all seem to think the same. With this team, we all think differently and I am open to their thoughts and listen to their reasonings. It helps me grow as a designer. During our design team meetings, I catch them up on the projects and make sure they know what stage of the project I am in. Always make sure that I keep a relationship with them where they know they can ask me questions. When we learn together we grow together.  

Elle: Share your thoughts on the importance of branding and storytelling in interior design. How do you express the HomeGrown brand while implementing the clients’ stories into your work? 

Kaitlin: “Your story, Our project” – This reflects how I feel about interior design and knew Homegrown would be a good fit for me. Yes, this is what we do for our job but with design, I work very hard trying to bring out your story in the place you call home.

Elle: Finally, what excites you the most about your recent opportunity of joining the HomeGrown team, and how do you envision yourself contributing to the development and success of the team and business as a whole? 

Kaitlin: I am very excited to be a part of a team of people who support one another and help one another grow. I believe with my 6 years of residential design experience, creativity, personality, and eagerness to succeed we will get to where we want to be as a team!  

Elle: Thank you so much for your time today, Kaitlin! We are so excited to have you on our team and can’t wait to see your successes!