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Window treatments and a table and chairs make the Smiths' kitchen a welcoming space.
Koch installs a chandelier in the dining area
Koch took this picture of the family room before she began the decor transformation.
A decorative touch makes the kitchen window special.
Kathryn Koch took a virtually untouched family room and made it special for Dave and Kelli Smith of Stafford. |
BY RICHARD AMRHINE
The most important part of interior designer Kathryn Koch's work happens before she ever considers furniture placement, paint colors and fabric patterns.
"That first meeting [with prospective clients] is most important," Koch said while working on a job in Stafford County last week. "I have to read them quickly, and they have to feel comfortable with me. They have to trust me."
From Koch's perspective, knowing her clients and understanding their lifestyles and basic decor preferences can make or break a project.
Koch's business is Simply Beautiful Spaces (simplybeau
Koch holds a master's degree in business and certifications in redesign and staging, but considers herself a bit of a psychologist as well. She must develop a rapport with clients quickly, and she'll need to gauge how much flexibility she'll have. How much change will a particular client be prepared to live with?
The job she was working on last week represented in many ways the perfect situation.
Her clients, Dave and Kelli Smith, recently purchased a house in foreclosure in Willow Park subdivision in the Stafford Courthouse area. The 2-year-old house had not been abused, which is sometimes the case with foreclosures. But the interior walls were still contractor white, and the main-level carpet needed replacing. Koch had a pretty clean canvas with which to work.
Koch had worked with the Smiths at their previous house, so a relationship was already established. They were prepared to let Koch work her magic and knew they'd be thrilled with the results.
The Smiths are real-estate agents and, working with Kelli's mother, Marilyn Love-Cody, form the Love-Smith Team at Coldwell Banker Elite in Stafford.
Kelli Smith admits that she and her husband consider themselves pretty clueless about design and decor, even though as agents they see plenty of attractive homes. Like most people, they know what they like when they see it, but don't know where to begin.
"Kate is able to take everything and put it where it should be," said Kelli. "Some of her ideas are so simple, but we would never think of it."
Kelli said the couple enjoy watching HGTV, and got the idea for the wainscoting they wanted for the dining room, living room and foyer from one of the channel's shows.
Kelli attributes the quick sale of their former house, despite the slow real-estate market, to the work Koch had done there.
"It sold because of how it was decorated," she said.
THE PROCESS
Early in her first client meeting, Koch likes to settle on the color palette she'll use, and that will say a lot about the client's taste.
"A lot of people are afraid of color," she said. "Sometimes they just have to trust me."
Knowing that the Smiths love earth tones, as well as their other decor likes and dislikes, let Koch get off to a quick start.
There would be some new furniture, but most of the furnishings and accessories from the old house came to the new one.
"I go shopping downstairs," said Koch, referring to the finished basement where many of the Smiths' possessions are laid out. Koch picks the artwork or other items that she thinks will work best in the room she's working on, so things won't necessarily end up where they had been in the old house. That way, familiar items take on a new look.
"If you already own it and love it, it will work," she said, no matter where it ends up.
With many such jobs, Koch's ability to reuse and repurpose furnishings people already own is one of her most endearing qualities. It's key when she's staging a house to be sold, when the owners aren't inclined to buy anything new that they'll have to move.
THE PHILOSOPHY
Koch applies some the same basic elements of her design philosophy to many of the jobs she takes on. But any design depends on the space that's available.
"I don't like furniture up against walls because it makes the room feel less cozy," she said. "Furniture should open its arms to greet you."
In a family room, for example, she likes to angle sofas and chairs around a central table. That provides both easy access and an intimate setting for both conversation or watching television.
Another personal bylaw: "What I do first needs to be functional. Pretty comes last."
Given the right circumstances and the right client, she may go ahead with an idea that the client was reluctant to accept.
She suggested to one client that since reupholstering her dining-room chairs would torpedo the budget, slipcovers would be a good solution. But the client felt covers would cheapen the look, and rejected the idea.
A confident Koch went ahead with the slipcovers anyway, and the client loved the resulting look.
In most cases, Koch is willing to let clients live with decor changes for a week or so, and then remove or change anything they're unhappy with.
On this day, now that the painting is done, the carpet is down and the furniture is in place, Koch was busy hanging a chandelier in the dining area and artwork around the house. But when it comes to splicing wires and hammering nails, she has some experience to share:
"This is not a good job if you want to keep your fingernails pretty."
Richard Amrhine: 540/374-5406
Email: ramrhine@freelancestar.com
