As a premiere kitchen and bath design showroom, Advantage Gallery has the privilege of working with many talented, local, interior designers. We have the good fortune of having Amy Katheiser of Amy Katheiser Design (AKD) as one of our clients.
Amy has been named by both Luxe and Modern Luxury Magazines Chicago’s Top Contemporary Designer. She has been nominated as a “Best Of….” in NS Modern Luxury in 2017 and 2018. Her studio is located in Evanston, IL.
Amy took some time recently to speak to our Showroom Manager, Donna, and give us some personal background on her design beginnings as well as her work and design process.
. Enjoy.
Q: What made you decide to become an interior designer?
My mom is an interior designer. When I was six years old, she went back to school to study interior design and then set up her office in our basement. I loved hanging out with her... I would spend hours and hours playing with fabrics, wallpaper books, and color samples. In college I majored in business, but it was when I bought my first home after college and started decorating, that I realized that I was in the wrong field. My mom and I became partners soon after. I had no formal training in design, but she taught me. I have no regrets... everything I learned was from my mom.
Q: Who/what inspires you?
I travel a lot and the people I meet on my travels inspire me. If I have a tour guide for the day, I love taking time to find out about their day, their stories. I find inspiration in what they do, what they wear, who they speak to, etc. Meeting new people is a main reason I love to travel. I also make time to meet with local artisans, pottery owners, painters, and artists when I travel. I love seeing the colors, the buildings, the fabrics unique to the place I am visiting. Travel definitely inspires me.
Q: What has been your biggest design challenge?
Setting expectations with our clients about the process of design. Everyone wants everything now! Good design doesn't follow that path. There is a process that needs to be followed to achieve a great project in the end. A lot of it is educating my clients to understand that there is a process.
Q: What is your favorite project you have done thus far?
A loft in Tribeca. The clients were world travelers. They collected antiques from their travels. They kept them stored in bubble wrap and under tables because they didn't know what to do with them. They wanted to have a home where they could live among their art and collections. It was a fun project! We built an art wall in their great room and it was fun, exciting, and inspiring.
Q: What is your dream project?
I would love to do a boutique hotel. In a boutique hotel you can create a community space as well as the rooms. These smaller hotels allow for a lot of creativity and boldness. I think it would be fun... like designing one giant residential project.