An interior designer’s role is to partner with clients to manifest and bring their dreams to life through personalized designs.
I love how Kelee, my special guest, illustrates that role.
Kelee Katillac, an acclaimed interior designer and author shares her remarkable journey from a childhood of adversity to becoming a respected voice in the industry. She reveals how her personal experiences of marginalization and self-discovery led her to embrace design as a tool for healing, empowerment, and community building. She emphasizes the importance of finding your “three critical moments” – pivotal life events that can inspire your design work and give it deeper meaning.
She also shares her expertise on the science of color therapy and how designers can incorporate it into their practice to promote wellness and personal growth. Spoiler Alert: there’s a color meditation towards the end of the episode 😉
Kelee’s infectious passion and authenticity shine through in our conversation, making it no surprise that she consistently transforms her client’s visions into reality.
Whether you’re a seasoned interior designer or just starting, this episode will inspire you to infuse your design work with passion, purpose, and the power to transform lives.
Tune in, get inspired, and start designing with purpose.
Why you’ve got to check out today’s episode
- Learn how to use your own experiences to fuel your creativity and make your designs meaningful
- Discover how interior design can become a truly healing profession
- Explore how to blend historical inspiration with modern design
About the Guest:
Kelee Katillac is an interior and architectural designer as well as a preservation consultant. Her work has been featured in the pages of USA Today, House Beautiful, Designer Builder, Traditional Home, Introspective, The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, The Dallas Morning News, The Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, and hundreds of others worldwide. The books House Beautiful Pink and Gestalten’s, The Chamber of Curiosity featured her signature style. She has been a guest on CNN, The Oprah Winfrey Show, Discovery Channel, Pure Oxygen, The Family Channel, and many others. In addition, Kelee is the author of two nationally acclaimed books and is the founder of Design Gives Back – designgivesback.com, an initiative to provide rooms of hope, health, and happiness for those critically ill or in need.
Kelee’s new book is Historic Style: Honoring the Past with Design for Today.
Connect with Kelee Katillac:
Website:Â Â Historic Style: Honoring the Past with Design for Today
Instagram: @keleekatillachistoricstyle
Check out these episode highlights
02:10 – Key to Success in Interior Design: Passion and Purpose
“The more authentic you are in your own practice of design for yourself and the way it affects your world, home, and family, the more passion and energy you bring to your career.” – Kelee Katillac
04:21 – Childhood Experiences With Privilege, Bullying, and Self-Discovery
Early interest in creating spaces, influenced by childhood experiences
Story of receiving a Shetland pony, illustrating the power of visualization
Challenges faced due to a broken front tooth, leading to a silver cap and experiences of bullying
09:21 – One of Kelee’s Critical Moments: a visit to George Washington’s historic estate
Discovery of the importance of color and environment for well-being
11:09 – Kelee’s Creativity and Spirituality
Her creative pursuits: sewing, drawing, painting, and designing clothing, that incorporates color and design
Feeling disqualified from creative pursuits due to upbringing in a “dark, extremist, kind of Christian worldview
“To be creative, is to work in the vein, in the current of the Creator.” – Kelee Katillac
13:14 – How she realized she could be an interior designer, despite lack of formal training or degree
14:23 – Kelee’s Interior Design Career Development
Early work in a wallpaper and drapery store, leading to a featured project in House Beautiful
Transition to New York City, involvement with a high-end design firm
Embracing counterculture and further education in art history
“Our built environment, our homes, and our historical places, were a reflection of material out-picturing of everything that we believe in and of ourselves.” – Kelee Katillac
17:21 – Philosophy and Approach to Design
Belief in passion and purpose is essential for a lasting career in design
Importance of authenticity and using personal experiences to fuel creativity
View of interior design as a medium for clients to manifest their dreams
“Interior designers help clients to manifest.” – Kelee Katillac
“To be satisfied in our world, we (interior designers) must express our creativity. We are extensions of our clients when we work with our clients to help them express their creativity and manifest their dreams in their homes.” – Kelee Katillac
19:03 – Historic Style and Its Significance
Kelee’s new book, “Historic Style: Honoring the Past with Design for Today”
Focus on integrating historic inspiration into modern design
Importance of acknowledging the diverse contributions to historic architecture, including marginalized groups
The book features over 250 color photographs and 40 of Kelee’s projects
25:00 – The Next Level of Design: conceptual rooms that help families live fully
“Life is ours to design, and the world is what we create it to be.” – Kelee Katillac
25:20 – The Interior Designer’s Role
To partner with the client
Help clients manifest their desires
Heal clients through the design process with a focus on empathy and compassion
27:01 – Healing Through Design and Community Building
Founded a project for Habitat for Humanity called House of Belief
Created a book: Kids’ Sacred Places: Rooms for Believing and Belonging
Design Gives Back: Created rooms for hope, healing, and happiness using color and images
30:39 – Interior Design as a Healing Profession, Incorporating Color and Light for Well-Being
35:22 – Using Color Meditation for Personal Growth and Well-Being
Next Steps
Grab your freebies:
- Furnishings Investment Guide
- Remodel Budget and Timeline Guide
- Your Roadmap to a Career in Interior Design
- 3 Things I Wish I had known when I Started my Career
Take a Quiz!
- Find Your Perfect Interior Design Style if you are curious about your design style
- Find Out What Type of Interior Designer You Should Be!
Join the Design Mentor to kickstart a successful career in interior design!
Check out the best books every interior designer should have here.
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Thanks for listening! I hope this helps you discover if interior design is the career for you. See you next week…