Kate Walker founded KWD in 2013. Having worked in the tile industry for over 15 years, Kate identified the need for a streamlined solution for busy people who need support with their complete hard finish requirements. With entrepreneurial skills in her DNA, Kate naturally grew the business – seeing opportunities and seizing them with both hands. And with an unrivalled network of manufacturers, importers and trades, Kate is now at the helm of a dynamic team of project managers, interior designers and design professionals.

Well known in the design industry and with an ever-growing social media following, Kate is respected for her unrivalled knowledge of hard finishes and for her innate sense of style. She has the talent and  ability to translate a design vision from concept to reality - to match a client’s budget and across any aesthetic.

Kate has now expanded her portfolio to include KWD & Co, an online hard finishes portal, and KWD Access - a platform that makes interior design accessible to anyone, on any budget.

For Kate design isn’t what she does, it’s her way of life.

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KWD is all about design, service and attention to detail, and the growing team of professionals specify, source and supply all hard finishes, providing an end-to-end design service from concept to completion.

Kate spoke to WILLIAMS MEDIA about her career and advice for new designers.

What do you enjoy most about your profession?

What I enjoy most about what I do is seeing my visions materialised on site. That point when all of the hard work has come together and our clients can step into their new home and finally start living the dream.

With the current focus on sustainability what trends do you see emerging in design? 

The evolving way in which homes are designed, where space planning promotes connectedness rather than disconnect. This generally sees smaller spaces created to allow for a more respectful use of lighting, heating and cooling that in turn is less draining on society’s power resources. Self-sufficiency in terms of solar power and water tanks is also important at the drawing board stage of a build.

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With over 15 years in the industry, what ‘trend' in your opinion has stood the test of time and remains permanently popular?

Natural materials like marble. Natural never goes out of style.

What would be your advice to a new client?

Generally, your first decision is your best decision. We are constantly bringing clients back to brief. Sometimes they can get lost down the rabbit hole of Pinterest, or in shops or online where there is too much choice. They can veer off in another direction. So I encourage them to come back to brief. Often the key to a really well-designed interior is not what you put in, but what you leave out.

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Do you have a favourite project?

Yes. My favourite project is one that I designed for my brother and sister-in-law. It’s a project that is very private so I haven’t shared it online, but I put three years of love and passion into it and treated it like my own. It was a wonderful collaboration with the architect and the builder, from concept to completion.

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Source: Kate Walker

What is the most interesting brief you’ve been given by a client? 

We had a very interesting brief that we are currently working on for a man who wanted a very masculine, man-cave style home. The style is well outside the designs that we create so it really pushed us beyond our normal frame of reference. Both the client and our team feel like we’ve really achieved a spectacular design that fulfils the brief perfectly.

What advice would you give someone looking at becoming a designer?

If someone is looking to become a designer they are obviously creative, but there is so much more to designing than the creative side. Make sure that you employ your weaknesses. If administration isn’t your thing then you need to employ someone to take care of it, or install a program that will support and manage the administration side. Whilst designing is a creative field, if that admin side of a project isn’t looked after efficiently and effectively, it will be a disaster. If you have a creative brain but not an organised mind, you need to have someone on your team who does.

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Where do you live now, and where would you live if you could live anywhere in the world?

I live on the Mornington Peninsula. I absolutely love it. It has national parks, ocean and bay, hills and hinterland and fabulous food and wine. It’s close to Melbourne which is arguably one of the best cities in the world. There’s not one set of traffic lights between my home and the airport which is incredible. I know it sounds cliché but if I could live anywhere, I would live here where we have freedom. However that being said, I need to have the ability to travel as I get so much inspiration from exploring overseas. If that opportunity was taken away permanently I’d want to live in Europe where there is such easy access to so many countries. But in reality I want to raise my family here, where living is easy and where we feel safe, secure and very lucky.

Related reading:

Designer’s own home, featured on 9LIFE’s ‘Luxury Homes Revealed’

Designer Farmhouse by Flinders Village