Today we’d like to introduce you to Katie Rennê.
Hi Katie, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Since I was seven years old, I’ve been fascinated with the psychology of transforming interior spaces. I would rearrange my bedroom in Seattle so that the natural light was just right. While other kids were buying candy, I was purchasing curtains from Ikea with my allowance. The instant gratification from ‘drab to fab’ became an addiction. I know now that it was the feeling I got when a space became functional and beautiful. It’s the same feelings you get when you leave the salon with a fresh hairstyle, — light, beautiful, happy and confident.
Interior design was more than making things pretty, there was a serious business side to it so I earned a business degree from Western Washington University and moved to California. Wanting to make my life’s passion my life’s work, I went back to school to earn a degree in interior design. To become a professional designer, I needed to learn all of the ins and outs of the non-so-glam part of design—construction techniques, building codes, fire safety, accessibility, efficiency, functionality, and acoustics. The Design Institute of San Diego provided me the skills I needed to confidently transform spaces. It was not a quick process; I worked a day job 8-5 then I would go to school from 6-10 pm–it was exhausting but worth it.
Armed with a business degree and an interior design degree I was having the time of my life designing hotels and restaurants for a hip hospitality design firm in North Park. (Oh, and traveled the world and had two beautiful sons with my amazing husband Mike somewhere in the midst of all that).
Then BAM! Covid 19 forced layoffs all throughout the hospitality industry. After spending three months at home with my then 3-year-old Leo and 6-month-old Lincoln, I knew that I had to get back to my passion. During the quarantine, I transformed kitchens, bathrooms, home offices, kids’ bedrooms, living rooms, and other residential spaces for people looking to make their home more functional and beautiful. And the idea struck. Why not open my own interior design firm? And thus, Wanderlust Home Interiors Inc. was born to create beautiful and functional homes!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The biggest struggle of all has been trying to find a balance between building my business and raising two little boys simultaneously. I am constantly have a pep talk with myself when the mom-guilt bubbles up–“Katie, you are living your dreams every single day and that is what you want your boys to do so keep going. Show them it is possible for your job and your passion to coincide and become a reality.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Wanderlust Home Interiors Inc.?
We are Wanderlust Home Interiors. We are globe-trotting professional interior designers, and we create gorgeous, functional homes because we believe that everyone deserves a beautiful life and to live well…now.
Wanderlust means ‘a strong desire to travel’. We travel the world in search of inspiration for our client’s homes. From sourcing incredible stone in Carrara, Italy to composing color palettes derived from textile mills in Santiago, Chile. We believe that your home should not be a cookie-cutter design that looks like your Pinterest boards, rather it should reflect your life and reveal the stories that make you who you are. You are the author of your story and we become the illustrator, telling your story with beautiful materials, furniture, and accessories.
Our services range from simply styling a room all the way to providing the design concept, materials, and construction drawings for ground-up new construction. We work alongside with talented architects and engineers to make the impossible possible. We transform homes thus transforming lives.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
My husband Mike is my biggest fan. Without his constant encouragement and support, I never would have spent countless sleepless nights working on my design degree and parlaying that into building the business. When we were living downtown, he would drop me off at the train station every morning so I could go to my design internship in Solana Beach. Now he doesn’t even let me finish a sentence before he answers with, “Yes you should and can do it”.
Professionally, senior designers Jill Russell and Lori Hagen-Hulitt of ID Studios in Solana Beach and owner Melissa Young at MY Studio ID in North Park taught me the nitty-gritty, behind-the-scenes of the design business. Important lessons such as when to turn down a potential project, how to effectively work with vendors, and the most important lesson of all… know your value and price accordingly.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.wanderlusthomeinteriors.com
- Instagram: @wanderlusthomeinteriors
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wanderlusthomeinteriors
Image Credits
Natalia Robert Photography
