Interior Design

By Trevor Greenway
editor@lowdownonline.com

At the height of her career in governance policies, Kate Wightman kept asking herself what she wanted to be when she grew up. 

The Chelsea-based interior designer had been at the helm of governance and administration at CBC, working long hours, travelling frequently and grinding away at her busy government job, when she realized that “something’s got to give.”

“I’ve always kind of wondered, ‘What do I want to do when I grow up?’” said Wightman, who was enduring a difficult divorce, navigating a teenager through COVID and travelling “constantly” for her job.

“I left the government, drove seven-and-a-half hours to Timmons, Ont., bought a vintage camper trailer, hauled it home and spent two months with my dad gutting it and renovating it and ran it as a pop-up shop in Chelsea,” she explained.

The pop-up shop was the gateway to her new career as an interior designer, as she was curating vintage products, showcasing local artisans and helping customers with home design. This is when she was approached by a customer to redesign an Airbnb rental, and she immediately jumped at the opportunity. 

“It was a blast,” said Wightman. “I loved just having a bit more time to chit chat with people being in a creative realm, as opposed to, you know, the hectic job that I had in government.”

That was nearly three years ago, and now business at her Kiosk Route 105 shop is ringing off the hook. 

“I do absolutely no advertising – it’s all word of mouth and repeat clients,” added Wightman. “[Our firm] always got a list of a half dozen projects on the go at any given time and leads in the pipeline. And we just keep ourselves as busy as we kind of want to be.”

Wightman, who was clear that she’s not an accredited interior designer, said that her lack of accreditation actually works in her and her clients’ favour, as she is about “half the price.”. But even more than this, Wightman’s entire philosophy around design is using what’s already there and discouraging her clients to buy a new couch or dresser when it’s not necessary. 

Wightman said she believes that most homeowners have great things – mementos, collectables, antiques – but don’t know how to showcase them well or arrange them in a way that provides flow. She said the most common design flaw she sees in Hills homes is “a lack of intention.”

“When you move into a home, you’re bringing your existing stuff, and then you’re trying to put that wherever it fits in the home,” said Wightman. “And then you go, ‘Okay, I need a new couch to fit this space.’ You’ll go and find the couch to fit the space, but you’re not looking at the picture as a whole. You’re not saying, ‘What do I already have that could do this? How can we rejig it to work with other items in your home?’”

Wightman spoke a lot about the difference between a house and a home, and said that, while both are “form and function,” a home takes on a more emotional and personal feeling than just having a roof over your head. She said residents should feel their shoulders drop in relief when they arrive home, and the space should be a “refuge” from their busy lives. 

“I think ambiance is hugely important in a home, so things like lighting, flow of your furniture, plants and making sure that your home includes your own personality,” she said. “Where we work our magic really is working with what is already existing. We can keep projects to a really low budget because we can either revamp, reuse or repurpose existing items to improve flow and improve the aesthetics of someone’s home.”

Wightman’s Kiosk offers styling and staging services, custom decor solutions and full home renovations. 

The switch in careers has done more than light the creative fire in her soul, she said, it has allowed her to be a mom again. 

“I’m at a point now where I can pick and choose the job and the clients that interest me, and I have time for my family…,” said Wightman. “I have time for a new relationship. I can get back into cooking and baking and all that kind of stuff.”Prospective clients can meet with Wightman by appointment through her www.spacesbykiosk.com website, or you can visit her pop-up shop near Bougie Doozy Candle on Old Chelsea Road.