Talk Shop: Kate Figler // Kate Figler Interiors

About Kate

Kate Figler was born and raised in New England and now resides in Nashville, TN where her designs blend both the charm of the Northeast and the tradition of the South. Though she originally pursued a career in elementary education as a kindergarten teacher, after many back-to-back moves she discovered her passion for renovating and decorating. Designing homes in Nashville and Connecticut has inspired her designs by both: her work is full of color and pattern with luxurious fabrics, elegant antiques, natural textures, and a blend of traditional and contemporary elements. As a mother of 3 children, she understands the importance of merging beautiful design with functionality. Since moving she has been named one of Nashville's "Up and Coming Designers" in Nashville Lifestyles Magazine. Her work and expert advice have been featured in The Wall Street Journal, AD Pro, Elle Decor online, One Kings Lane, Homes & Gardens, and more.

Describe your style in three words or less:

Traditional, colorful, and approachable.

What have been the three biggest influences on your aesthetic in your life:

My grandmother - loved to entertain, decorate, and dress up for any and all occasions.

The experience of being brought up in New England and then moving to the South - I love the charm and history you see in the Northeast and the formality and femininity of the South. The combination of these two aesthetics really resonates with me.

Growing up in a community with many artists, interior designers, and people in the fashion industry - my parents and grandparents were friends with people through the restaurant whose homes were fully decorated and who had a tremendous amount of style. I was drawn to these interiors from a young age and I just started cataloging how they put together fabrics, arranged furniture or designed their window treatments. Being surrounded by good design is really an education in itself!

How did you start your company, and/or what is your favorite thing about what you do:

My story of how I got started is very similar to many other designers’ - a friend of mine asked me to help her with her house and the rest was history from there! I have always loved design but I started off first as a kindergarten teacher. After several back-to-back moves, I fell in love with the process of renovating and decorating a home and so jumped at the opportunity to work with my first client.

Do you have a mentor in your career, and if so, how have they helped to shape your trajectory:

My mother has an unbelievable work ethic. She’s owned a restaurant for 52 years (!) and I have learned so much from her about how to run a business/have employees/treat clients. She still waitresses on the floor most nights of the week and always made it clear to her employees that she wasn’t above any job within her business. She is incredibly client-focused and handles their needs from a “yes” mindset. I think that is so important. So much of what we do daily has very little to do with design and a whole lot to do with running a business and so I am grateful to have such a successful business owner in my life.

What does your home say about you:

It speaks to my love of color, pattern, and feminine details. I joke that my house looks like a bag of Skittles - but it makes me happy! A friend of mine said that my house felt like summer and I thought that was the perfect compliment. Summer is fun and relaxed - adjectives I hope people feel when they’re in our house.

Where do you find inspiration:

Books, magazines, and travel. I am an avid reader and love going through old magazines and books to find inspiration for a project. And nothing broadens your eye like travel.

Who are your style icons:

Jackie Kennedy, Lee Radziwill, Aerin Lauder. Also, Oscar de la Renta, Bunny Williams, and Carolyne Roehme all had homes near or in my hometown so I was always obsessed with any behind-the-scenes content having to do with them.

What are your key ingredients for entertaining:

Great friends, great music, great drinks, and food that can be easily prepared ahead of time so I’m not stuck in the kitchen while everyone else is having fun.

Do you collect anything:

Matches and anything in Minton’s Cockatrice pattern - it’s my mother’s favorite and now mine as well.

Favorite Instagram accounts to follow for inspiration:

Collins Interiors and Jenkins Interiors in Dallas are doing some incredible work and their Instagram is entertaining and well-executed. I also find Charlotte Lucas and Maggie Dillon inspiring for how they incorporate pattern and color in a way that feels really imaginative and bold.

What design “rule” do you always follow, and which is made to be broken:

I follow almost all rules having to do with proportion, scale, and height - I hate when a rug is too small, drapery looks skimpy or a light fixture is hung too high. I also think art should be placed at eye level which for most people is around 60”.

I think we can break the rules when it comes to mixing colors, patterns, and finishes. For example, we’ve all been told to never pair navy and black but I actually think they can look really great together. Also, it’s ok to paint old furniture! I grew up in a house where we were never allowed to do anything like that - but I think it’s better to bring life to an old piece and use it rather than having it sit in storage forever.

What are you working on right now:

We have lots of fun projects right now - a few in town keeping us busy that are all new construction; one in Cashiers, NC that is much more neutral and tone on tone which is outside of my typical comfort zone - but I love the challenge; lots of fun multi-room refreshes for new and existing clients; and then some e-design sprinkled in as well! When I started my business I wanted to be available for all different types of clients so I am trying to hold on to that model.

Wardrobe staples:

Great jeans, printed tops, ballet flats, and lots of dresses. And gold hoops - I think I wear a version of a gold hoop earring every day.

Favorite fabric/wallpaper:

Lee Jofa Althea in all colorways - it is everything I love: flowers and color mixed together in a way that can either lean super traditional or more whimsical depending on which other fabrics you incorporate with it.

Best interior advice you ever received:

Measure twice, cut once…our job is so insanely technical and whenever I lighten up on this I pay the price. And it is so easy to do! Many of our clients have hard deadlines and high expectations - but it’s critical to slow down and check the basics.

Also, if you buy what you love it will never go out of style.

Best career advice you ever received:

Hire for your weaknesses and never treat your business like a hobby.

Types of home purchases you invest in, and save on:

I try to invest in great pieces of art or special antiques to create little vignettes in the spaces I design. I also spend a lot of time specifying and installing beautiful window treatments and wallpaper - they really make a room. I am a huge fan of natural fiber rugs and those tend to not be as expensive so typically I save here. There are also lots of great, affordable accessories, side tables, and mirrors from various retail vendors that I incorporate into my designs. Vintage pieces can be very economical as well and add charm and depth to a room.

Your greatest extravagance:

My housekeeper Fabiola - does our laundry, changes (and irons!) our sheets, and keeps my house organized and tidy. It is such a luxury to come home to a clean house - I couldn’t live without her!

Favorite places to shop for home:

I used to live in Connecticut in the Stamford and New Preston areas, and they have the most amazing collection of antique stores that I used to look forward to shopping in. My sister lives in California so when I go out there I visit Rooms & Gardens in Santa Barbara - they do the coastal California/all-American look so well. In Nashville, Keith Meacham just opened up a shop called Reed Smythe which is very cool. Canterbury Cottages is another favorite antique store in Nashville that I love to visit.

Most prized possession and why:

The painting my parents gave me for my 30th birthday was painted by a family friend of ours named Catchi Childs. I always wanted one of her paintings - my grandparents had one of her large pieces in their living room and I just was always so drawn to it. My parents surprised me with one and it is so beautiful. It has every color I love: blue, pink, lavender, chartreuse…I have found a special place for it every time we’ve moved.

Your interiors motto:

I repeat these phrases a lot to clients:

There are no decorating emergencies - everything can be tweaked or fixed.
You are decorating your home for 7-10 years - decisions aren’t permanent so don’t put so much pressure on every little detail.
There is no such thing as perfection - we as designers deal with broken furniture, incorrect finishes, construction issues, and backorders every day…we aren’t fussed by it because we’re used to dealing with it!

Your life motto:

Everything happens for a reason - there is a purpose to our disappointments as well as our achievements.

Advice for someone looking to define their own interior style:

Read magazines, buy design books, and follow accounts on social media that resonate with you. Save imagery and I promise you will start to see a thread that connects all the pictures you gravitate towards. Maybe it’s a particular color or type or pattern or style of furniture…these should all inform you. From here, realize that style takes commitment and investment and so put your energy into building it over time.

Take Ten: My Favorite…

Food: Salads! I can’t live without them and love them at every meal - even breakfast.

Drink: Spicy margarita

Film: Rear Window - Princess Grace and Jimmy Stewart in a classic Alfred Hitchcock thriller…so good!

Hotel: Villa D’Este in Lake Como is both beautiful and sentimental for me - I went as a child, celebrated my 10th anniversary there with my husband and hope to take my family there soon.

City: London - I love the history and anything having to do with the royal family.

Bedding: Matouk - unless we want some pattern in which case D. Porthault

Tea or Coffee (and how do you take it): Both! An Americano in the morning (black) and herbal tea in the afternoon.

Playlist: I love music - Nashville makes it hard not to. I listen to a lot of different types - indie, country, pop, folk…lately I have been listening to Noah Kahan and Taylor Swift’s new album. Neil Young and Radiohead are my favorite artists of all time.

Weekend Activity: I am a homebody - nothing makes me happier than being home with family and dogs. We also see a lot of live music - we just saw Amos Lee play with the Nashville Symphony and that was pretty amazing.

Design Book: This is so hard! I regularly come back to Mark Sikes’ Beautiful and More Beautiful - they cover so many lovely projects and have lots of details to take in. Plus they are the perfect size for styling! Also any of Gil Schafer’s books… are endlessly inspiring.