Talk Shop: Kate Schelter
Photo by Lesley Unruh
ABOUT KATE
Kate Schelter is an artist, designer and owner of the luxury brand consultancy that bears her name. She is the author of Classic Style (one of our most favorite books and a must-have for any design aficionado’s shelves), and This & That paper products.
Recently, Kate designed the complete rebranding for The Colony Palm Beach, a hotel very near and dear to our hearts here at Fenimore Lane. Kate paints commercial work for Dior, Toms, One Kings Lane, Veronica Beard, Tod’s, Romy & the Bunnies, Bulgari, Sleepy Jones, Bonpoint, Victoria’s Secret, Diane von Furstenberg, Toyota, and more – as well as private commissions and murals throughout The San Vicente Bungalows.
Kate exhibits her artwork at the fabulous antique and home shop, KRB, located on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, as well as at Serena & Lily stores across the country. Her work has been published in Vogue (of which she is an alumna!), Architectural Digest, Harper’s Bazaar, House Beautiful, Vanity Fair, the New York Times, domino, W and ELLE. She holds a BA from Rhode Island School of Design and their European Honors Program in Rome. Kate, a fellow Main Liner just like Ariel, lives in Pennsylvania and Cape Cod, MA with her family and works in New York City.
We were so excited to have her as part of our Talk Shop series – check out what she had to say below!
Describe your style in three words or less:
Classic, colorful, bohemian.
What have been the three biggest influences on your aesthetic in your life:
My family, my art (education), and travel.
How did you start your company, and/or what is your favorite thing about what you do:
I started by pounding the pavement, identifying who I loved, and with whom I wanted to work. Then hit “go.”
Do you have a mentor in your career, and if so, how have they helped to shape your trajectory:
I have so many people (living and dead) whom I worship and study, and sometimes I get to work with my heroes, which has given me a deeply fulfilling career.
What does your home say about you:
I live exactly how I like. Always evolving. Never finished.
Where do you find inspiration:
Estate sales, trash picking, books. Old houses with original kitchens and bathrooms.
What are your key ingredients for entertaining:
I cook the meal. Beautiful table cloths, dishes and flowers—I like to arrange it all. Mismatched colored candles from Danica Design.
Do you collect anything:
Wonderful people.
Favorite Instagram accounts to follow for inspiration:
@tat.london, @bibleofbritishtaste, @matildagoad, @jessicayellin, @krbnyc.
What design “rule” do you always follow?
Only allow who you really love, and what you really use and cherish into your house. Edit vigilantly. If you doubt it, leave it out.
What are you working on right now:
Art commissions in my studio. I also have artwork exhibited at KRB in New York Serena & Lily in Palm Beach and Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles. New work: complete re-branding for The Colony Palm Beach whereI have designed and produced over 100 items of collateral. The creative brief was to design everything so it was “stealable”, irresistible.
Best interior advice you ever received:
You get what you pay for. Dream and invest in your interiors—you will have it for years and years.
Best career advice you ever received:
My dad challenged my decision to quit my first fancy job out of college. I knew he was wrong—that I could make my own company on my own—what did I have to loose at 22?—and I’ve sort of spent my career forging my own path.
Types of home purchases you invest in, and save on:
Splurge on upholstery, linens, dishes, cookware—the necessary things you use daily. Save on furniture (you can get such deals on antiques) via estate sales, craigslist, eBay, hand me downs. Painting rooms and furniture is the surest way to economically transform.
Your greatest extravagance:
Getting to do what I love everyday. My work is joy!
Favorite places to shop for home:
Etatesales.net, John Derian Company, Lisa Corti, eBay, Craigslist, curbside on trash day!
Most prized possession and why:
The most important things in my life aren’t things. Laughing to tears is the best! Although I do love my engagement ring.
Your interiors motto:
Everything you love goes together, just maybe not in the same room. I like creating color stories and schemes for different rooms.
Your life motto:
Carpe Diem. What’s the worst that can happen?
Advice for someone looking to define their own interior style:
Empty the space before you re-arrange/redecorate. Let the room breathe. Start fresh. Build slowly.
