vintage spaces
Kathi’s Tried and True Design Tips
1. Create surprises. Kathi’s kitchen cabinet pulls are actually garage door hardware. Why, you ask? For Kathi, the question is, why not use that hardware? It creates a surprise and sparks a conversation. 2. In with the old, in with the new. It’s silly to think everye piece in your home has to be found and repurposed. Exceptions can always be made if you fall in love with something. One of Kathi’s favorite objects in her home is her Home Depot farmhouse sink. 3. Whimsy is wonderful. Kathi had two lamps she loved, but wasn’t sure which one to use on her living room cabinet. The solution? She used both. The larger lamp emits more light when needed, and the small lamp gives a faint glow at night for ambiance.
Kathi makes her home personal with mono- grammed dining chairs, and new photos in ornate frames (opposite page, far left). She mixes old and new with style in her contrasting kitchen (above), which features two large repurposed islands, garage door hardware, a chandelier and a DIY island top with personalized scroll (left). Thinking outside the box, Kathi nests two end tables beside a zebra print chair in her kitchen/dining space (opposite page).
4. Go hunting—with parameters. One corner of Kathi’s living room is home to several art prints. Kathi is always on the hunt for the next one, but she has two rules: the print must be under $25 and it must feature a house in some way. 5. Old thing, new use. To give her boys a small taste of reused furniture fun, Kathi found some old lockers to place in their bed- rooms. Her sons use the lockers as additional closet space. 6. Change it up. Constant change is one of the only constants in the Hardin house. “Don’t feel like if you hang up a picture, it has to stay there,” Kathi says. “What’s the fun in that?”
Those “other people” might just be some of Kathi’s newest design clients. In February of this year, she, along with her good friend, Joan Bellinghausen, created a new business venture dedicated to redesign. Burlap JunKtion allows Kathi and Joan to use their creative tried and true design tricks, without breaking their clients’ bank. “We love to say ‘use what you have’,” Kathi says. “So many people have amazing pieces hiding in an attic or a filled up closet. Joan and I come in and assess what you already have with a fresh pair of eyes, and design your room from there. If you need a particular piece that you just can’t find, we’ll do that for you, too.”
VintageKC / Fall 2012 19
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