Inside the Workroom

with Becoming Designs

Becoming Designs was one of the first workrooms we hired when Katie K Interiors began over four years ago. Kathleen Welnack specializes in custom soft furnishings + drapery, and her beautiful work continues to amaze us.

Inspired by her mother, the ‘sewing maven,’ Kathleen wanted to stay at home with her littles and still provide financially for her family. Around 2012 she started to explore sewing ~ making Christmas presents, and quilts for her new baby’s nursery. Getting active in a local Facebook trading group led to making pillows for families in her neighborhood. Her business was born, and over the years she has refined her skills, discovered better processes, made mistakes + learned from them, and tackled new ideas.

We asked her about her favorite things to create … “first I will say when I fabricate, one thing that brings me satisfaction is the perfect blend of form and function. This has always driven me. To provide something that is often literally solving a problem but looks fantastic is such a reward of its own. I’m a utilitarian person by nature and a top-of-the-line problem solver, so being able to help customers balance purpose and pretty in one space is pretty satisfying. But, also, roman shades are maybe my favorite.”

Finally, Kathleen feels blessed to be at home while her children grow up, blessed to help invest financially in her family, and blessed to be a part of many family’s homes. She enjoys meeting so many amazing people in the process, many of whom she now counts as friends. As she says when telling the story behind Becoming Designs, “amazingly, I find that this business taps into many of my skill ets: project management, communication, a shocking amount of math, creativity, and design.” We’re so glad to have discovered Kathleen, and we appreciate the joy her creations bring into a home. She continues to inspire us ~ and we hope you’ve enjoyed reading about her meaningful work. Follow her on Instagram @becomingdesignsbykathleen for more gorgeous photos!