Photo: Katie Brandt Interiors
An interior designer is leaving her creative imprint on places near and far.
When the back of a business card reads: Minneapolis-St. Paul, Santa Barbara, New Orleans, Martha’s Vineyard, New York, Houston, Palm Springs and Naples, you know something exciting is in the offing.
And exciting isn’t even the half of it. Add stunning, innovative, custom … and on the list can run. For clients of Katie Brandt Interiors in Spring Park, the path from a ho hum design script to a smash hit travels a creative tour de force of Brandt’s imaginative, inquisitive and very quick-witted mind.
After 37 years in interior design, Brandt’s love of helping people and problem solving remain cornerstones to her business. “I love creating homes where people feel good, where life happens, where families grow and make memories,” she says. “Designing a home isn’t easy, and I enjoy figuring out what will make someone smile every time they walk through their door.”
Katie Brandt. Photo: Chris Emeott
Making that happen requires a comprehensive understanding of décor design and style. When asked to define her design style, Brandt says it mirrors that of her clients. “I just use my skills to elevate what they love,” she says. “I understand space [and] how scale, light, flow, color and furniture come together. Style is knowing when to add texture or color, when to adjust a room’s energy and how to create peaceful, livable spaces. A well-designed room supports your life instead of complicating it.”
To attain that notion, Brandt initiates each client relationship by executing the fine art—of listening. “I always begin by listening. Every client is different, and each project is personal,” she says. “My job is to bring together the space, architecture, colors, textures and furniture, and then create the magic. It’s truly fun.”
Photo: Katie Brandt Interiors
Anyone who’s gone through a home design project understands that meetings and more meetings are all part of the process. “Design is fun, and there’s energy and creativity at every meeting,” Brandt says. “Clients often learn things about themselves: what they love, what inspires them and what is going to make their home feel special. I just love the collaborative process.”
And part of collaboration is problem solving. “When something isn’t quite right, I say, ‘I need to noodle on this,’ and I come back with fresh ideas and more things to talk about,” Brandt says. “Eventually, the decisions are made.”
“I love pieces with history—things passed down from family or collected during travels,” Katie Brandt says of her favorite décor items. They bring warmth, personality and a sense of home. “I also love photos,” she says. “Try placing photos in a bowl on a coffee table. Guests sift through them, and the stories that come up are incredible.” Photo: Chris Emeott
Brandt is keenly aware of her clients’ perspectives and, at times, apprehension. “Designing a home can be scary and expensive, so I walk through every possible scenario to make the right decisions until we both feel confident,” she says. “This prevents stress and ensures no one is disappointed … I often say to clients, ‘Leave the worrying to me; I will worry more about your home then you could ever possibly do!’”
Giving Back by Design
Sometimes, all it takes is a photograph to ignite Katie Brandt’s inspiration and an onslaught of ideas, including those that lean into helping others.
Last year, Brandt hosted a fundraiser in her store for Revolved, a Minneapolis-based nonprofit organization, which was raising money at the event for Chisizya Rural Hospital. Based in one of Zimbabwe’s most remote regions, the hospital provides reliable maternity and pediatric care. “For years, families walked up to 40 km (25 miles) for treatment, and home births were the norm,” according to revolved.ngo.
Once Brandt saw a photograph of the hospital’s interior, “I stopped everything,” she says, explaining she immediately offered to help advise on basic interior elements, including replacing soiled and torn drapery. “This is going to be a very fun new project,” she says.
Photos: Katie Brandt Interiors
Brandt also discovered that the organization supports Wild Hope, helping vulnerable children in Africa’s Victoria Falls. The goal is that, in 2027, there will be a permanent sanctuary for those children. Brandt’s mission will be to “make it happy,” she says. “This is my wheelhouse. This is what I love to do.”
Closer to home, her efforts extend to assisting with decorating a room for the Minneapolis-based Nicole Middendorf Foundation, which supports area victims of domestic violence. “These projects that are so gratifying to me, and I love helping these people that are in so much need,” she says.
What to Know
Informed decision making is key to any successful project. “Decorating your home should be fun,” Katie Brandt says. “If it’s not, run away fast.” She offers recommendations for hiring an interior designer.
Use a designer who doesn’t avoid difficult conversations, will speak up to the building contractor and help make decisions that don’t cost extra money.
“It’s not spending a lot of money that creates well designed homes; it’s a creative designer that is a good listener, creative and can pull it all together,” Katie Brandt says. For projects, she charges based on what she sells (art, décor, fabric, furniture, lighting, wallpaper, window treatments and the like) and does not charge for her time. If Brandt consults on a new build or addition, she charges a consulting fee.
“Choose a designer who listens,” Brandt says. Discovery questions they should ask include: What’s your lifestyle? Are there children or pets in the home? Do you stress about keeping things perfect? What makes you happy? What is your favorite color? (“If they don’t know, I head to their closet,” she says.) How do you entertain? How many people need to sit in the living room? What is your favorite area in the home?
“If it’s not inspiring or enjoyable, you have the wrong person helping you,” she says. Move on, and find a designer who aligns with what you like, want and need.
If clients are apprehensive about initiating a large-scale design project, Katie Brandt recommends starting with a powder room. “We can create it together, and I can show them my process,” she says. “It can usually be completed fast, and they can see and feel the impact of good decisions.”
Katie Brandt Interiors
Instagram: @katiebrandtinteriors
