Whether it’s as small as a bathroom renovation or a complete reconstruction of a basement, Sammamish resident Kassi Clark says she always has one goal — to make a room sparkle.
“I’m just intrigued by all different styles of design and I love the opportunity to design to the different extremes,” she said.
Clark was one of two Sammamish residents to be recognized as a top Northwest interior designer last week during the Northwest Design Awards in Seattle. She claimed first place for Best Individual Room – Traditional, beating out hundreds of other entries from Washington, Oregon and British Columbia.
The trophy was gratifying for Clark, who just five years ago decided to end her 18-year career as a marketing consultant for a wireless company and follow her dream.
“It was time to pursue my passion,” she said.
Her new career has progressed quickly as she’s developed a clientele on the Plateau and beyond. The living room project she won her award for was done in the Magnolia neighborhood in Seattle and she’s currently working on a project in Lynden.
Clark believes her personal style and experience from the corporate world have largely helped her gain a name, but one other factor — the economy — has also impacted her new industry.
“I’m finding that because people are staying in their home instead of buying a new home, that there’s more demand for updating their current homes,” she said. “People are relearning to love their current home.”
Make no mistake, not just anyone can step into the world of interior design and find success.
On top of balancing relationships with a wide variety of vendors and contractors, interior designers also must work in perfect harmony with the client.
“It’s a collaborative process along the way,” Clark said. “It’s having that space plan envisioned first, then finding an inspiration to design around whether it’s a piece of fabric, a piece of tile or a color.”
Clark isn’t the only local interior designer making a name for herself in the Northwest.
Kara Bowman, who works for Macpherson Construction & Design in Sammamish, brought home a second-place finish from the Northwest Design Awards in Best Individual Room – Contemporary.
She won for her work on what she called an “organic contemporary home” her company built on Pine Lake. This was her first entry in the Northwest Design Awards and an end result she admits was a great surprise.
“I just love that everything is always changing,” said Bowman, who has always had a passion for design. “Sometimes I’m at my office drawing and sometimes I’m out in the field at a showroom. It’s never the same thing, it’s a new project every time.”
There were 14 categories in the Northwest Design Awards, which recognized the top two in each class. Sammamish was the only city other than Seattle and Vancouver, B.C. to have multiple winners.
The living room of a Magnolia home for which Kassi Clark won first place.
The living room of a Pine Lake home for which that Kara Bowman won second place.
