Kate has always had a strong vision and well mapped out business plan, but the growth for KWD in 2017 has exceeded all expectations. And that really is due to the incredible KWD team, our amazing supply partners and the support of all of our beautiful clients.
There’s always something new and exciting going on in the KWD world, and this year has been crazy busy! Our client base continues to expand right across the Mornington Peninsula, Melbourne and interstate, and we love every single project we work on, because of the people we work with. And if you have been following our journey, you’ll know what we have moved premises, grown our team and expanded our offering.
Our primary focus is to specify, source and supply hard finishes for commercial and high-end residential properties, so we always make sure we know the latest developments and innovations in stone, tiles, timber, carpets and joinery. Colour plays a vital role in any design, so we ensure we understand the latest colour trends so we can create meaningful, functional and on trend colour palettes. Increasingly we are specifying the interior design too, in terms of furniture, curtains, rugs and soft furnishings.
When Kate Walker launched KWD four years ago, she was a sole operator building a small business and working from the dining table in her home. The KWD Studio that Kate soon established at her property worked beautifully, with an office to seat four staff and a small showroom where client’s met for briefings to view KWD’s hard finish samples. Then the team grew, and outgrew this space, and necessity rather than planning called for larger premises. When Kate first investigated the idea of moving to larger premises where she could accommodate ten staff in a central location, Mt Martha Village was the obvious choice. The concept of KWD HQ evolved from a desire to showcase how much KWD itself has evolved and grown.
Explains Kate, “Many designers subscribe to and specialise in one style, however our desire, expertise and experience lend themselves to much more than just one design style. We work with such a variety of clients from all walks of life and in so many different locations that our portfolio has embraced a wide selection of different aesthetics. We love working with a wide variety of styles, from mid-century modern, minimal and industrial to classic, contemporary, coastal and traditional styles as well. It was essential that our new headquarters reflect this, and the result is a more masculine feel that will appeal to our rather large male client base.”
Kate was working on so many projects, and had so much on her plate during the time she needed to design KWD HQ, that she simply didn’t have the mental space to commit to doing a project of this calibre. She engaged Carlo Romanin of Romanin Design to direct the design for KWD HQ. The black and white colour scheme was deliberately chosen as they provide the ideal canvas for showcasing our hard finish samples. Everything in KWD HQ is based on black, white and grey tones (other than the timber flooring) to enable the products to shine.
KWD HQ is a very collaborative space. The interactive peg display boards form the central core of our product development area. We often have importers and manufacturers visit us to show us their latest and greatest new products, so we put these samples up on the peg boards for a few weeks so we can become familiar with them and see how they resonate with us. The display area also gives us the opportunity to hero different looks at different times, and to prepare beautiful bespoke briefs for client presentations.
And there is more expansion on the horizon. In November we started work on the brand new KWD Studio which is an extension of KWD HQ in Mt Martha Village. The space will become an innovation hub for designers across the Mornington Peninsula and will offer a new view on hard finish solutions.
Our team has grown into a dynamic group of professionals who help to bring everything together for our valued clients. From the early days in 2013 when there was just a team of two, we are now a team of ten – all adding our own value, experience and expertise to every project we work on.
It’s the new look KWD team – we just keep growing. Each and every member of our dynamic team brings so much to the table. We have, from right to left, James Buddle (Business Development Manager – CBD and surrounds), Kate Walker (Founder and Director), Claire Williams (Business Development Manager – Mornington Peninsula), Jenny Bosckor (Kate’s PA), Rachael Campbell (Project Manager), Isabelle Danielis (Joinery Designer – and the newest member of our team), Kelly Clark (Kate’s EA), Lynne Ashley (Accountant), Holly Harris (Librarian) and Melanie Quirk (PR, Marketing & Communications).
Our new view on design will be launched at our KWD Studio in February, so we’ll update you with all the details then along with photographs of the stunning space.
If you would like to make a time to meet with the KWD, call us to make an appointment. We look forward to seeing you.
(613) 5974 1800
Shop 7, 34 – 38 Lochiel Ave, Mt Martha. 3934
http://www.katewalkerdesign.com.au
Photography by Brent Lukey
Kate Walker Design - KWD 