Tag: kate walker design

Designer Kate Walker’s new ‘Caribbean Colonial’ family home

Post author By Amy Collins-Walker
Post date October 25, 2021
1 Comment on Designer Kate Walker’s new ‘Caribbean Colonial’ family home

“The style that immediately came to mind was British Colonial, but being so close to the bay I wanted to add more of a luxe, coastal hotel feel with a Floridian, Island vibe,” says interior designer Kate Walker of her sparkling new home ‘Biscayne,’ located on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula. The bayside Mt Martha residence is situated on over 2000 square metres and includes four bedrooms, three bathrooms, two powder rooms, gorgeous gardens, a pool and tennis court.

Powder room — Stunning Gucci Heron print wallpaper makes a sizeable statement in the powder room

A renovation of an existing home, Kate incorporated existing architectural elements in the makeover – the large double-deck verandah is one of them and it certainly helped dictate the home’s British Colonial vibe. Elsewhere wide hallways and luxe finishes imbue the home with grandeur – think floor to ceiling wide glass panelled doorways, myriad artworks and colonial inspired finishes.

The interior walls are filled with texture, colour and pattern, from white walls adorned with gorgeous artwork to Gucci Heron print wallpaper in the bathroom, alongside wood, brass, marble and porcelain – all the elements add up to create a refined yet eclectic aesthetic.

Most notably, new architectural details were added with the application of cornices and wainscoting on the walls and ceilings, ensuring a seamless finish throughout. “Gyprock plasterboard was used throughout the home, it was part of every room and gave us the opportunity to create the perfect blank canvas for featuring the much-loved artwork and wallpaper,” says Kate.

And while the original house had great bones and was well built, it needed some major reworking in terms of spatial planning. “We redesigned the floor plan, which included restructuring how the entrance worked and changing the location of the kitchen,” says Kate. The team also turned an external verandah into an internal room utilising Gyprock to cover up the external brick walls. “Using Gyprock made transitioning external walls to internal walls such a simple and smooth process,” says Kate.

Unsurprisingly, the designer is absolutely thrilled with the result. “To see your vision come to life is the most rewarding aspect of what I do. I designed Biscayne with resort-living in mind and I wanted to make every part of the property a pleasure to be in. Now that I am living there with my family I have absolutely fallen in love with my home.”

Photography: Armelle Habib

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Reclaimed brick stars in new Mornington Peninsula sustainable home

This stylish new home is located on a block in the small seaside town of Balnarring on the Mornington Peninsula. Incredibly, the block was purchased 45 years ago for just…

Tags design, interior design, interiors, kate walker design, mornington peninsula, real reno, reno, renovation, styling

Design Designers Interviews

Designer Profile: Kate Walker Design

Post author By Amy Collins-Walker
Post date November 12, 2019
No Comments on Designer Profile: Kate Walker Design

After 15 years working in the tile industry, the Mornington Peninsula’s Kate Walker launched her own design company KWD in 2013, initially specialising in hard finishes. “The reason why I’m so passionate about hard finishes is that they form the foundation of the design aesthetic for any project,” says Kate of her passion for tiles, timber flooring, natural stone, carpet and stone masonry.

But now, six years on, the KWD business has grown into a full-service design studio where Kate employs a team of design professionals who help bring her visions to life. “As KWD has grown and matured, we have been able to offer a higher-level design service and we are now an end-to-end interior design business,” says Kate.

Kate Walker

Reluctant to label her personal design aesthetic, I think it’s safe to say that there’s more than a touch of Hamptons in the mix but it’s not as simple as that. “Travel really influences my style – in particular North America. I get a lot of inspiration from contemporary and more traditional American design, and one of my newest sources of inspiration is New Zealand architecture – I love the materiality,” says Kate who regularly looks to mother nature for inspiration too; texture is another design hallmark.

A recent KWD project

A KWD recent project

Longtime readers may remember that we have profiled Kate’s own home before – its traditional American meets Chinoiserie style made it one of our most clicked-on posts of 2017. While popular with readers, it also remains one of Kate’s most beloved projects. “I’d have to say my own home renovation, Beechwood, was one of my favourite projects. To become a KWD client gave me such an insight into how the KWD team functions, and what we are capable of.”

Kate at home at ‘Beechwood’

Kate’s work on Beechwood also earnt her a coveted finalist place in the 2019 Dulux Colour Awards. “I have been fortunate enough to win a number of awards, but that one was the most significant this year. I love working with colour so to be acknowledged in this way encouraged me to continue incorporating beautiful colours into our designs, in interesting and innovative ways,” says Kate.

It’s not hard to see why Kate’s glorious home ‘Beechwood’ was a finalist in the 2019 Dulux Colour Awards

And as for recent business developments, Kate has just launched a sister brand to KWD, called KWD & Co, which is designed to make interior design more accessible.

“Whilst I absolutely adore the custom projects that we work on, I believe everyone deserves the opportunity to have a beautifully designed home they can be proud of,” says Kate. The new business arm provides clients with a carefully curated collection of hard finishes, grouped into popular design styles, with discounts should they purchase the materials.

“The next step up is KWD Access where clients can book a one-hour, one-on-one consultation with the KWD design team at a fraction of the cost of our full design service.”

Photography: Armelle Habib

For more on KWD & Co | Designer profile: Celebrated UK creative Bethan Gray

Tags designer profile, interior design, interior designer, interiors, interview, kate walker design, kwd, mornington peninsula

Design House Tours Interviews Real Renos RENO ADDICT

Real reno: Navy stars in boathouse inspired family home

Post author By Amy Collins-Walker
Post date August 20, 2018
5 Comments on Real reno: Navy stars in boathouse inspired family home

Located in the Melbourne seaside suburb of Mt Martha, this navy, white and timber dream of a home was renovated recently by Kate Walker Design for a young family of five. “The client came to KWD with a brief of creating a coastal and airy aesthetic, and they wanted it to have a resort-like feel. We ended up refining the design to ‘Boathouse’ style,” says Kate Walker.

On first glance, it’s the gorgeous v-groove paneling that really draws the eye, and that creates that coastal feel. “I love the subtlety of the texture inside the home. We used V-groove paneling on the ceiling with strapping and reiterated that on the island bench, on the joinery and on the main wall in the master bedroom upstairs,” says Kate of the home that has a predominantly white-on-white palette with punches of navy.

“We used American oak for the flooring in the living area and handmade wool carpet in the master bedroom, Carrara marble on the kitchen benchtop and splash back and terrazzo tiles on the floors of the bathrooms with a mix of terrazzo and ceramic tiles on the walls,” says Kate. The subtle textural details really imbue the home with a sense of luxury.

Kate’s favourite part of the project is the kitchen, mostly because there are so many different site lines in the space and it forms the hub of the home. “You get a beautiful view from every direction, be it through the gas-lift window, from the butler’s pantry, sitting in the lounge room or the dining table or even from the reading nook. For a family with three young children, and busy parents, it’s a great way to stay connected.”

The outdoor area is another highlight space. The stone clad outdoor fireplace ensures entertaining is possible all year and the adjacent timber lined pool is rather fabulous too.

Photography: Brent Lukey

For more | The navy interior trend

Tags design, interior, interior design, interior designer, interiors, kate walker design, melbourne, real reno, reno

Architecture Design Designers House Tours Interviews Outdoor & Exteriors

A Hamptons-style family home with an enviable backyard

Post author By Amy Collins-Walker
Post date April 18, 2018
2 Comments on A Hamptons-style family home with an enviable backyard

Owned by Janelle and Ryan McKenzie of Rycon Building Group (RBG), this gorgeous Hamptons-style Melbourne family home was built recently and boasts all the trimmings. Designed to double as a property to take their clients through (RBG specialise in Hamptons-style homes) the home boasts interiors by KWD and the details are rather lush.

“The owners wanted to create a Hamptons-style house with a relaxed and homely feeling that is open, light and textured. They also wanted to create resort style living, without having to leave home,” says Kate Walker.

Given landscaping is a Hamptons design hallmark, it’s not surprising that the home’s backyard is a highlight. Comprised of a swimming pool, pool house, outdoor shower, gym, sauna, vegetable patch, basketball and soccer mini-courts, the home’s outdoor areas are key to the resort feel too. “What really brings this amazing property together is the time and attention to detail spent on the landscaping. Landscaping is so important, and we always recommend leaving enough money in the budget to do the landscaping properly,” says Kate.

“The home is on a large piece of land, and every part of it was carefully designed to create the resort-style living the owners were aiming for, with child-friendly features that provide heaps of fun and entertainment. Making the outside match the inside is all part of the story too,” says Kate.

From the expansive walk-in pantry to the wardrobes and children’s play area, the home has plenty of clever storage concealed behind stylish blue and navy joinery. “The children have their own bathroom and playroom as well as large bedrooms with plenty of functional, stylish storage,” says Kate.

At the centre of the home, the kitchen is another design triumph. Combining a Calcutta marble island bench with white shaker-style doors, navy joinery, pewter tapware and statement pendant lights, it certainly captures the Hamptons vibe.

The hotel feel continues up the stairs (the bespoke Roger Oats striped stair runner is Kate’s favourite element of the entire build) and into the main bathroom.

“The client definitely wanted high quality materials, so we introduced Perrin & Rowe, Victoria & Albert and Carrara marble into the bathroom. We wanted a hero bath and we also designed a ‘his and hers’ vanity which meant that we could centralise the bath through the entrance and make it a feature. The design is very high end,” says Kate.

Photographer: Brent Lukey

For more | Another modern Hamptons home

Tags design, hamptons, interior design, interior designer, interiors, kate walker design, melbourne

House Tours

Real home: Traditional American design meets Chinoiserie

Post author By Amy Collins-Walker
Post date March 29, 2017
5 Comments on Real home: Traditional American design meets Chinoiserie

Located on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, this stylish family home combines disparate yet complementary elements and eschews trends for a look that is set to endure. “My personal design aesthetic is classic, traditional and homely, with a focus on great quality pieces,” says the home’s owner Kate Walker. “My style is American traditional with a touch of Chinoiserie. I like to buy pieces that will be as relevant when I’m 80 years old as they are today. I avoid trends, because I don’t want to have to keep redoing the décor!”

With a successful design business, based near her home, it seems Kate was always destined for a career in design – her mother was an interior designer and her father a tile merchant. But her own home’s aesthetic is quite the departure from her professional environment. “The style for the KWD Studio is white, minimalist, clean and pristine, so when I go home I want to feel like I am being wrapped up in comfort with a really friendly environment and gorgeous textiles. I always have fresh flowers everywhere too,” says Kate, who lives with her two children, a puppy and two rabbits.

While the home has a coastal chic feel, it conjures a Hampton’s vibe and manages to avoid the beachy clichés – a conscious design decision by Kate who designed the home with her sister Amy Spargo of Maine House Interiors.

“It was very important to me that the interior design was traditional but relevant. And because we are so close to the beach I wanted the look to be light and breezy, but not beachy. The style is coastal chic really, in a traditional way,” says Kate.

A work in progress (the wet areas are yet to be completed), Kate has referenced the 1930’s and 1940’s throughout the home – a nod to its provenance. “I like traditional pieces, from Chesterfield lounges to wing back armchairs to an antique kauri pine bed for my son, but I mix these with pieces from IKEA.”

A keen proponent of landscaping, Kate’s garden is spectacular and one of the home’s standout features. “I feel strongly about bringing the outside in, and I always recommend that my clients leave money in their budget for their landscaping design. For me, the house starts at the front fence, not at the front door, and people get a feeling, even from the nature strip, about what they are going to experience when they come into your home. The outdoors is an extension of the indoors,” says Kate.

Another highlight of the home is its gorgeous master bedroom – a vision in blue. “I love my bedroom. It’s painted in a really strong yet calming blue, Blue Oar by Dulux. My bed pays homage to the Asian influences I love with a Chinoiserie pagoda-style bed head and I always have crisp, white bed linen and gorgeous decorator cushions.”

“My bedroom is where I keep all my personal photos of my children when they were babies, photos of my family, pieces of china I have collected over many, many years and even my grandmother’s last piece of knitting, complete with knitting needles, that she was working on the night before she died. It sits under a cloche. So, my bedroom is really personal,” says Kate who sleeps with her windows and blinds open to take in the morning vista. “From my bedroom, I have a view across the property and see everything that is happening around me. When I wake up, I see the leaves of the jacaranda tree outside. It’s beautiful, just beautiful.”