Meet Kitty Rheault | Interior Designer + Prop Stylist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kitty Rheault and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kitty, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I had always hoped to own a business but never knew how it would shake out! I had been working in corporate creative positions for years but I eventually took a great job with a company that ended up not being the right fit. The emotional challenges of that year pushed me to define how I wanted to be treated as a person, how I wanted to treat others working around me and most of all, what I wanted my overall life to look like.

Flexibility, Recognition + Freedom were (and still are) words that helped guide me in going off on my own. I wanted the flexibility in my schedule to participate in my personal life and to be able to adjust my income as needed with the only ceiling being my project capacity. I wanted to recognize the talents of my surrounding community and utilize them wherever it benefit clients and lastly, the freedom to change directions quickly and efficiently when necessary.

I started taking on a few small Interior projects for friends and family outside of my regular job. Once I felt consistent enough in my process, it felt like a “now or never” moment. I honestly tried NOT to over think it and focus more on the logistics of getting up and running. I put in my notice, filed my paperwork and had 2 significant contracts signed before my last day!

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?

I’m a Los Angeles based Interior Designer + Prop Stylist offering hand-tailored sourcing, design plans, project management + on-site styling. Since starting my business, I’ve worked on an assortment of projects from designing a coastal vacation home in Rhode Island to sourcing just the right platter for garlic green beans on a celebrity cooking show!

The hardest part of going out on my own was committing to the bit! Seriously. I Googled the rest. Now that I’ve been getting my hands dirty for a couple years, the biggest challenge is setting boundaries around my availability. I have more flexibility in my sched than ever before but I’m also working more than ever before. Riddle me this!

Not a surprise to those who know me but I require pretty constant stimulation! It’s refreshing, inspiring + every-changing to think beyond my own preferences in order to give people a space they can feel comfortable in and be excited to share with others. Whether designing a home or styling a product, it is very much about telling a subliminal story; the space or photo emitting a feeling. In turn, you want to live in the space or buy the thing. Every project is so different that my imagination is always dancing!

The retail world is so underrated. I think having worked in varied capacities for luxury clothing and furniture companies is really what continues to set me apart in my professional relationships today. Designing one’s home is rarely one sided and really requires collaboration and honesty between myself and the homeowner. There’s a level of intimate communication learned within the shop walls that is unreachable in almost every other area of life. People are weirdly honest in these scenarios and I think when in the right hands, this allows for a more individual interpretation of needs, wants + style.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
My husband and I and our feline daughter have lived in Los Feliz for almost 8 years now! We love the quiet reprieve from the busier neighborhoods while also having easy access to the rest of the city. A typical weekend day for us is coffee at Maru then hopping in the car and heading to the beach in Malibu. Lunch break at Broad Street Oyster and back home to pop a bottle from Silverlake Wine on the front lawn. An early, weekday run to the Flower Mart is so much fun with out-of-towners and the Broad + Moca are just around the corner. Popping into my favorite home shops like +Coop, Nickey Kehoe + Rolling Greens gives friends and fam a little taste of my own interior style! A few fave restaurants to scatter into the week are Pine + Crane (silverlake), All TIme (Los Feliz), Gjusta (give mom those casual celebrity sightings over the best market lunch) + if you’re really trying to wine + dine, Antico Nuovo is THE place.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Josh Rheault, My husband, best friend and emotional support animal who lets me endlessly re-arrange our apartment! And Abby Pendergrast, my work wife. You’ve unlocked another interest for me and I am so thankful for our friendship and professional partnership! Love you both in very different ways, LOL.

Website: www.kittymckaterston.com

Instagram: @kittymckaterston

Image Credits
Kevin Coffey Benjamin Rassmusen