“Interior design has always been my passion,” said Katie Kurtz.
The North Oaks resident recently opened Adorned Homes — a studio where people can find inspiration and see beautiful products that makes one feel like they are entering a home rather than a business.
Kurtz got her degree in kitchen and bath design at Century College in 2009. She has been a Realtor for Engel & Völkers for approximately nine years.
She fine-tuned her interior design skills while working in real estate with her husband Dan.
“Me and my husband were flipping high-end residential real estate, so I was doing interior design for those projects throughout the last 15 years,” she said. “I got my real estate license specifically because we were doing so much of that.”
After her two daughters were born — Sloane and Cambell — she decided to buy a vacant building in White Bear Lake.
“When I had my daughters, I decided it was time to focus in on one more thing,” Kurtz said. “This building had been for sale for a long time, and I had my eye on it for so long. Real estate investing has always been a focus of mine.”
Kurtz is the principal designer of the studio, and Colleen Lindberg is the studio manager.
“Colleen handles a lot of the inner workings, ordering, invoices and the day-to-day stuff in the studio,” Kurtz said.
Kurtz noted that for people who do projects on their own — like a kitchen remodel — Adorned Homes will provide them with samples of cabinetry, faucets, countertops, sinks and furnishings.
“The furnishings is something that I wasn’t doing quite as much until the studio started coming into fruition a year ago,” Kurtz said. “But we’re doing a lot of full home furnishings that include wallpaper and new lighting, so we’re giving a house a full refresh without a major renovation.”
Kurtz noted that Adorned Homes is a one-stop shop for customers to see a variety of furnishings and samples in the studio.
“It’s so much more convenient than before, where I ‘d be running around town getting samples for people,” said Kurtz. “We’re considered a dealer for all of the product that we carry now, so people can just come into the studio and do selections with us if they want.”
Kurtz said Adorned Homes will be a part of the North Oaks Holiday Home Tour scheduled for Nov. 18-19.
“We will be one of the designers that will decorate the homes featured for Christmas,” she said. “It’s a huge fundraiser for the guild and Children’s Hospital. It hasn’t happened for a couple of years because of COVID, and we’re really excited about it.”
The studio, which is open for business, still has a few finishing touches planned.
“We’ve already had full design planning meetings with clients, and it’s been great,” Kurtz said.
Adorned Homes is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday. It is located at 1986 Highway 96 E. in White Bear Lake.
