Today we’d like to introduce you to Katie Lopez.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was born and raised in the DFW area, and I went to school in Carrollton. I fell in love with interior design unknowingly from a young age, when I would design my ‘dream room’ and wander endlessly around the mock-ups at Home Depot. I took an interior design class in high school, and something clicked. I looked into interior design programs at colleges around the country and went to Seattle with my mother for a week-long into to interiors class. There we learned a bit about drafting, computer softwares, and all the amazing things we could accomplish in the program as students. I submitted my application soon after, and after graduation, I moved cross-country to Seattle to begin my educational career! I took courses year-round and even took some supplementary courses online at other schools. AI Seattle, unfortunately, shut down before I could complete my degree, so I moved home to finish up at the Art Institute of Dallas, where I graduated with honors in 2019.
Overall I finished my bachelor’s degree in two and a half years! While in school, I realized I preferred the commercial side of design in lieu of residential. I currently have three years of experience, and my career has taken me from residential furniture to commercial furniture, to multifamily design, to architecture! I’m currently working at Method Architecture, where I design for a wide variety of projects, from industrial to restaurant. I’m so happy with where my career has taken me, and I’m excited for the journey still to come! My long-term goal is modest and small, but I want to become a multi-faceted designer with a lot of knowledge of lots of different things. I want to create projects that I can be proud of and create a name for myself in the industry. I also want to design projects that will help make the world a better place and something I can be proud to show my children one day.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
My main challenge was finding my trajectory – sometimes, it’s difficult for younger people to decide right away what they want to commit to for the rest of their lives. It can be terrifying! My vision for what I wanted my future career to look like grew and changed as I did, and it took some stumbling to finally realize what I wanted. Sometimes it can be difficult to realize your worth when you’re just starting out. You may feel like you aren’t good enough to stand up for yourself or that you don’t know enough to be ‘good’ at what you do. It takes time to learn and grow, and giving yourself the time and grace to realize that can be hard, but trust yourself and listen to your gut! I definitely worked in places that didn’t feel right for me and learned the hard way that sometimes certain jobs just won’t work out. You must keep trying, and eventually, you’ll find yourself exactly where you need to be.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’ve designed a multitude of projects, including hospitals, elementary schools, restaurants, boutique apartment buildings, community buildings, offices, and most recently breweries! I am a jack of all trades, and I pride myself in trying to learn as much as I can about all different types of things. I create interior plans that combine my design style with the client’s vision and work to communicate priorities and needs for each project so that no matter what type, the end result is a space that is refreshing, bright, and unique.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
On a more personal note, here are some things about me: I’m marrying my fiancé on the 4th of July (our seven year anniversary (and turning 23 shortly after! Together me and my fiancé have four pets, two cats and two dogs, and we are starting our lives together (both personally and professionally). I enjoy cooking, video games, writing, and learning to draw. I like to travel, and I hope to one day go to Italy, Japan, and Spain!
Contact Info:
- Email: katieelopez98@gmail.com
- Website: katieelopez98.wix.com/design
- Instagram: @katie_e_lopez
Image Credits
RLP Photography (Randy Leyva)
