Today we’d like to introduce you to Kathryn Baugher.
Kathryn, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Growing up in DFW provided an opportunity to study classical piano and art from an early age. After graduating from MidAmerica Nazarene University with a Bachelor of Arts in Piano Performance, I joined the U.S. Army to become an Arabic Linguist. While stationed in Monterey, California, I met my husband and decided to leave active duty service just prior to our first child’s arrival. For the next 13 years, my family and I found ourselves relocating every 24 to 36 months all over the country and eventually to Japan. During that time, I had to reinvent myself with each move, which prompted me to start thinking about online business. Up to Date Interiors was created to offer a stable platform to provide interior design, decorating, and DIY tutorials to inspire others to love their space no matter where they find themselves.
The constant moving really made me focus on the environment my home was in and how the home harmonized within that environment. Through adapting local sensibilities into my designs, I became comfortable with incorporating a genuine appreciation for the eclectic, the traditional, and the modern in my styling. I am extremely fortunate to have a base of supporters, fans, and clients who share my love for global inspiration and authentic appreciation for culture and lifeways. I am honored to have been featured by the home decor sites of some of my biggest mentors and oldest friends, as well as being featured on other online sites, such as Real Simple, Better Homes and Gardens, Woman’s Day, HGTV, Apartment Therapy, Pioneer Woman, and Buzzfeed. I also authored and published an ebook in 2015 outlining home decor fundamentals and have since used my background in education to produce an online decorating course. I currently reside in Fort Worth with my husband and two children.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It has definitely been challenging! A blogger/designer has to wear many hats. Not only am I a creator, but I have to be a great writer, editor, photographer, website tech, marketing pro, and videographer. I am self-taught in all of these areas but definitely have strong and weak points that I consistently try to improve. Working in the online world also means I need to keep up with best practices for the ever-changing social media platforms and Google guidelines because they are essential to my business.
When I started Up to Date Interiors, I dreamed about all of the creative ideas and projects I would share. In reality, I spend 80% of my time doing anything but that.
We’d love to hear more about Up to Date Interiors.
I love creating colorful and eclectic interiors and hope to inspire others to love their space with DIY home improvements and decor. Since I have lived overseas, I have a unique perspective on working with global decor and overcoming decorating challenges in a multitude of settings. I’m also passionate about self-improvement and happiness through an organized, decluttered, and well-designed space and believe anyone can achieve this no matter their budget or living situation. I’m currently working on developing a pattern collection inspired by our travels and life for a future home decor line.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
That’s an interesting question. For the first few years, I was waiting for a lucky break, hoping to get that golden opportunity for a great feature and tons of exposure to really grow. I’ve actually had many but few led to my business growing. I realized it is more important to focus on things I can control. I am super blessed to have a creative outlet that earns an income and can do it from home. What better time to inspired others to love their space than during a period where we are staying, learning, and working home much more often?
I don’t want to get too much into the life of a military family that included a dangerous job and multiple deployments. It was very hard at times but it has made us a strong and close family with resilient kids and grateful parents. And we have lived in Japan for four years! How cool is that?
Contact Info:
- Website: https://uptodateinteriors.com
- Email: kathy@uptodateinteriors.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/uptodateinteriors
- Facebook: facebook.com/uptodateinteriors
Image Credit:
Kathryn Baugher
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