Today we’d like to introduce you to Katie Fox.
Katie, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Right brain versus left brain has always been a battle for me. Going to college and struggling with being a finance major because I grew up poor and certainly didn’t want to remain that way or do I follow my creative heart and go into fine arts. My grandmother always told me I had a knack for business, so I decided to have some fun and study drawing and painting. Let’s just say painting live, nude models didn’t get me anywhere so I worked a lot and bought a house at 21 years old. I poured everything I had into the aesthetic of that house and found my passion. I decided to get LEED certified to monetize my career and learn construction hands-on. I had a “day job” to pay the bills and did a lot of pro bono work to build up both my portfolio and my knowledge within the industry. When I went to officially start my company, I knew I didn’t want to name it after myself. First of all, where is the creativity in that? And secondly, I never wanted it to be about me. I know what all it takes to build and create and I wanted something with meaning.
My grandfather that was a builder and farmer had two horses when I was young named Hartley and Locklyn, therefor Hart & Lock was born. I liked the play on words it could have with the heart within a locked house. Silly maybe, but it was meaningful to me. The past 10 years have been a lot of blood, sweat, and a few tears, but well worth it. We are now a full service design build company. From inspiration to installation is our motto. We like to get our hands dirty in the architectural planning phase all the way through to placing the last pillow on the bed. We specialize in new builds, large renovations, and whole home interiors. Both residential and boutique commercial projects. 2024 is an exciting year, including a seven-home subdivision of English Arts and Crafts custom homes, the first Hart & Lock Designer show house that will be for sale in the spring, and the completion of an exciting restaurant.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I think if business is always smooth, then you aren’t doing something right. Learning from my hiccups has put me much further ahead than trying to play by all the rules. And in the nature of our business, where every project is different, and there are always lots of hands that come into play to complete a project, mistakes are bound to happen. We are constantly reevaluating how we do things to make sure we can be as efficient and consistent as possible. The biggest struggle in our business are logistics! Unfortunately, those sorts of things are out of hand for the majority, but we’ve learned a good timeline and aligned ourselves with the best partners to make this as smooth as possible.
As you know, we’re big fans of Hart & Lock Design. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
I feel like I’ve probably already rambled on enough about this! But I feel our brand does a good job of bringing a fresh take on a project and the execution. We are not known for one style, nor do I want to be. For some firms, that works well, but for Hart & Lock we pride ourselves on a diverse design palette. I always challenge my clients to think outside the box and we usually have fun along the way!
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
I actually really like to still pick up design magazines. I always tell my clients to pick up magazines of design styles they normally wouldn’t to help open their minds to new things. With the algorithms of social media these days, once you look at one style, you are constantly fed more of that style, and I feel like it can play mind games into thinking that’s what you like.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.hartandlock.com
- Instagram: @hartandlockdesign
Image Credits
Heidi Harris – Photographer
