I hired Kathy Sturr of Inside Out Designs to help us transition our son's room from the youthful Pottery Barn style he had outgrown and move him to a practical yet tasteful room befitting a high school-er as well as possibly college and beyond. At first, it seemed like a pretty straight forward project but as we got into we realized there were many challenging and potentially conflicting interests. There was the 'look n feel' and quality that we wanted to be consistent with our home; would he take these items with him to college and/or beyond or do we keep a 'guest room' in mind should he not take it with him; and our developed sense of style vs. his burgeoning and changing style. Accomplishing our son's design and décor preferences within our budget and taking short term and long term plans for the room into consideration could have been a frustration at best and a battleground at worst. Lastly, given the new school year was approaching and his room was a central place for homework, it was important the project get implemented quickly. Kathy was phenomenal at finding sources, styles, and solutions that fulfilled multiple criteria and with surprisingly nominal compromise. All of us felt our opinions and desires were heard and listened to. The scope of project: we went from twin to queen bed, his small desk evolved into a workstation and we added more space efficient bookcase all in a coordinated (versus matchy matchy) sophisticated and gently distressed 'shaker' styling. We added more sophisticated bedding and window treatments and Kathy helped us re-frame and reposition artwork so it was cohesive and impactful instead of its former scattered and disparate look. We now have a room that gives him a warm, inviting, mature look, is practical and supports his school needs and is classic enough to endure through college and beyond. And should he outgrow the look as he grows older, we have a beautiful guest room that resonates with the style or our home. Kathy was a pleasure to work with, attentive to every detail, and brought an eye for quality balanced by budget and needs. She easily managed different personalities and criteria, and kept the project on time and on budget. She was also able to blend custom with ready-made, online and retail store to help us get the most value for our money, manage our time effectively and allow us to be 'hands on' where seeing the quality first hand was important. We loved working with her and highly recommend her! read more

I recently purchased a 100 year old home. I was a little lost by where to begin with renovations. The house has a lot of character but several design issues with reguards to furniture lay out and storage. Kathy was excellent at making recommendations of how to arrange furniture and utilize space. She was also helpful in selecting paint colors and making recommendations on design features in keeping with the house's age. She definately gave me lots of useful ideas and saved me from making a few costly errors. i highly reccomend Kathy and Inside-Out Desgins. read more

I have to say that Kathy is the best. I have worked on both sides with her. Both as a painter on projects with her clients and as a client myself. She REALLY knows her stuff. As a painter we work with many designers. I will tell you that there are designers that when we are doing a job for them we know all of the colors that will be used in the house. They use the some ones over and over. I have even walked into homes and known who the designer was based on the colors used. NOT WITH KATHY! She actually does what fits each individual client. I have seen here do really contemporary schemes, all the way to VERY traditional schemes. I wouldn't use anyone else. Thank you Kathy. read more

We recently bought a house in Los Gatos and wanted some advice on decorating. Kathy was fantastic!!! She walked through every room with me giving me expert advice on furniture placement, additional pieces and sizes to consider, paint colors based on our style and gave me a list of places to shop for furniture and rugs. I am so excited to get started with her suggestions and will definitely call her again to help us with all of our design projects! Having just gone through a pretty extensive remodel in our previous house, I know the value of a really good consultation. I would absolutely recommend her for any size project. read more

Kathy is truly helping make my living room redesign project an exciting one! I had put it off for a long time, just out of fear of all the decisions. But, Kathy, changed all that. She has consulted on every part of the project, from the paint color and the window coverings to the furniture selection and room layout. It is looking so great, and Kathy has really helped take the fear out of the process. I've also seen some of her other work, including a full house interior/exterior design, and all I can say is AMAZING! Kathy is a top-notch, talented design professional, and I highly recommend her. read more

I was thrilled with the personal home evaluation I received from Kathy. I was hesitant about the initial consultation because my home is so small I was sure there was nothing Kathy could suggest to make the space more useable, but much to my pleasant surprise, she had several great ideas for how I could economize space and add storage! From simply switching out a vase to adding bins in my closet, her excellent recommendations were smart and economical. Kathy's effervescent personality was also a joy to be around, and I'd highly recommend her for projects large or small. read more

Kathy helped me when I moved into my condo that had been freshly painted and I didn't know what the color was! I had pulled so many color samples from home depot and and I was going crazy! Kathy came over with all the paint fans from all the different companies and in a matter of 10 minutes had the paint matched. She is a pleasure to work with, on time, professional, and FULL of knowledge. I will be using Kathy from InsideOut Designs again! read more

I've worked with Kathy twice now and have been happy with the results. The first time was to get some ideas in a new home. Second time was to pick paint colors. She also recommended a painter and they were excellent! read more

For all those people leaving SF for other parts of CA, look no further! Let me start by saying, " I wish there were more stars I could give Kathy." She was FANTASTIC! I shopped around and found that her consultation fee and hourly fees were very fair, so what set her apart from the others was her responsiveness. I hired Kathy because my son purchased a house in Angels Camp, CA but I live in NY. I knew he would get frustrated trying to furnish it. Hence, the reason we needed Kathy. So, she came, measured, and discussed layouts/designs with him. It was clear from the beginning that she was experienced and she intuitively understood his taste and the look he was trying to accomplish. However, the icing on the cake was when he decided, unannounced, to go and shop for a dinette, living room and office spaces one weekend. So I called Kathy from NY, explained that my son was out shopping in SF and she literally talked him through the different purchases. Like a lot of things these days, she worked remotely that day and helped him with all his purchases. She was extremely pleasant, easy-going, and just plain INCREDIBLE! I loved her approach and the way she always kept her client's taste in mind when she made suggestions. My son is not done with the house, so I know we will be reaching out again! I RECOMMEND HER 10000%. read more

We recently moved into a new house with a hodge-podge collection of furniture and interesting paint colors on the walls. Overwhelming, to say the least, for an inexperienced interior designer like me! Kathy walked into our house and immediately noticed a couple of things that dramatically changed how I looked at a room, at space, and color. Sometimes you look at something and sense that it's not right, but don't know why: she had the solution, and more than one, too, which can be helpful on the pocket! She gave me tips on how to think about color in a house - and then how to work each room into that scheme. It helped pull everything together for me and she gave me a lot to think about and mull over. Kathy is super friendly and personable, making it easy to talk to her about ideas. She can work with what you have or bring new ideas to the table; in our case, she did both. Since our consultation, Kathy has been available via email to answer questions or offer advice/references. SO helpful - especially when it comes to custom work. While we did a short consultation for 2 spaces in our house, I am having her come back now that I've had time to absorb her initial ideas. I would recommend her to any of my friends, no matter what their budget is - you can learn a lot in one hour, or really delve into details over the course of a morning. I like that she offers both options to clients, especially if, like me, you are new to this sort of activity! read more

I really enjoyed working with Kathy. I hired her after we moved from a small 3 bedroom house to our much larger 4 bedroom house. In a few hours, she gave me great ideas of how to rearrange furniture, what to buy, and where to hang all the paintings. She cancelled our initial session due to illness but was willing to come over during the weekend to accommodate my work schedule. read more

Great Service, Professional, Knowledgeable I am very impressed with the level of expertise, creativity of ideas, and ease of transacting that Kathy brings to her design business. Kathy came in and spent about an hour walking through the house with me. She provided suggestions that have allowed me to start with a few simple changes at very low cost to produce an immediately improved ambience, while also planning for a couple of larger, more involved projects that will evolve over the next couple of months. Kathy is full of great ideas and advice on basic design principles and elements. She provided both specifics on what I could start on right away, as well as some larger projects she will return to help me get done. I highly recommend Kathy's affordable, knowledgeable expertise. She also writes a great blog full of excellent ideas, which I peruse all the time: http://inside-outdesigns.com/blog/ read more

My husband and I bought a cosmetic fixer-upper about a year ago, and we had trouble figuring out where to begin. After reading about Kathy in the Mercury News, I checked out her website and decided to book a consultation. I'm really glad I did. Kathy was prompt and professional, and she covered a lot of ground in just a couple of hours. She recommended paint colors I never would have discovered myself--colors that really complement our furniture and art. She also gave me great advice about where to position light fixtures, where to hang art, and what styles and colors of carpet to consider. She saved me a lot of aimless hours squinting at swatches in paint stores, and I couldn't be happier. read more