March 8, 2021
Home & Real Estate, HBTX Home,
Katie Kime’s playful prints add a touch of Texas to the classic pattern. Here, the Austin-based designer dishes on her signature style and what’s up next for her eponymous lifestyle brand.
You’re famous for bold prints and lots of color. Do you follow any rules when it comes to mixing colors and patterns? I certainly don’t think there are any ‘rules,’ but, that said, I do think there are some helpful frameworks. One, start in a powder room instead of a large common space. This way, you can get really risky and bold without ending up with a living room that’s too loud or tires quickly. And two, trust your gut. No one knows what you like more than you do, so go for it!
The navy Austin toile wallpaper gives this room a polished look.
What originally inspired you to design Texas toiles? And how do you decide which city is next? The toiles were an idea I had and worked on for nearly two years before launching—we so wanted to get the essence of the cities right, plus all of the elements are hand-drawn. As we’re Austin-based, we knew it would be included in the initial launch. Marfa was kind of the random, lucky addition that we threw in and has by far been our bestseller. Then, as the demand grew, we added in Dallas. But we knew we couldn’t do DFW as one and needed to separate it from Fort Worth since we know how passionate people are about that. As far as choosing which destination to highlight next... we’ve gotten so many requests for so many different cities! Our next toile launches are California Dreaming, which highlights the whole state; Charleston; and, perhaps the one I’m most excited about, Après Ski, which celebrates mountain towns, snow sports, the art of an afterski fire and cocktail, and so on.
The Dallas toile
What else do you have in the works for 2021? Our next collection, Back to Craft, launches in late March and was really inspired by how we’ve (hopefully) changed for the better as we’ve collectively experienced a global pandemic. It’s a print collection of the things many of us went back to and reclaimed as sacred: cooking and gathering around the table, using our hands via gardening or painting, making our home a haven, and so on. then, two new collections after that—one based mostly on florals, and another on my 10-plus trips to Africa.
The Austin toile
The Marfa toile
The Fort Worth toile
Photography by: