We recently connected with Kate Mazza and have shared our conversation below.

Kate, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

One of life’s most meaningful lessons for me has been that taking a risk always pays off. Whether it be through business success, a project detail coming out even better than imagined, or a hard-earned lesson, I’ve learned that rolling the dice on myself or a cool design idea is worth it. This is why I encourage my clients to be bold in design decisions.

For example, one of my favorite design risks was with a family who had purchased an incredible Tudor built in 1930. It had great bones that were a perfect contrast for the family’s contemporary, cool vibe. When you first entered the home, there was a blank corner at the end of the foyer directly opposite you. I felt that leaving it empty or just putting some furniture there was anticlimactic – this was the home’s first shot at really wowing you with something unique! So instead, I started playing with the idea of a custom mirror installation to bounce some light in and make the space feel larger, all while creating something sophisticated and different – exactly what my clients felt like to me. Now, that space has custom dark gray mirrors installed increasingly closer together as they get near the corner, making an interesting optical illusion pulling you into the space. It gives guests an artful welcome into the home. I think this was a design risk that definitely paid off, and I highly encourage others to use their home as a canvas like this!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m Kate Mazza, and first and foremost, I am an artist. My medium is livable space, and my work is a love letter to each client. My mission is to show people that your home is art you live in, and that living in spaces that reflect your beautiful self enhances your life immeasurably.

I’m an interior designer and have been in the industry for almost 15 years. I launched my own firm after a decade of working under several acclaimed designers whom I’m proud to have learned from. In my work, I solve the problem of how can I make your home both functional and aesthetically pleasing, but more importantly, how can I make your home actually look like YOU? This is why the projects in my portfolio all look very different, and why interior design is such an interesting art form. I really enjoy the process of getting to know new clients and refining designs until they reach that perfect amalgamation of harmony, balance, contrast, and scale that actually feels like clients themselves. It’s a super rewarding job that I’m very grateful to be doing.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

I think that society recognizing the role that artists and creatives play is imperative. Creatives of all stripes – designers, painters, sculptors, photographers, architects, musicians, etc. – create moments for people to pause, reflect, and appreciate life and the opportunities in the circumstances that surround us. We hold up a mirror to all of the innumerable things it means to be human. I think society can support this by prioritizing funding to the arts in schools, by appreciating the contributions of creatives in our day-to-day lives, and ensuring creative positions are not outsourced to AI and are compensated fairly. All of these things can support our creatives in making our society more beautiful, self-reflective, and compassionate.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is knowing that I’m living authentically. There’s such a sense of empowerment in that vulnerability, you know? I’m grateful everyday to be able to express myself creatively.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.mazzacollective.com/
• Instagram: @mazzacollective

Image Credits

All photography by Jacob Snavely