We caught up with insightful business owner, Katia Basley a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Katia, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you come up with the idea for your business?

Vision & Hammer was actually a product of natural disaster! My husband and I had just moved into our first home with big plans to renovate and remodel. Four days later, Hurricane Harvey struck, our garage was flooded, and all of our scheduled contractors bailed or tripled their prices due to an influx of work. We debated putting everything on hold, but then we thought- we are two, capable adults (and can’t you just Google everything, anyways?!). So with my husband’s engineering background and my creative abilities, we decided to attempt everything ourselves. We we repaired drywall, we painted, we installed crown molding…and the list goes on! Friends and family allowed themselves to be practice, and a few months later, Vision & Hammer was born.

While my husband decided to stick to his full-time engineering position in oil & gas, I had just hung up my chef coat as a personal chef, and I was ready for a new adventure. I knew I wanted to continue growing V&H and focus not only on remodeling and interior design but also home organization. I realized there were no companies in Houston that combined both of these services with an emphasis on making spaces both beautiful and functional. Fast-forward to 2024, and we’re now a team of 10 with a brick & mortar showroom and office!

Katia, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I wanted to create a business that offered tailored, interior design & home organization solutions for any space within the home. Whether it’s turning an office into a guest room, organizing a pantry or designing an entire home from dirt up – we can do it. I believe that home should be a true reflection of you and your family, and even small design changes can make a big difference.

We wanted to structure ourselves differently than other interior design firms, so along with our lower-than-average retainer fee, we don’t mark up any retail pricing and also pass along part of our trade discounts so clients can enjoy the same perks as us. We recommend our vetted and frequently-used contractors but do not require that ours alone are used (i.e. clients are welcome to hire someone independently of V&H)!

We’re a small team of all women – and almost all moms – so we know how to get things done.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

Word of mouth! Although it seems simple, people trust people more than anything. I always encourage clients to spread the word if they were happy with our services. We know that a review from a friend or family member is so much more valuable than a long list of stranger’s reviews on the internet.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

Finding and keeping good people has been the biggest struggle in my almost six years of business. It’s really hard to find employees who love your business as much as you do and want to work hard to get things done. I have found that sometimes I would rather be managed than have to manage others!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.visionandhammerco.com
• Instagram: visionandhammer
• Facebook: facebook.com/visionandhammer

Image Credits
Smith House Photo Rachel Alyse Photography