By Barry Smith
Photography by Emily Followill
Styling by Eleanor Roper
Life came full circle for designer Katie Kirby last year when she returned to Birmingham after living in Mobile for more than 20 years. Kirby first lived in Birmingham in the mid-1990s after graduating from college with a degree in nursing, starting her career and meeting her future husband Scott while he completed his medical residency.
And while nursing was her profession, Kirby had a lifelong interest in art and design. “I knew at a very early age that I wanted to do something in the arts,” she says. Growing up in Andalusia, Kirby’s family was full of artists, designers and architects. “And growing up in the South, my mom and grandmothers were always redoing rooms and rearranging spaces, and I was involved in those processes,” she recalls. “I just always loved design.”
When Kirby moved to Mobile in 2001, she was home raising her two kids—son Carnes and daughter Libby—and helping friends with their renovation projects. Eventually her friends convinced her that she should make it a full-time job, so she opened Katie Kirby Interiors in 2004.
Last August, Kirby and her husband moved back to Birmingham to be closer to their adult children who were both living in the city. They purchased a home in Mountain Brook that they are currently renovating, and Kirby set out to find a space in which to open a Birmingham office. “I still have my office in Mobile, so I guess I’m a two-location girl now,” Kirby laughs. Kirby found the perfect space in Mountain Brook Village on Culver Road in the storefront that was once Pars Gallery of Fine Oriental Rugs. After extensive renovations, Kirby moved into the office in mid-April and has been steady at work ever since.
Timeless Tudor
Kirby loves all types of projects, but she has a particular fondness for renovations where she can breathe new life into a space. This was the case on a whole-house renovation of an historic Tudor that she worked on with architect Robert McCown. The homeowners—a young couple with four children—desired to retain the historic charm of the home but improve the flow and design of the interior to better fit their family’s busy life.
In the home’s kitchen, the walls were paneled with a dark-stained walnut, and dated tile was removed, uncovering the home’s original oak floors. The oak planks were stained dark to match the walls, creating a sophisticated, but cozy, family feel. “The paneling creates a real coziness in the space, and we chose light fixtures that were very in keeping with the style of the home and added weight to the space,” Kirby says. “Everything is very understated yet significant.”
The kitchen’s cabinetry is the same dark walnut as the paneling, and Calacatta marble was used for the countertops and backsplash. The large kitchen island has seating for three and plenty of space for prep and serving. There is also another space for service when the homeowners entertain.
The home didn’t have a powder room, so the original kitchen pantry was converted to a powder room accessible from a back hallway. A small addition made room for a new pantry and laundry room off the kitchen. An additional bump out from the back wall of the kitchen made room for a large picture window to be added, bringing in an abundance of natural light.
In the informal dining room, off the kitchen, built-in cabinetry was removed to allow another entrance to be added into the kitchen. “Adding the second entry greatly improved the flow,” Kirby says. The two entrances were also transformed into archways, which are characteristic of Tudor architecture. The walls and beamed ceiling were painted a cool grey to highlight the furnishings and the light fixtures over the dining table.
“The project was just a fabulous collaboration,” Kirby says of working hand in hand with the homeowners, the architect and the contractor to achieve the family’s renovation goals.
For more information about Katie Kirby Interiors, visit katiekirbyinteriors.com or on Instagram @katiekirbyinteriors.
