Catherine Macfee
Stylish Spaces

"I have a very strong business head thanks to FIDM," explains Catherine Macfee, President and Principal Designer of Catherine Macfee & Associates. Leading a team of three designers, Catherine is an interior designer in Northern California, known for her classic sophistication and elegance.

Her work has been featured everywhere from Sunset magazine to House Beautiful Kitchen & Bath. Mountain Living magazine named "Fish Lip Lodge," one of Catherine's favorite projects, "Home of the Year, 2000." The lodge was transformed from a white-walled, neutral-toned ski cabin into a warm and spirited family retreat.

Catherine Macfee & Associates's services range from accessorizing a single room to full scale residential remodeling and design services for a new construction. "I really like a mix of things," says the Allied Member of the prestigious American Society of Interior Designers. "I'm very eclectic and love rooms with a soul. We do comfortable, but still classic with a little bit of a twist." Catherine's firm also offers space planning and custom furniture design.

With more than ten years of experience under her belt, Catherine has also created displays for the Ritz-Carlton hotel and Pastis Restaurant in conjunction with the annual March of Dimes Gourmet Gala. She has also served as Representative and Design Liason for San Francisco's famed "Idea House," which showcases inventive ideas for home and garden.

Catherine's career-in-the-making started when she was working a retail job in Portland, Oregon. "One of the reps that was selling the sweater line started talking to me about FIDM," she explains. "I decided I would move to San Francisco and attend." Even though Catherine was a few years older than the average first year student it didn't stop her. "I was one of the old chicks," she laughs. "But it was great. I finished the program and worked the entire time."

While majoring in Merchandise Marketing at FIDM, Catherine learned valuable business lessons that apply today. Even though she didn’t major in Interior Design, she says she uses classes like Color Theory in her work often. "I can’t draw though," she laughs. "That’s my weakness." Right after graduating in 1983, Catherine managed the Louis Vuitton store in San Francisco, where she had the opportunity to be trained in Paris.

After meeting and marrying her husband, she moved back to Portland and decided she wanted to go into business for herself. "It was small jobs on my own and then I went to apprentice for a large firm in Portland," she explains. "It’s a slow process starting, but I got some really huge projects on second homes in Lake Tahoe." Her business really started booming when she moved back to the Bay Area.

In 2001, Catherine fulfilled a lifelong dream and opened Catherine Macfee Home, a retail store in front of her design studio. Located in Orinda, California’s Theater Square, the shop combines her merchandising background with her love of design. "I travel a lot and that was one of the reasons for doing the retail store," she says. "I started building a collection and thought, ‘Wow, I should sell this!’"

Catherine says she is inspired by her travels, as well as by trends. "Trends might inspire me to put a certain color in a pillow that you throw into the space," she explains. "We take on a theme and have a feeling of what the space will be." The designer also works with her clients to determine how their personality fits into the plans.

Even though she has worked in various parts of the Pacific Northwest and California, she remains loyal to the Bay Area. "It’s sophisticated here and casual," she says. "We’re so close to the ocean, the mountains, and I love the Tahoe area." Catherine currently has two children.

"Expose yourself to as many things as you can and try to stick to your true passions," recommends Catherine to students. "Just practicing your passion any way you can is good."

Please visit www.macfeeinteriordesign.com for more information.

Please Note: The information contained herein was confirmed at the time of original publication.