Kathrine McDonald Design

I recently had the pleasure of working with Kathrine McDonald on a very high-end new build at Wainui Beach in Gisborne, and the experience was nothing short of extraordinary. From the initial consultation to the final reveal, Kathrine's expertise, creativity, and attention to detail were evident in every aspect of the project. Kathrine possesses a remarkable ability to understand and translate personal style and functionality into spaces that are both beautiful and livable. The design process was collaborative and seamless, thanks to her excellent communication skills and mood boards which allowed me to visualize the end result before any work was done. What sets Kathrine apart is her exceptional taste and the ability to create bespoke environments that reflect the unique personality and needs of her clients. She introduced me to a palette of textures, colours, and materials I would have never considered, which ultimately brought depth and sophistication to my home. The project management aspect was handled with utmost professionalism. Kathrine worked closely with contractors and suppliers, ensuring that every detail was executed to perfection and within the agreed timeline and budget. Her network of artisans and craftsmen contributed to the uniqueness of the design, with custom-made pieces that became the highlight of my home. In conclusion, Kathrine's services are an investment in quality and design excellence. She has transformed my home into a sanctuary that exceeds my wildest dreams. I highly recommend Kathrine to anyone looking to elevate their living space. Her talent, dedication, and passion for interior design are truly exceptional. The Project can be viewed on Airbnb "ONYX House - Wainui Beach"

My partner and I first met Kath back in early 2022. At that time we were looking for someone that could provide professional advise to us during the major renovation project of our home, which commenced January 2023. Kath proved to be immensely valuable throughout the 9 months the project took from start to finish. Kath work alongside our Architect to ensure we were all on the same page. Kath provided valuable advice, communicating with the many key suppliers throughout on all interior design and the preferred choice on products. This approach would ensure we kept to the high standard we were aiming for when it came to the style of the home and quality of finish. Great vision, knowledgeable and a great communicator of her ideas throughout project, therefore we have no hesitation in thoroughly recommending Kath McDonald for professional advice on interior design and general consultancy work associated with home renovations. Fabulous!

Kath was great to work with on our new kitchen and renovations. We had the idea, but Kath provided the expertise and detail to really give us an awesome kitchen. Kath was always available to discuss and advise on our ideas and materials to help us to make a decision. Kath also introduced us to quality tradesman to complete the build. We would recommend Kath to all who want a great outcome/design for their home.

We have worked with Kathrine McDonald Design on a number of renovation projects over the last 7 years and each and every time the experience has been fantastic and unique. This latest project was by far our largest and having Kath involved made for a smooth, methodical and enjoyable process. She always listens to our needs and requirements and has excellent taste, great ideas/suggestions and knows where to source interesting products and materials whilst working within our budget. Kath was an integral member of the overall project team liaising with the main contractor, subbies and suppliers, and was extremely responsive and able to turnaround decisions quickly to maintain programme. As always, Kath and her team were professional throughout and always had the time to discuss and review the project, ideas and provide solutions to any issues that arose during construction on site. We absolutely love the look and feel of our completed renovation which felt like home the day we moved back in. We highly recommend Kathrine McDonald Design.

As soon as we started planning for our second renovation, I knew I wanted to work with Kath on the project. Kath understood our vision straight away, and her interpretation of the potential has taken things to the next level in terms of both design aesthetic and functionality. We have worked with Kath before, and as expected she brought her signature flair and style to the design process. Her unwavering pragmatism also ensured we retained a balanced approach; so both time and money were spent in the right places. Whilst our house would now photograph beautifully for a magazine, it still feels like us… We are thrilled with the final result, and feel blessed to call this beautiful space home. A huge thanks to the very talented Kath and her team!

Kath was our first choice to help us bring to life the way we wanted our family to live in a design aesthetic that embraced the stuff that we loved and her exceptional eye for detail and style. Her patience and practical advice has helped us optimise and maximise design and functional choices. I've appreciated the time she took to understand the things that were important for us and then elevated those with new ideas and beautiful choices. On top of that, she dots the i's & t's and made it easy for our building team to work efficiently with full detailed briefs on hand and was always available to come on site to help with the tricks you get with any build. We are so grateful for her advice and support as we now have a home we could only have dreamed of when we started this journey.

Working with Kath was the best thing we did through our build! Having someone we trusted to help us make design decisions made the process so much more enjoyable. We knew it would be an incredible end result because of Kath. Her communication is also amazing! Thanks Kath we really appreciate you!!!

Kath has been a pleasure to work alongside with through our building process. Her design ideas and inspiration have been awesome and we have been very grateful to have her input in every way. Kath has been super supportive and reassuring always and nothing is ever a problem. Kath is always very communicative and responsive to questions and meeting us on site to go over any issues. I look forward to working with Kath and her team again and would highly recommend her for any interior design.

Kath is awesome at what she does! She has a unique design ability to bring together colour, texture, materials and coverings that transform a space from functional to wow. Kath has been an absolute pleasure to work with. Right from the beginning she laid out a vision for our home that was quite a distance from our original plans. That said, we trusted her vision and passion and let her guide us through the process. The result is amazing! We love our new home and that is all down to her. Along the way we would come across materials or furniture we thought would look great and would seek Kath’s view. She was always decisive it worked, or it didn’t. The end results proved she was on the money. We would definitely recommend this great Designer and her team.

Kathrine is so easy to work with and she immediately recognised my tastes. She worked in a way that gave me choices without feeling overwhelmed. Kath dealt with suppliers directly (getting useful discounts) and dealt on my behalf with any issues. I now have a beautiful house with quality materials and furniture that provides exactly the feel that I want. I could not have achieved this without Katherine’s ideas, resources and connections.

My late 60s modernist house needed a full kitchen and bathroom upgrade. Whilst I had a sense of the overall look and how we wished to live in the space, finalising details and making decisions, was overwhelming. Katherine was fantastic to work with. Her refined sensibility championed the materiality and design era of the architecture, and all of the final elements are visually and beautifully in harmony with each other. Coming home is such a pleasure. Her suggestions elevated the final outcome to a level I never would have been able to achieve on my own. Plus her extensive network of suppliers, fabricators etc helped me to determine the best designer / product for the job. Finally Katherine is an excellent communicator, she's such a pleasure to spend time with and I learnt so much from her over the course of the project. I would happily recommend her for your project.

Kath has helped me on a number of project both personally and professionally. She has an uncompromising eye for detail. Her ability to bring design elements together into a cohesive palette is exceptional. She has added a lot of value through her extensive network of suppliers and contractors. I have completely enjoyed working with Kath and look forward to the next projects we can work on together.