Today we’d like to introduce you to Kathleen Day-Coen.
Hi Kathleen , so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I have a BFA in studio arts and for many years was a professional photographer. I started gallery co in 2003 as a brick and mortar art gallery in the Wyman Building , in downtown Minneapolis with my now ex husband Shane Coen, which was symbiotic with his Landscape Architecture Firm Coen + Partners. I opened a second location in the Northrup King Building in the N.E. Arts district and added consignment goods . During this time I started staging and that turned into me being asked by my art buyers and clients to decorate their interiors. After Shane and I divorced, I closed the gallery and continued to work in the interior design industry, and started to flip houses. I moved to Franconia, MN where I still continue to do interiors -remodels – small scale makeovers to full renovations. I love my job!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The work has been wonderful, my clients are happy, it’s meaningful work. I love my clients. There has been challenges and obstacles have been there, but more related to my physical health. I am on the other side of a couple surgeries. Doing well !
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am known for helping people with their interiors , and collections by being highly collaborative . My mission is to help elevate my clients aesthetic, and realize their vision to its highest potential. I specialize in starting with what clients already own, what they have collected reflects their past and deepens their personal style. Of course there’s an editing process to get rid of what is not working to lighten the energy of the space. Next is honoring the architectural elements and history. I am proud of the journey I go on with my clients , helping them to develop their own taste and ideas that reflect them – not me. I think what sets me apart is my my love of art – the importance of art and the furniture working together. I love the hunt , and I love finding new life for pieces in their collection in unexpected ways. And when I can’t find the perfect piece of furniture I design it and get it custom built by one of the truly talented craftsmen in the area. My process is organic and holistic.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
I love this question! I have been influenced by so many creatives – my whole life , starting with my mom . My favorite thing to do is collaborate with my design work. I truly believe my clients deserve most of the credit – they are the ones that ultimately pull the trigger on any purchases, final selections of all the samples, and options that showed up on the hunt . And the builders , architects, carpenters, etc every single person on the team – great ideas come from so many people, it is my job to bring harmony and balance to the final collection. Helping people feel confident in their decisions – and owning their own style – which might be contemporary, modern , traditional, French , the list goes on and often is best with a mix of influences and styles.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @katdaycoen. galleryco
