Valuable Relationships

Ranging from neutral color palettes to classic comfort, these women are leaving their mark on the Wilmington design front.

There’s a variety of reasons one might enlist the help of an interior designer or stylist. Some look for help getting their Airbnb ready for guests who are looking for the perfect beach getaway, competing with other rentals on the island for bookings. Others might look for help decorating their forever home.

Three local women are contributing their design eyes and talents to the area’s scene with recent endeavors: MORGAN BRANDEMUEHL, KERIE LORD, and KATHARINE HARRIS. Among them, their styles range from colorful, bold, and eclectic to a more refined, high-end style.

For the longest time, KATHARINE HARRIS, owner of Sixth and Steel, wasn’t sure what she wanted to be when she grew up. She initially started college on the elementary art education track but quickly changed to interior design her second semester after feeling education wasn’t the right track for her.

After graduating, Harris worked in Wilmington with a local designer and has grown her portfolio ever since. Through her first job, she was able to create valuable relationships with local custom homebuilders, which turned into a full-time job as its in-house designer and selections coordinator until 2021. In 2021, her own interior design company was born.

A majority of Harris’ clients are new construction clients.

“I work with them from the very beginning of their meeting with their architect and coming up with plans for their build,” says Harris. “Most of the time they already have their lot and have maybe started their preliminary plans with their architect. We’ll walk through the plan together and we do all selections.”

In addition to Wilmington-based clients, Harris has clients all over the world. As of late, she’s been working with a client in California and one in Europe. Those clients were procured through referrals and contract work.

“Most of my in-person clients are here in North Carolina, mostly Wilmington, Wrightsville Beach, and Hampstead – some Raleigh and some Greensboro,” Harris says. “It’s mostly full-service. We do all selections, all hardware, flooring, and trim and millwork. Then we’ll move into the furniture aspect of it, and we’ll do our presentations, all of the finish samples and material samples that they need. We’ll procure it and install it.”

Her approach with her interior design clients is that of a friend; she hopes to build good relationships from the start and understand exactly what they’re trying to get out of their space, almost like they “share the same brain.”

“I try to approach it more like we are almost friends because I specialize in new builds, and it’s a process that’s a year minimum,” Harris says. “I try to make sure we really fit well together and can chat, almost to a point where we share the same brain. Some of my clients recently joked that we share the same brain, which is always nice and makes things a lot easier.”

Harris describes her nationally recognized interior design style as refined with high-end, classic comfort.

“In terms of inspiration, I see a lot of what other designers are doing,” she says. “I also love Mexican style and Scandinavian style and some mixes of just colorful designs.”

In her personal style, Harris strives to take inspiration from nature.

“I feel like I’ve always loved to try and dress a little bit differently than what’s trendy,” Harris says.

As for how she came up with the name Sixth and Steel, she came up with it within minutes of applying for her business license. She didn’t want to use her name because if she “figured she’d get married one day and change her last name,” so she opted for some street names that sounded good together.

“I don’t have anything other than it just kinda popped into my brain a few minutes before I clicked ‘pay for your business,’” she says. “Sixth and Steel was born pretty quick.”

To view more of photographer Daria Amato’s work, go to dariaphoto.com

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