Today we’d like to introduce you to KAT Troulinos-Wong.
Hi KAT, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Transforming nothing into “something” has been my juju from my earliest days on the planet. Having raised 3 children as a single Mom accelerated this inherent talent and enabled me to express a creative problem solving” magic” filled with form function, color and FUN into my personal spaces no matter how modest for my family.
I took my background from high school theatre coupled with color and design college courses to the next level while working in new home sales.
With a downturn in the market I was selected to lead the charge in liquidating empty spec houses off the market as quickly as possible………….”Staging” came to mind. It was there I researched and sought out the creator of the home staging business herself Barb Schwarz and received certification and training directly from the source! As I implemented the power and magic of staging in every home we quickly turned the books from Red to Black!
With a passion to deliver excellence to every space and every client I went on to receive my ASPM accredited staging professional master certification from Stagedhomes.com.
I had the honor of speaking on how to WOW your clients at the first European IAHSP conference international association of home staging professional conference in Rome in 2018. At TA DA by KAT next level staging & design providing a “WOW” experience is not just lip service………..We would like to think that almost 100 5-star reviews on Houzz is a reflection of the attention to detail, service and results we aspire to.
Celebrating 14 years from my first staging certification it was an incredible Honour to have received the most coveted highest award in the industry ……… “the Barb Schwarz Staging Excellence” award! Our company is the recipient of multiple awards and I cherish each and every one of them and most importantly the beautiful clients who have trusted us with their spaces, our super talented team who work so hard, and are so multi-talented each one of our realtor, investor, builder and homeowner partners who value, receive and refer our services.
I am super excited to share, teach and provide a platform for the industry through my weekly podcast: www.youtube.com/c/tadabykat where we are approaching 70 episodes with interviews from creative geniuses in a myriad of topics KAT ‘s Home Chat “all things home”. I would love to have YOU as my guest!
Our latest efforts are with KAT ‘s eye & décor where we create custom wall art ranging from modern wall orbs to biophilic wall art as well as unique textile & feather wall pieces.
We use these custom hand created pieces on our staging projects as well as our residential and now COMMERCIAL design projects such as restaurants and business offices. We add to the creative process with 432 hertz sound to ensure each custom piece is created with the highest of harmonious vibration 432 Hz is known as the natural tuning of the universe and is a cosmic number related to sacred geometry and provides relaxation and harmony.. We ship our art all over the world and are also excited with the increased opportunity to provide professional consultation services whether staging or design ALSO all over the world.
Our goal is to connect and help as many people as possible and we are finding new ways to do just that. Our spaces are more than ever a sacred space to live in and everyone deserves to feel JOY in those spaces no matter the size, location or means.
Our recent community give back we call………….’Project Love” did just that. Our team was able to go into a women’s home and in less than a day bring color, comfort inspiration and beauty to their space. (check it out Project Love on our youtube channel. We are looking for our next deserving space as we would like to do at least 3 per year.
I believe that it is “in service” that we truly receive back tenfold.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
As a solopreneur………this business can quickly become overwhelming. Everyone thinks staging is so FUN and don’t get me wrong….the final results and helping folks realize a larger equity gain on their house is the BEST……….but there are so many pieces to the puzzle and SWEAT and hard work are not left out of the equation.
My husband was the first to team up with me and his support is immeasurable.
It took me several years to fine tune the art of hiring My “Dream Team”
In fact, I taught a segment in last year’s staging conference on how to do just that.
Being clear on expectations and finding out quickly whether you are a “good fit” I believe are critical.
Everyone’s business model is different so the biggest advice on that I would like to share is “don’t compare your business to others if it does NOT feel right or fit YOUR needs and your big WHY.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I believe we are all artists and are uniquely and beautifully gifted expressing those gifts daily.
I LOVE color…………I have not 1 not 2 but 3 color certifications…………why? Because color is complicated!! I once had a client tell me he was just going to paint the house white so didn’t need help with the main area. I asked him do you know how many “shades of white” and possible “undertones” there are in “white”????
I LOVE color……….oh I already said that right? I am able to use color with confidence which is why you will never see a project of mine described as “bowls of oatmeal”.
Color raises our vibration. It gives us energy or calms us makes us smile.
Color is energy made visible.
Colors can stimulate or inhibit the functioning of different parts of our body and affect us on an emotional level. With our 432 Mh infused biophilia coupled with the vast colors of nature a restoration and balance can be realized when placed in our interior spaces.
With Staging projects, I always triangulate the color using any existing elements as the inspiration. The biggest mistake I see here is the seller or investor going with a say “popular” color like we saw with “grays” and not making sure it is in the correct “warm or cool” tone. This is a big “oops” something doesn’t look right.
With Design projects I determine the client’s “Happy colors”……coupled with any fixed elements or inspiration pieces that are staying and move the color from there. The biggest mistake I see with design clients is there is no color cohesiveness. We can quickly color correct that with simple but strategic solutions more often than not.
Marketing and design are my passions…………….we market each property we stage with an included marketing/video created for our client’s use.
Pricing:
- Virtual consultations $195
- Onsite occupied staging consultation starting at $295
- Vacant key room starting at $1.995
Contact Info:
- Email: tadabykat@gmail.com
- Website: www.tadabykat.com
- Instagram: @tadabykat
- Facebook: facebook.com/tadabykat
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/c/tadabykat
- Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/tadabykat
- Other: https://www.houzz.com/pro/tadastaging
Image Credits
KAT Troulinos (TA DA by KAT next level staging & design)
