What started out for Kate Koch as an interior design business has turned into a gem of a home decor store for Stafford County residents. Simply Beautiful Spaces takes up the corner of a shopping center off Courthouse Road but is one that people should make the trip for.
The store, set up into vignettes of living spaces, offers an aesthetic that is fit for those with transitional homes because the pieces are an eclectic mix of high-quality, unique pieces, many from vendors at Highpoint in North Carolina and Basset Furniture as well as local artisans—Koch even makes some custom pieces for the store.
The store opened in late 2012 after a few years of Koch running a design service. But listening to her clients—whom Koch describes as mostly military with an appreciation for aesthetics—Koch decided to change the vision of her business and focus solely on the store.
For the atmosphere, Koch focused on carrying things that she loves, but she wanted the space to inspire customers as well. “I wanted the space to be a reflection of my heart and soul,” she says. And since she changes her mind often with decor, the shop is changing with the seasons. Last fall the store was darker, and Koch brought in barn doors for the front windows, but she then went bright later on. The shop also evolves based on the customers stating what they’d like to see, says Koch.
The store carries almost any type of merchandise one looking to revamp their home could want—furniture, florals, lighting, textiles, rugs, wall art, tableware and gift items—but it also offers a community feel through workshops and parties Koch hosts. Every Friday and Saturday one-on-one paint classes are held where a customer can bring in a piece of their furniture and Koch will show them how to rework the piece with the American Paint Company paint the store carries. And then there are also group classes that can be set up through the store for private parties.
And though Koch stopped her full-fledged design service, she does still get involved with her clients’ design through the store’s virtual design service. Clients simply email Koch pictures of the space, and she will work with them and put together a board of paint colors, furniture, decor and more and recommend other professionals she knows if a client wants to hire someone for the manual labor of putting the room together.
That being said, Koch will always have her designer sense. She is constantly working with her customers to put together their perfect home. // 45 Walpole St., Suite 101, Stafford
