At the age of 6 or 7, Kate would help her dad and brothers run wire along the rafters of her family’s latest home build and frequently rode alongside her mom to pickup carpet and furniture samples at the loading docks in NW Portland, now called the Pearl. By middle school she was showing off her carpentry skills in wood shop and rearranging furniture in friends bedrooms (and their parent’s living rooms). She was formally trained as an industrial designer and studied engineering but remodeling and interiors have remained her passion. She’s found a way to weave them into her wide-ranging career for the last 20 years.

In 2021, Kate started her own Design + Build construction company running a one-woman show for her clients doing kitchen and bath remodels from start to finish. In 2023 she co-founded Tabor Design Group, a design firm focused on affordable housing in Oregon. Her and her business partner designed the interiors of 29 multi-family apartment buildings that have opened their doors all over state. Kate continues to study trauma-informed design and consult with the development partners she made but in 2026 she was ready to return to her passion for single family homes in the city she calls home; Portland, Oregon.

Outside of Daté Designs, Kate loves mentoring other woman-owned businesses, spending time in hot springs and riding her bikes—and she is still rearranging her own furniture - now with her toddler in mind.