Catherine Kwong
Catherine Kwong is an American interior designer known for her refined approach to luxury residential interiors, blending modern architecture with rich materiality, custom detailing, and carefully curated artworks and objects. Her work is distinguished by a balance between contemporary restraint and warmth, creating spaces that feel both sophisticated and deeply personal.
Based in San Francisco, Kwong founded Catherine Kwong Design with a focus on crafting timeless interiors that emphasize atmosphere, craftsmanship, and livability. Often described as “a modernist with romantic tendencies,” her design language combines architectural clarity with layered textures, collected elements, and subtle moments of unexpected beauty.
Before establishing her own studio, Kwong worked closely with renowned designers Bill Sofield and Paul Vincent Wiseman. She holds degrees from Brown University and Parsons School of Design, and was named a “Designer to Watch” by Architectural Digest for her thoughtful and disciplined approach to contemporary interiors.
“Try to mix vintage pieces with contemporary art. That contrast brings so much personality and depth to a space.”
INTERVIEW
Photo by Sam Frost
I start with the architecture. For ground-up builds, we do a lot of preliminary work to understand what’s being created. In renovations, we analyze the existing space to understand what is working and what can be improved. The architecture sets the tone, and from there, we look at how to complement or juxtapose it with the interiors. Sometimes it’s obvious, and sometimes it takes a bit more digging. It’s important to listen to spaces.
I’ve always been drawn to architecture, from early on. I took architecture courses during undergrad and did some summer programs. Over time, I realized what interested me most were the finishing layers—the tactile and the tangible.
After graduation, I worked for a few years and eventually found myself coming back to interior design. I decided to go back to school and studied interior design at Parsons.
I’ve always had a strong interest in graphics, art, textiles, and design history – and interior design encompasses all of those things. There’s a richness to interiors that I find endlessly inspiring.
Working in New York was an important time in my career, in terms of developing my eye. I lived there both before and after design school and worked there for Bill Sofield and then Ralph Lauren.
Being in a major city in your 20s, there is so much visual and cultural stimulation, and I was constantly surrounded by creative people. It helped shape the way I see and approach design.
Having a strong design concept from the very beginning is essential—it becomes your north star throughout the process. I’m always asking: what’s true to this project? What story are we telling? What does this space look and feel like? That helps anchor the narrative and drive the design forward.
I’ve been called ‘a modernist with romantic tendencies,’ which is kind of a funny phrase… but also kind of perfectly describes my style.
A recent project in Hawaii comes to mind that we called The Island Barn project. The architecture by Walker Warner was stunning and presented us with a strong design direction—it flowed from there. The client had a clear point of view that aligned with ours, balancing minimalism with rich visual layers. The layout was unique—not cookie-cutter in any way. It responded to the natural landscape in an incredibly thoughtful way, with each room approached through different openings that framed the views.
Try to mix vintage pieces with contemporary art. That contrast brings so much personality and depth to a space.
Stay curious. Keep learning everything you can—about design, about art, about the world. Many of the designers I admire, like Rose Uniacke and Pamela Shamshiri, have a deep knowledge of history and a broad architectural education that really shows in their work. I’ve found that a strong foundation of context can provide a lot of freedom and depth in developing your design work.
Photo by Sam Frost
Ian Wallace, Hotel de Nice, Paris 2015. Photos by Sam Frost
How to be selective. It’s easy to want to do it all, especially early on in your career, but over time I’ve learned the importance of focusing—of being particular about what I take on and choosing projects that challenge me creatively. If I’m genuinely excited about the project, it makes the work so much stronger.
I’m enjoying Amy Poehler’s ‘Good Hang’ and Julia Louis-Dreyfus’s ‘Wiser Than Me.’ I’m also really into ‘Dissect,’ the music podcast. For interviews about the industry, ‘Business of Home’ and ‘The Interior Collective’ host podcasts that are always really insightful.
We’re working on exciting residential projects on both coasts, as well as a special project with Brown Estate Winery.
Thank you so much Catherine, for this lovely interview!
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