Designer and educator spotlights theme design, sustainability
Kathleen Donohue has a long and storied career, having worked as an award-winning designer, speaker, author and educator, with specialty areas including theme design, architectural history, sustainability and accessibility.
Theme design remains a passion for the Neil Kelly designer, who’s currently working on designing a historically accurate garden shed in a neighborhood of 1910 historic homes, after recently completing a master bath in a 1910 Greek revival home, restoring it to the classical style.
As part of the Neil Kelly team, she is also helping to elevate the industry through her efforts with sustainability, and notes that the company is a “B Corporation,” which “is a special designation saying that you choose to put people before profits – pay living wages, give back to the community, be very conscious of sustainability, etc.” She incorporates this into her own designs by creating more energy-efficient features and giving clients options for natural materials rather than products that off-gas.
Future plans include what she calls “rewirement” – a semi-retirement that will allow her to focus on fewer projects for previous clients and referrals. She concludes, “The idea of being able to work on one project at a time – what a luxury! We do this for the inherent love of it, and I’m looking forward to spoiling my clients with all my attention!”
