The team at Fig Linens and Home loves working with designers in the Westport area and beyond. We have always admired the style of Lindsay Bilchik, especially how she chooses gorgeous custom options for her clients. Lindsay is a Westport interior designer and one of the minds behind L. Kate Interiors.
For this article, we got together with Lindsay and her sister Jodi to discuss their design process, how they choose bedding, shopping small in Westport, and their advice for emerging interior designers.
Let's dive right in!
"At LKI our mission is to design homes that best reflect the people living in them and the lives they lead."
The Best of WEstport: Interview with Lindsay Bilchik of L. Kate Interiors
1. Can you tell me a little bit about yourself and your business?
My name is Lindsay Kate Bilchik. I'm the founder of L. Kate Interiors, a sister-run boutique interior design firm.
LKI was founded in NYC in 2011 where I lived after graduating from Syracuse University and majoring in Interior Design. In April of 2021, my sister Jodi Rae Ryan joined me, expanding our business to the Boston, MA area!
At LKI our mission is to design homes that best reflect the people living in them and the lives they lead. We curate beautiful, warm, functional family spaces that grow with you without compromising high style or design.
We are based in Westport, CT where I also live with my husband, 2 little boys, and 2 dogs.
2. What are the first steps you take when you are designing a new space?
We want people to walk into your home and say “Wow this looks amazing and feels JUST LIKE YOU”!
That’s why the first step, in our multi-step process for designing the best space for our
clients, is always spending time to really get to know them and how they use or will use their home/space.
We start by conducting interviews where we ask a lot of questions. We listen and learn to understand what the client needs, how they live day to day, what colors make them happy, what pieces they can’t live without and so much more. If we are designing for a family, we get smart on how they are all using each space so it works for everyone.
“We want people to walk into your home and say ‘Wow this looks amazing and feels JUST LIKE YOU’”
Next, we spend time together and explore the spaces we are planning to work on so we can gain as much information about our clients as possible.
By doing this, we get to know their likes and dislikes, dreams, and long-term goals. This ensures that our final product celebrates the space they want to live in for the lives they want to lead.
What does your storyboarding and planning process look like when you are designing a room?
Our process varies from project to project.
Ultimately we always start with something that inspires our creativity. Wallpaper or a group of textiles, artwork, a photo, or even an existing collection of importance to the client that we can integrate into the look.
We then create digital mood boards giving the client many options to review and respond to. The reactions to the mood boards help to clarify the direction we will go in - often editing and merging images from separate boards to create the most cohesive idea that is uniquely theirs.
Then we jump into the full design process. As we are always striving to deliver above expectations, we also keep our fingers on the pulse of what’s now and next, spotting trends in materials and taking inspiration from the fashion world in a way that’s authentic to each client. It's truly our obsession and our end product shows that.
What are some of your favorite projects you’ve worked on recently?
Ha, we love them all truly.
We are in the process of renovating an estate in Pennsylvania that is super exciting. We are completely overhauling the floor plans of the main floor and basement and have recently completed the family sleeping quarters.
Our clients are bold and exciting and not afraid to take risks yet they are also super practical with the intention of each piece of furniture and fabric. She will not order something that won't be used. So all of the “showpieces” need to have a job as well.
It's a pretty fun problem to solve. Very intentional design yet completely fabulous.
5. How do you choose the perfect bedding for a bedroom you are decorating?
Quality and texture is key, as well as, practicality.
Most clients don't want to worry about wrinkled sheets and bedding. They want their beds to look stunning but with little work. Amazing accent pillows, and a fabulous throw blanket are always included in the process. Our clients don’t want the added fuss, machine washable is a must!
6. How do you choose the perfect bedding for a bedroom you are decorating?
Well, we love sourcing with Fig Linens and Home. We tend to lean into Matouk linens, classic looks like Louise or the updated Aziza are gorgeous and can work with any room design. We change the banding colors depending on the scheme we are working with-their Percale Cotton collections are dreamy.
7. How do you choose the perfect bedding for a bedroom you are decorating?
We love finding a beautiful fabric and having 1 or 2 throw pillows made up for the bed.
Then we find sheets, duvets and throw blankets that coordinate with the custom pillow to help pull the whole look together. We Like mixing colors or patterns in so the bedding doesn’t look too flat or one-dimensional.
By breaking it up with color or texture or different patterns the bedding tends to feel more elevated.
8. What advice would you give any interior decorators who are just starting out?
Trust your gut, if you don’t trust yourself no one else will!
9. What are a few of your top picks from Fig Linens and Home Right now?
Like we mentioned we love the Matouk Collection - Mirasol & Aziza has a romantic vibe. Louise is classic and timeless and can lean a bit more masculine if needed.
The Designers Guild Collections of Decorative pillows are great additions to a setting, the quality is incredible and their color stories are so fun and happy we have used the velvet as well as the Linen collection and our clients have loved the results.
We are both obsessed with the Bold Bedding in Milk and Black by Frette and are seriously considering redoing our primary bedrooms to incorporate them in!
10. Why is shopping local in Westport, Connecticut Important to You?
I live in Westport and I love living here! This town is amazing and has so much to offer! Supporting local businesses is what will keep this town thriving and growing. There are so many home stores popping up throughout town, I often start by shopping the local boutiques and whatever I cannot find I source elsewhere but Westport is my first stop!
This piece marked the first in our series of interviewing designers with whom the Fig Linens and Home team works closely.
If you would like to be featured, write to us at sophie@figlinens.com.
Sophie Edwards
Sophie is the head content writer at Fig Linens and Home. She is a bedding, linens, and luxury homeware expert with an interest is the intersection of interior design with fashion, travel and culture. She has a BA in creative writing and sociology from Sarah Lawrence and an MSc from the Oxford University Department of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography.