began experimenting with furinture in her early twenties.

After graduating from the North Carolina State University College of Design, and immediately began her career in furniture manufacturing. Starting in a small local shop, she spent the next ten years working her way up to management on large production floors. She became an experienced production manager, even partnering with Italian production facilities to refine manufacturing processes.

She has experience with all all aspects of furniture building and restoration. From building a frame, to installing springs and foam, printing custom fabrics, cutting and sewing, and performing complex repairs. But more importantly, she has experience successfully managing teams of artisans and large, fast-paced production operations.

Her passion for antique furniture, slow and careful craft, bespoke design, and unique restoration challenges was not satisfied by the high-speed creation of identical pieces. In conceiving and planning the workshop at Rockweed Restoration, she found herself suddenly remembering the love of hand crafted furniture that had first drawn her to the industry.

Rockweed Restoration places value on preservation, history, and completely unique design challenges that require creative thinking rather than repetition. It is a place where highly-trained artisans are valued and creatively challenged rather than being treated as gears in a huge machine. From a tiny spark of an idea to a full service restoration workshop, Rockweed is Kate’s passion project many years in the making.