Today we’d like to introduce you to Katherine Farr.
Hi Katherine, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I have always loved decorating. As a kid my room was my canvas – I enjoyed decorating, rearranging, and styling my belongings inside that space. In one house we lived in I even took over a barely finished room to make it my own. I got to decorate it how I wanted. At 19 I started painting and realized how much I enjoyed it.
For many years I worked at a bank while raising my kids as a single mom. The schedule and the location within a couple of miles of both my home and their school was ideal. The consistent paycheck and benefits was critical at this point in my life. However, during weekends, vacation time, and bank holidays I took on many home renovation and painting projects for myself, family, and friends. I have absolutely always loved painting – it really changes a space and the way you feel in the space.
By 2020 my kids were grown and out of the house. The pandemic changed the banking world and my role in it. My local branch had closed so I was driving much longer to get to work and the work wasn’t enjoyable any longer. I decided to take a leap that had been calling to me for the past 25 years.
My husband’s job had benefits so the only thing left for me was to jump in with both brushes in the paint. K Perfection Painting and Design LLC was born. I was scared and excited – my heart beating for the adventure that I’d been wanting for so long. It was still a pandemic so there was a risk that people would be apprehensive about letting me into their homes to paint. Fortunately people trusted me, not just with their banking, but also with their health during a pandemic, and their homes with new paint. People had been inside their homes more than ever and they were ready for the change that I had to offer.
Since then my business has been more successful than I could have imagined. My relationship with the local community through my role as the bank lady opened many doors to homes to paint. That same community told their friends and family about my work. Now I get to do work all over the state of Michigan and have even traveled to South Carolina and Florida to do paint jobs by request and referral.
I have painted houses that people were putting up to sell and some sold in as little as one day, with the longest selling in 30 days. I’ve painted new homes, college apartments, home offices, sun rooms, bathrooms, and so many living rooms.
I pride myself on attention to detail. I care for the work I do in other people’s houses as if I were doing it in my own home. Painting is my therapy. And I love being able to see the smile on people’s faces when they walk into their freshly painted room. I am so glad I stepped outside my comfort zone and into this wonderland of paint. This is more than I dreamed
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
At first it was easy, many people I knew wanted painting done. They’d show off their rooms to friends and family who would call to get in my calendar. I still get a lot of word of mouth referrals. I do a bit of advertising here and there, but mostly people find me through other people they know. The hardest part has been managing my time. I often pack my schedule to please clients with these great paint jobs that they can show off, and don’t schedule time for myself or my own home projects.
And when I started I was afraid of heights – with a capital Afraid. My sister was going through a divorce and needed to sell her house. We put up the scaffolding for the first time on her vaulted-ceiling two-story staircase. My knees trembled. She took the brush with the determination of a woman walking through fire and out onto that scaffold. This helped me to take on my fear and call her back so that I could effectively paint the stairway wall. Since then I’ve done many vaulted ceilings, tall staircases, balconies, many vaulted living rooms, and more. Those rooms helped me overcome my fear of heights
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
There is more to painting than just putting the paint on the walls. Rooms must be prepped and protected before painting and then put back together afterward. We’re talking about washing the walls and trim, removing light plate and outlet covers, and putting protective layers on the floor and any furniture left in the room. People don’t realize the care and detail that is required. I take great pride in doing a good job with each room in every home I’m asked to paint.
What I enjoy most is working with homeowners to discuss their space, what they like and don’t like and any ideas they have. I get a lot of enjoyment working with different house styles and design preferences. Every house is as unique as every customer. Some customers know exactly what they want, others have ideas or dislikes that we talk through. I’ve accumulated many years of experience in home painting, room layout, and decorating, which has been helpful for people who want suggestions. The homeowner and I do the imagining part together and then I get started.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
The lucky part of my story was that the job I spent so much of my time at while raising my kids, led to many people contacting me to do work for them once they discovered I own a home painting company. During my job in banking I met a lot of people who came to trust me with their banking needs. They got a chance to get to know my work ethic and my character. So when it came to selecting a painter they trusted me to give them a fair deal, hard work, and care for their homes.
Though I started this business to do what I love, I’m always doing it for others. I get to know the customers and their needs so that in the end they get a space they can enjoy.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kperfectionpainting.com/
- Facebook: K Perfection Painting & Design
