Katie Braddock La Rose

Katie Braddock LaRose earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interior Design from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2015 and a Master of Architecture from the University of Virginia in 2020. During her graduate program, she received a Faculty of Architecture Award for Design Excellence, the Alpha Ro Chi Medal by the National Professional Architectural Fraternity, and was called upon to deliver the School of Architecture’s 2020 Graduate Commencement speech.

Katie worked as an architectural designer in Richmond, focusing on historic rehabilitation, and relocated to Texas upon completing her education. She bravely attempted to acclimate to the heat while working as both an award-winning Project Architect and Adjunct Professor at the University of Houston. Despite many exceptional breakfast tacos and professional accolades, she and her husband would climate-swap and relocate to Maine in 2024.

Katie is a double-threat designer: as both a Maine-Licensed Architect and an experienced interior design professional pursuing her NCIDQ Certification, she approaches projects from the inside-out as well as the outside-in. She revels in the details, regarding finishes, hardware, millwork, and lighting as the invitations that beckon us to experience and enjoy a space. Her design philosophy is perhaps best summarized by Charles Eames: “Take your pleasure seriously.” And that she does. Says Katie, “The care and joy taken in a project should be visible in the end product, and allows for fun and discovering opportunities throughout the process.”

Born outside of Atlanta, Georgia and raised in Upstate New York, Katie is happy to be back on the East Coast. She loves to run and is often spotted with her two pups – Stevie and Elise – navigating the bricks and cobblestones of Portland. While great at burning calories, she is never one to burn a loaf of bread; she embraces cooking and baking as her preferred creative outlet, and tries to tackle a new recipe every Sunday. Among her many talents is the ability to convert items her husband mistakenly purchases at the grocery store – like beefless beef bulgogi – into meals worth eating again as leftovers. Like her architectural and interior designs, she crafts her dishes with curiosity, finesse, and just the right amount of humor.