Reviews & testimonials

The process of building a new home is stressful to say the least. The amount of decisions to be made is staggering. Throughout our entire process, Kate remained a constant. She was patient with me when I was frustrated. She was laser focused on every single detail including ones that I had no idea even existed. She was absolutely chalked full of wonderful ideas and her combination of the above referenced items led to our new home being more spectacular than I could have ever imagined.

Travis Icardo

New construction client

Mountain Modern 

Forever Home at Hill Top 

When we bought our home in Southern California four years ago, with the intent of fully remodeling, I automatically thought of Kate with regard to assisting with the design of this huge project. This is only partly because I have known her for most of my life. It is also because I have been able to witness her creativity, dedication, vision, drive, creativity and talent unfold. I have been endlessly impressed with her vast knowledge of available materials and options, her dedication to her projects as well as her ability to gauge her client's style, budget, and personality and then work with them accordingly. This in particular is what ended up making our decision. Because of the distance (she is located in my hometown of Sandpoint, Idaho and I am in Hermosa Beach in Southern California,) we were concerned with the additional cost and/or difficulty due to the distance with access to materials she was familiar with or that are available in our area. We got a couple of other quotes from designers in our area and found that not only was Kate completely up to par with knowledge of and access to what was avail labor and what we wanted, but also provided a more accurate and realistic assessment of our vision than the other designers from our area. She made suggestions and had ideas for our 3300 sq ft home that we never would have thought of and that have really come to make the house we purchased our own beautiful and unique home. We couldn't be happier with the results!! We highly recommend Base Camp Design for any home design project!

Emily Banffy 

Complete remodel client

I have been working with Kate on a project at Schweitzer Mountain since we purchased the property in 2019. We were referred to her by our real estate agent to aid in making out newly purchased property suitable for a short term rental. We are not local owners and were therefore needing a reliable person to not only make all the design decisions but also be our "eyes and ears" at the project. Upon closing Kate worked to get the keys from our agent and hs been running with this purchase on our behalf since then. I can tell you we feel extremely blessed that we have had the luck to have her on our team. Not only did she create a beautiful interior space that has been loved by all that have visited but she has been running our project more like a general contractor than a mere designer. She has been able to procure all of the subs and designers/fabricators to create custom furnishings, intall systems and facilitate build outs. We couldn't be happier with her design decisions, nor her oganizational skills and local contacts she seems to have "at her fingertips" to achieve our needs in quick turnaround all the while communicating with our local property manager. All the while managing working these technicians into the unit around short term tenants. Amazing. We cannot recommend Kate with more enthusiasm. If she can handle the scope of our chore with such seamlessness I am sure she can handle anything that is thrown at her. You will not be disappointed hiring Base Camp Design.

Anna Gellatly 

Complete remodel client - remote

Condo Remodel

Schweitzer Creekside

I absolutely love working with Kate Lyster and the Base Camp design team. She delivered so much more than we expected. We really enjoyed working with her and getting to know her during our remodeling project. She has a great attitude and handled any construction hiccups with grace and good humor and somehow found timely and budget friendly solutions to everything. She made the process easy for us. We bought a dated and somewhat tired looking vacation rental that had good bones and potential and had Base Camp do the redesign and remodel. Originally, we had talked about one design concept, but as Kate took the time to just be in the house and explore the space, a new design concept came that was perfect for the space and more true to the home and surroundings and would stand out on the vacation home websites. She created this perfect space for renters that has the feel of an updated waterfront lodge. It is a curated space with layers of lighting, textures and artwork. Our renters now tell us how the space just envelops them and is so warm and welcoming and makes them want to come back. After Kate redesigned the home, the home went from renting for around $200 a night to renting on average over $1,000 a night and being one of the top rented homes in the country this summer. During the construction and design phases, Kate worked with our budget and checked in every step of the way. She added levels of lighting and new fixtures. The fixtures were a modern update that enhanced the lodge feel. Kate pays attention to every detail. She spent weeks finding the right lighting, furnishings and items to make the home feel curated rather than store bought. Instead of feeling like you walked into a one-size-fits-all Pottery Barn, you feel like you are walking into this personalized space that is so much more unique and beautiful and one-of-a-kind. Even when the project should have been over, she kept checking in and helping us as we furnished the kitchen and bathrooms and made other landscape and home choices. In the end, we felt Kate gave us at least 10 times more than we were expecting in her attention to detail, number of hours she spent, and personal/emotional investment in making our project perfect. I did not know Kate when I started the project and now I consider her a trusted friend. I have already had her start redecorating our primary home and can’t wait to have her do our office. If you are lucky enough to work with Kate Lyster and the Base Camp Design team, then expect to be blown away as they help you clarify and realize your vision in a space that will be one-of-a-kind and uniquely yours. 

AMY AMBRIDGE

Full house remodel

Lake Cabin Estate

Nancy Road Retreat 

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