09.22.20

Meet Katie Toth, President of IIDA SoCal

Introducing Katie Toth, IIDA, NCIDQ, LEED Green Associate, IIDA SoCal Chapter President, 2020-2021

Katie has been a part of IIDA SoCal since 2015, first as the Professional Development Chair in the San Diego City Center and more recently as President-Elect and now President of the Chapter. “I’m looking forward to seeing how our industry evolves in the coming year with all of the challenges brought on by COVID.”

Katie enjoyed an idyllic childhood in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains building play forts and chicken coops with lots of opportunity to let her imagination soar. Living in a small town with no stoplights, no Starbucks, no mall (albeit 20 local wineries!), Katie’s 5 1/2 acres down a long dirt road offered endless freedom and the chance to spend the long summer days in the sun and fresh breezes.

“Growing up in Murphys had a real impact on my childhood and how I learned to perceive the world.  I had the ability to roam and explore – trees were not just for shade but also for climbing – tall grass was perfect for hide ‘n seek — and long days outside gave me a sense of independence that was so valuable when I left home for college at 18 years old” mused Katie.

Katie moved to San Diego to attend San Diego State University and graduated in 2008 with a BA in Art/emphasis in Interior Design. Graduating during the Recession prompted Katie to consider graduate school and she entered a Masters program for Interior Design at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY receiving her Master’s Degree in 2012.

CIDQ volunteer group to further develop the NCIDQ exam

After a few years in NYC, Katie was ready to return to Southern California, landing a position with Marmol Radziner where she was exposed to and worked alongside the interiors team as well as landscape, millwork and other divisions at this high profile residential firm. “I had access to people who were experts in their field – what a great way to learn how all the elements of design interact and build upon each other – an early and useful lesson!” revealed Katie.

Three years later, Katie was offered an opportunity with Delawie, a leading sustainable and high performing architecture and interior design firm based in San Diego. Delawie proved to be a great step as she shifted focus toward hospitality design working on high-end hotel projects as well as a big winery complex in Temecula. Delawie was also important for Katie as she established several significant relationships there. “I loved my job at Delawie and I learned so much but the icing on the cake was all the new personal relationships that developed as we worked long hours together” Katie declared.

HBG company outing to the reknowned Salk Institute by Louis Kahn

In 2017, HBG Design recruited Katie for a position designing spaces for hospitality clients including several Tribal hotels and casinos. A recent project, Sycuan Resort, was nominated for a Calibre Design Award in 2020.

While at home Katie and her boyfriend, an architect, are renovating their kitchen in their 1948 home, removing old linoleum flooring, basic white cabinets and Formica countertops and designing a thoroughly modern space with better lighting, a built-in banquette and a bookcase for all their cookbooks.

Before photos with a rendering of the completed project

“I’m on a mission to see how many things I can cook with lemons from my backyard, or how I like to make homemade jam” said Katie.

Looking forward to the coming year, Katie’s mission for the Chapter is to provide programs and content that will have a positive impact on our community. “We’re committed to being responsive to our industry’s needs and changing priorities. We hope to be able to offer resources and virtual events that will benefit our colleagues, clients and sponsors!” said Katie.

If you’d like to reach out to Katie personally to welcome her, you can do so here: [email protected]