Bluevine Studio LLC

Kat is an incredibly talented artist and designer. Her vision is fresh and unique. She can take the most drab space and transform it into a place you will never want to leave. She has long-standing relationships established with reliable vendors in the area and can complete projects quickly, taking all the burden off her clients. Kat helped me revitalize one of my properties in Portland, as well as the one at the coast, and I absolutely love the colors she chose, and the creative ideas she had for decor. She works tirelessly and cares deeply about every project she takes on. You will be making an excellent choice if you decide to hire Bluevine Studios for any project- large or small.

We renovated our 9th story condo in Portland. It was a 2092 sq.ft. 2 bedroom (1 non conforming), 2 bathroom condo with quite a bit of wasted space and no ensuite master bathroom. It is now a 3 bedroom (1 non conforming), 3 bathroom condo with well used space and an ensuite master bathroom. The work was done while people were living in the condo. We added a bathroom and moved a shower and a toilet in another without disturbing any downstairs neighbors. It was a big project with many unanticipated issues. Kat, the owner of Bluevine Studio was able to put together a team and coordinate all of the approval process, design choices and recommendations, procurement, contractor scheduling and the detailed follow up with the contractors to solve the many issues that came up. We couldn't have done it without her consistent follow through. She kept us well informed throughout the process. It was great working with Kat

Over the last several months I’ve worked with Kat, owner of Bluevine Studio LLC. Kat has expertly designed my office and our home. In my office Kat gave me options during an initial consultation. I trusted her from the start. Kat turned my office into a welcoming space with well selected art and photos. Kat has great instincts. Kat worked with my wife and me in our home. She again had great ideas. Kat works fast and was genuinely concerned with our complete satisfaction and happiness with her work. I highly recommend Kat for any design project.

Such a pleasure to have Kat James on this overwhelming project. Her insight and creative taste, along with her patience and clarity, made us excited and satisfied. This was more than we ever expected. She takes authority when needed, and always listens to the client wishes, even if not completely in agreement. A true designer/contractor you can trust to create the space you want, with grace and professionalism.

Kat of Bluevine Studio led our committee of volunteers and created a warm, inviting, internationally themed event space out of a cold open meeting room. Kat has a keen design sense and was quick to visualize a low-cost path to making the Carpe Mundi fund raising event magical. So appreciate her talent to make a space work for the people who occupy it. I’ve also seen rooms she designed at The Heathman in Portland. Very cool!

For three years in a row (2012-2014), Bluevine Studio provided design ideas, decorations and helped us set up for our annual fundraiser event for Carpe Mundi. This event was for 200 plus donors and students. This event was held in a large conference hall which made it hard to break into smaller areas and display all the auction items, showcase students and have room for food and entertainment. The ideas and support of Bluevine Studios helped us to be able to use a theme to tie together the event and to use lots of staging to help make our auction items visible. We couldn't have done it without them! We are incredibly grateful for their expertise, time and artistic vision.

I held the title of General Manager of The Heathman Hotel in Portland Oregon from Summer 2006 to December 2014, During my tenure there I was responsible for managing the renovation of this 150 guest room Portland landmark and iconic luxury destination. I have been fortunate enough to monopolize the tremendous design and business talent of Kathryn (“Kat”) James and Bluevine Studio for the past seven years prior to the recent sale of the hotel in late 2014 for $64.3 Million. While working with me at The Heathman Hotel, Kat managed the majority of the interior and case good design as our vendor of choice. She was responsible for the design and creation of custom fixtures, FF&E packages, textiles, upholstery, custom doors, lighting upgrades, sculptures, murals, and way finding signage and much more. Kat offered turn-key design/build/installation solutions for multiple projects including guest rooms, public spaces, public restrooms, team member break-rooms, guest room drapery, and custom artwork. In 2012 The Heathman Hotel unveiled four stunning new Luxury Signature Suites featuring the representations of the experience of the arts and designed entirely by Kathryn’s Bluevine Studio. The Suites opened to rave reviews and unprecedented increase in demand for advanced bookings by notable celebrities and VIP guests. Over the last seven years The Heathman Hotel has received many awards and top listings including Conde Nast’s 2014 “List of the Best Hotels in the Pacific Northwest”, Travel + Leisure’s “Top 50 US Hotel List” and “Best Hotels of 2014” by U.S. News and World Report, and the esteemed Forbes Travel Guild Four Star Rating 2013 and 2014 among several other awards. The Heathman Hotel owes a great deal to her talent for it’s stylish sophistication and guest experience success. I consider Kat an expert at her trade of luxury spaces to fit any budget. I consider Kat not only a talented designer and project manager but also a personal friend. I continue to look for opportunities to work with her further in my new management position of The Grand America, a Salt Lake City historic luxury hotel with 775 rooms & suites, extensive dinning & meeting facilities.

I have worked with Bluevine Studio and Kat James several times over the past 12 or 13 years. the latest was a renovation of my NE Alberta Street residential property that was converted into a small office and retail space. It was always a pleasure to brainstorm with Kat to come up with the perfect solution for how to use the space. Kat has a keen eye for color and the ability to communicate how the space is to be used with all of the sub contractors, while making sure that we achieved our design and budget goals. It is not often you find a designer that is part artist, part engineer, and budget conscious project manager. I highly recommend Kat James and Bluevine Studio and I am looking forward to working with her in the near future when we move into our new office.

"I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to hire the Interior Design and Contracting services of Kathryn James of Bluevine Studio LLC. I had just purchased a 1949 unimproved ranch style home in need of full renovation on a tight timeline for my family to move in before school started. The first thing that struck me in working with Ms. James was her intuitive approach to learning about each of the intended occupants, how we live and entertain and translated this into style, budgets and priorities. I was impressed with her high level of organization and resourcefulness in sourcing materials and furnishings far beyond my expectations. She used both pointers and Houzz idea boards to help with easy style and furnishing selections. Ms. James made an otherwise stress-filled process a fun an engaging partnership with beautiful results. She is skilled at not only interior design but also project management and construction renovations needs. She provided creative floor plan alterations, color coordination, materials selection, furniture and room designs, purchasing, extremely tight budget management and selected sub contractors. As a result of the success in my personal home renovation I secured Ms James services for an additional three investment properties. Each project has been on time, on or below budget and beautify executed with ongoing returns. I highly recommend Ms. James for any design or construction project. I continue to refer Bluevine Studio and seek Ms James consulting ongoing."

Kathryn James of Bluevine Studio exceeded my expectations as a creative force and motivator for a change of my cluttered office environment on our first project. I did not know how or where to begin regarding the design and rebuild of my business venue. She presented several options for my review and clearly explained her process, which alleviated any of my concerns regarding cost and completion time frame. I now understand why she is referred to as the tornado of organization. I additionally hired Kat James for a complete renovation of a teen-agers upgrade from a little girl’s room to a full master size suite. With just a rough budget in mind I gave creative license to Kathryn. What impressed me most was the way she intuitively connected with my daughter and empowered and guided her to choices along the process that resulted in a highly personalized space. The room ended up not only reflecting my daughter’s personality and comforts but also a very cool mix of sophistication, function and fun! I have used Kat on three separate projects including a master suite, kitchen reorganization, living room modernization, color consulting and, wall & window treatments. She amazed me with her well-rounded knowledge of design and construction on each occasion. It was nice to discover a one-stop shop for both an innovative designer and general contractor where her concept wasn't lost in translation between an idea and the lay of a brick. Kat shopped for eco products with a cost efficiency and creative solutions in mind. I had the opportunity of experiencing Kat and her crew in action as they worked at the Heathman Hotel in Portland. Kat navigated her creations and equipment quietly through the four star gem and I saw the complexity and realized what a challenge that project presented for Kat. Her crew worked around guests and her crew presented a very professional demeanor. I saw Kat interact with her crew, subcontractors, hotel management and occassionally likened it to herding cats. I will definitely call upon Kat (BlueVine) and her crew for my next project. Bryan Meyer

I worked with Bluevine on a major renovation project for the Heathman Hotel in Portland Oregon. Owner Kathryn James has an amazing eye for detail and style! I would hire her for any design project, home or business!!