Katie Straub has come to set design through an unorthodox route, as many designers have. This unorthodox background provides her with insights and experiences that are invaluable to the job of set design.
She graduated from Boston University majoring in Economics and Statistics and worked in retail as a buyer and store designer for several years before attending North Carolina State University to further her design knowledge by studying Textile Design and Science. This unusual combination of academic degrees enables her to bring a keen financial awareness to her productions and she believes that great design can be done within a strict budget by creative sourcing and thinking outside the box.
She was first introduced to set design and construction in 1993 when a fellow tenant in the business complex where her interior design studio was located invited her to tour their product photography studio. From that moment on she was fascinated with the industry and left her interior design business to immerse herself in the field of set design learning every aspect of the process.
She has been set designing since then working on commercials, print ads, trade shows, in store displays— from full scale set builds to tabletop prop styling for many of the top furniture, home décor and lifestyle brands. She went on to own one of the largest commercial photography studios on the East Coast specializing in product photography and set design for over 18 years. During this time, she also provided set support and collaborated with CBS on the longest running show in broadcast history The Guiding Light when the show was filming in New Jersey.
Outside of set design, her creative work includes photography, graphic design, baking, floral design, and she continues to design both residential and commercial interiors as passion projects.
Katie is a mom to two sons Aaron and Jacob and lives in Basking Ridge, New Jersey.
Art direction, set design and construction, lighting, prop styling
Clients include Horchow, Waverly, Munire Furniture, Macys, Benjamin Moore, Sony, Phillips Lighting, Bed Bath and Beyond, Home Depot, American Standard, Buy Buy Baby, Kravet Fabrics, Covington Fabrics, Thibaut Wallcovering, York Wallcovering
