Creativity comes naturally to Katie Busciglio. The Florida native went to high school for musical theatre, and she soon discovered her knack for interior design. Busciglio recalls surprising her mom with a bathroom makeover – removing the wallpaper to paint the room green – then painting the walls of her own bedroom red when that became a trend. “I’m not sure if she was happy about that or not,” Katie says with a laugh.

She continued to take on personal residential and commercial interior design projects, but as time passed and her passion grew, Katie’s designs increasingly attracted attention. “Realtors would ask me if I was a stager or an interior designer, and that gave me greater confidence to pursue this professionally,” she says. Last year, she launched Ivy Drive Design. Personal style transcends the self and is reflected in the look and feel of your home. Katie blends her love of fashion and trends with her clients’ tastes to help homeowners make their space feel like a representation of themselves.

“It is so gratifying to have a meeting of the minds with clients,” Katie explains. “I take pride in diligently studying their style to make their own visions come to life with my guidance and input. At the same time, I’m bold and love color, so I can help clients who want to take risks with their designs and push the envelope. It pays off big time!”

Katie also shows clients that it’s possible to have a fashionable, stylish home without an exorbitant interior design budget. “Making interior design attainable and being able to work with all different kinds of budgets is important to me,” she says. “It doesn’t always have to be expensive to get that designer look.”

While design is important to Katie, her greatest love is motherhood. Katie, along with her husband, Derek, and son, Rocco, split their time between their Tampa Bay area home and their beach home on Anna Maria Island.

“I love that my son is going to see his mom doing something that fills my soul,” Katie adds. “It’s given me something to really feel proud about. I want to show him that, when you get to do what you love every day, it doesn’t feel like work.”

EMAIL: katie@ivydrive.com