the ARK

The one and only design house built for creatives

The Studio

The Studio

“Form follows function - that has been misunderstood. Form and function should be one, joined in a spiritual union.” - Frank LLoyd Wright

Founder, Kate Holt

hi -I’m Kate – I’m a native Chicagoan…brrrrr. Flew my 17 year old heart to California for school and it’s safe to say this state has captured my soul. My love of art and design goes deep, most obviously and easily traced directly to my parents’ specific aesthetic. Lake rocks stacked in nooks, driftwood piled in baskets, lots of Shaker nods and notes, books everywhere, fonts and more fonts, full and wild gardens, a deep yard, tree swings, a love of outdoor spaces and summer nights dotted with fireflies.

Most of all, what resonates in forming my aesthetic is a simplicity – a comfortable ease in finding beauty in uncomplicated forms.

I love a good hunt for the elusive and “unfindable” piece of the puzzle. I enjoy the discovery of new artists, new approaches to design, the tangible joy of collaboration. IMAGINATION. Imagination is key.
My approach to design involves layers, texture, and working with various elements to sculpt a vision or event.
You’ll often find me researching ceramicists, obsessing over all things japanese, bike riding with my sweet fam, drinking waaay to much coffee and so on. Laughing a lot is important to me.

I’ve been fortunate enough to run a successful Floral Design studio for over 14 years- which taught me in depth about growing a team and tending to your dreams. The ARK organically grew out of my love for a unified aesthetic and refined tabletop, specifically for events. As we grow and continue to slowly and carefully build our collections I hope you and I will have the chance to meet and collaborate.

Our Team


Monica Amader
Lead Client Coordinator

Monica is the ever-positive voice you will most likely connect with when requesting proposals or looking to find out what new inventory is rolling in weekly. Her kind and extremely organized personality helps keep all our clients’ jobs on track and running smoothly. Need recommendations, or direction pairing collections, finding that missing something? Monica is truly a talent when it comes to selecting pieces that add layers and depth to a design. She’s a native of Monterey, CA and currently resides in LA.

Sarah Park
Los Angeles Studio Manager

Keeping things organized and flowing around here is no easy task; but Sarah handles it all with tact and dedication. The home base of ARK is approximately 6000 square feet of warehouse and showroom space that is growing to 12,000 square ft in the summer of 2018. With collections across a myriad of styles and categories , it is essential that the home of our collections is carefully tended to. Sarah’s can-do energy and willingness to take on pretty much any challenge, keeps the ARK studio running smoothly on the day-to-day so we can receive back jobs, ship out samples to our clients, collaborate with fellow creatives on photo shoots. Plus she’s great at making sure the whole team has snacks and nourishment. Sarah is an LA native.

Michael Naeimollah
Transportation and Furnishing Oversight

Are there trucks involved? Need to get a sofa down off a high shelf, or wrap up a bunch of furniture for a job, or maybe have an insane dance-off? Mike’s the guy. He also loves when the ice-cream man comes by the studio. Anywhere the ARK moves, Michael is behind the scenes organizing the transportation, crews, and logistics of on-site installations.

Sofia Hassan
Quality Control Supervisor

We count ourselves extremely lucky to have this super woman overseeing the quality of all the pieces that leave the ARK floor. Sofia’s warmth and lively personality are infectious – but she is SERIOUS about perfection and scrutinizes all of our items as they come back from jobs and go out into the world for clients to enjoy. She makes sure lanterns are clean, fabrics are steamed, flatware is polished, napkins are properly folded or frayed, plates are counted and so on…the list goes on and on. We just Love her! Hailing from Puerto Rico originally, Sofia lives in LA with her sweet family.

Alicia Kealey
Client Coordinator - Northern California

With so much of our work and client base is scattered around San Francisco and Napa Valley, we are thrilled to have Alicia on board to oversee all of our Northern California jobs. You’ll most likely run into this bubbly and bright creature at your Nor Cal ARK event. She’s a team member that keeps all pieces moving, oversees installs and team management, plus leads on content and design of ARK swag. You can often find her perfecting her macaroon making technique, weaving insanely beautiful wall macrames, making people laugh, mass assembling pickle sammies for the group, or hanging with her kiddos in Freemont, CA.

 

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