Meet Kathryn Fulton

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kathryn Fulton and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Kathryn, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
I was born in Jamaica and raised by my grandparents. My mother was already living in the US. At the passing of my grandfather, my mother filed for myself and my grandmother to come and live in the US. Our new home was in South Florida. In Jamaica, my grandparents owned their home which had multiple connected rental efficiencies. The people who lived in those efficiencies were more than renters, they were family. We shared meals, the kids played together, we looked out for each other – we were family. In Florida, for a long period, the houses we lived in with my mother, a single parent to six children, were rented and some were not in the best of neighborhoods. We got along with our neighbors; but that “extension of family” was not the same as in Jamaica.
As a kid in the US, I liked watching educational how-to shows – Martha Stewart Living, This Old House, and other home and remodeling and cooking shows. I enjoyed learning, and more so, learning the right way of doing things. I was a little sponge, soaking up all that knowledge. Though I watched these shows, I didn’t aspire to those things I’d seen. It was just TV to me because it was not representational of my life – the beautiful homes, types of foods, the type of work being done, the demographic of those on camera; but I was still a little sponge soaking up info, for what I wasn’t sure at the time; but would later be revealed. Being a renter and having a low income, our expectations of what a home should be and look like were limited. We didn’t expect a designer home, we just needed a place to live with the basic furnishings.
When I began high school, my mother purchased a home. It felt like a new start. It provided a sense of opportunity for multiple things – stability, safety, and also, to create a home like those I watched on TV. The house needed work so my mother hired a contractor for the remodel. Immediately, he came in and started demolition on the whole house. As a teenager, that concerned me because we were still living in this home. Our income didn’t allow us to relocate while work was being done like they did on TV. How are we going to live? The demolition continued and we lived with no ceiling, partial framing, and no finished floors while looking forward to a remodeled home that would be comfortable for us someday… maybe I could decorate it using what I learned all those years on TV. Unfortunately, the remodel never got past that beginning stage. The contractor came in hot and sizzled out quickly leaving us with an unfinished house in disrepair. That’s how we lived for years until my mother relinquished the house. Shattered dreams!
Fast forward some years, I got married and rented our first apartment as a married couple. Though it was a rental, I wanted to make it mine. Growing up, housing was not secure, and I had no control over that. This, I had control of. Like osmosis, all that design knowledge I soaked up as a child started coming out. I did not hold back! I painted accent walls, refinished furniture, reupholstered furniture, hung drapes, and added accessories … I was a design show, in real life. We now had a place that was not just comfortable for us, but was inviting for others. Friends and family admired the work done and encouraged me to expand past my home, so I started doing work for friends and family. It remained like that for many years until my husband and I purchased our first home and agreed that I would use our home as a portfolio to garner business to turn what was a hobby into a career. I focused on decorating, but after being failed by incompetent contractors who poorly executed the work I designed, I wanted to learn more about construction to perform the work myself or have better quality control. This led to me applying for an apprenticeship with the television show This Old House and the rest is history.
As an adult, looking back at my upbringing, I see the affect our home had on me, so my mission is to help others create a home that positively impacts their lives and as a result, strengthens communities.
Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
My business is Fulton Design & Construction – a design-build firm providing interior design services – local and remote, as well as carpentry services, construction consulting, and project management. What sets me apart is being client centered. Like my clients, I am a homeowner and a consumer in the construction industry, so I come into this career with my personal experiences with hopes to make a difference in the industry.
I am most proud of my career as a producer with This Old House. To be a member of the longest running, and multiple Emmy awarded educational home improvement television show, the show I grew up watching and learned from is a blessing.
My business came out because of a nudge from God to fulfill the purpose he’s given me to utilize my gifts my, talents and knowledge to help my community realize quality housing – in design and construction.
On the business side of it, I’m here because of good counsel and advice from many wise people.
Getting started wasn’t easy leaving a stable career to pursue entrepreneurship in the service industry. On a daily, I’m working through emotional and mental struggles – comparison, fear, anxiety; but I know “this” is so much bigger than me and for this, I need to go on in the face of these because there is a bigger purpose.
Lessons I’ve learned along the way? Like many of these questions, this is a hard one because there are so many. For me, it’s trust. Trust the process, recognize the smallest wins, and keep the purpose in mind.
I want the world to know that I care. I care about my clients, their homes, and the outcomes because I was once in their shoes. I know what a healthy and quality build provides. It provides stability, comfort, a place to create memories, and one that unites. So I intend to handle each project with care.
Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
This is a hard one because I’m more of a homebody. When my husband and I purchased and renovated our home, I wanted my home to be somewhere I enjoyed coming back to at the end of the day, hosting friends and family on a weeknight or special occasions, so home is my favorite spot in the city; but if I had to name places I would say – Joes Stone Crab on Miami Beach – best warm crab and french fries. I also love Lagniappe. I enjoy live music and this place features amazing artists and a delicious curate-your-own charcuterie board. I also would love to take in Miami’s architecture – Coral Gables, Miami Beach, and other historic neighborhoods, so I’d love a few days to walk and take these in.
The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I am grateful to God for my success. Without His grace and favor, my life would not be what it is today. He has placed amazing people in my life who have supported and encouraged me. I want to give a special shout-out to my husband for his unwavering support and belief in me, even when I didn’t believe in myself. I also want to thank my incredible friends – my first clients, and my family for their love and support. I am grateful for This Old House – where I found career direction, learned industry best practices and gained a network of smart and talented individuals who I call friends.
Website: fultondesignandconstruction.com
Instagram: @thisiskathrynfulton; @fultondesignandconstruction
Image Credits
PHL & Services Keitaro Yoshioka