By Brenda Ware Jones
Photography by Rory Doyle
Q&A with Kate Hayes
Fresh out of college, this Clarksdale gal made the big move to New York, taking lots of the Delta with her. She loves to talk about how she got from here to there, and how she has brought touches of home to her tiny but elegant apartment in Greenwich Village.
So, tell us what led you to move to the Big Apple?
What is your background? As we say down here, “Where are you from, and who are your people?”
I’m originally from Clarksdale, born and raised there. My dad,Tripp, took over my grandfather’s farm; he grows primarily cotton, soybeans, and corn. I love the small town life and appreciate it even more now when I visit home. It’s an amazing feeling to know you are in a town full of family and friends who care about you. I relish both the laid-back lifestyle and social atmosphere that characterizes the Delta. And when I come back during spring and summer months, I thoroughly annoy anyone around me by proclaiming, “It’s all so green and beautiful!!”—having grown used to the lack of foliage up here!
Were you an Interior Design major?
Are you still with the same firm?
The internship eventually became a full-time position. I now manage and oversee projects in Manhattan and surrounding areas like the Hamptons, Connecticut, and Martha’s Vineyard. We just wrapped up a job in the Bahamas. It’s such a treat to spend time in our clients’ beautiful homes and help customize the spaces for their lifestyle. I’ve learned so much about people through this job. It’s very rewarding to walk away from a project knowing that you’ve helped create a beautiful home where a family will make countless memories with the pieces you put together. It takes a lot of thought and scheduling and patience to make it happen, but it’s so worth it in the end.
What is the style you prefer in your own space?
I would describe my personal style as eclectic. I like to blend antiques with modern pieces, and mix different textures and materials to give an overall bohemian mood. I love and respect so many different styles that it’s hard for me to pinpoint my own at this stage of my career.
Where is your apartment? What do you love about it?
The West Village of New York is so different from what most people imagine when they think of Manhattan. Since it was one of the first residential areas settled in the city, it is filled with narrow streets lined with townhouses and dotted with stop signs. Aesthetically, it is gorgeous and reminiscent of Europe. While you can still sometimes feel the subway rattling below if you’re close enough to Seventh or Eighth Avenue, the village is a totally quiet escape from the bustle of Manhattan. It has a long-established local lifestyle of mom-and-pop restaurants, barber shops, and corner stores. It truly feels like a neighborhood, and I couldn’t love it more.
How did you bring a sense of your roots to this small living space?
Talk a bit about your furniture and the layout of the place, how you made choices on utilizing a small space?
I know there are many Southerners, and Deltans in particular, who have made New York their home. Do you socialize with many of them?
1 thought on “From the Deep South to the West Village”
I did the opposite. From Manhattan to The Delta!