Natalie Collins Shaw

 Kitsap Kitchen & Bath Co.

Poulsbo, WA

Natalie Collins Shaw grew up on job sites — and she says her fondest memories are of seeing interiors “coming to life.” Her dad, Jim Collins, founded a home-building company outside Seattle and later added Kitsap Kitchen & Bath Co., a subsidiary that specializes in remodeling and now employs Natalie as Lead Designer. “I learned very early on that the designer’s role is so much larger than just selecting colors and materials,” she says. After earning an Associate of Arts degree from Olympia College and an Associate of Applied Technology from Clover Park Technical College, Natalie joined the business in 2015 as Interior Designer/Showroom Associate. Since then, her projects have been featured in West Sound Home & Garden and Design and Build magazines.

“I learned very early on that the designer’s role is so much larger than just selecting colors and materials.”

Natalie credits her start-to-finish focus to her upbringing. “The creative side of my job, no doubt, is rewarding, however, the technical side is most crucial,” she says. “I know all the challenges in bringing a client’s vision to life, the operational requirements of delivering that vision and the importance of being on time and on budget.” Her favorite remodel was a dated 1990s master bathroom with glass-block walls, tiny tiles and a closed-off layout. “I was able to deliver a therapeutic and highly functional wet room complete with a freestanding tub, rain heads, hand showers and even body jets,” she says, “all overlooking their insane view of Puget Sound toward the city.”  

While Natalie’s personal design preferences range from “Great Gatsby”-era Art Deco to “a cozy cottage feel with rustic and natural elements,” when working with clients, she is centered on their vision. It’s a talent she honed as a child by designing a home for her “Sim family.” Her other youthful obsession was dance — she performed in a belly dancing troupe for 10 years — while today she and her husband are passionate about camping with their dogs, Cooper and Songi, and friends along the Oregon coast.