When Catherine Montague emigrated to the United States from France to study international business, she never imagined that her career would end up taking a more creative turn. After a stint working for Ralph Lauren Women’s and Home Flagship store in New York City, Montague discovered a passion for home furnishings that ultimately led her to pursue a career as a professional interior designer.
Over the course of her four-decade career, she learned that designing spaces is similar in many ways to cultivating relationships with people.
“Part of the philosophy behind what we do is that we infuse our design with love, empathy and a ‘French-sational’ sense of fun,” Montague, of Franklin Park, said. “We love what we do and we love our clients. We show empathy by listening to our clients. And we have fun in our team collaborations.”
When Montague opened her design firm, Montague Design, in Sewickley, her goal was to create residential and commercial environments that support her clients’ work-life balance. For home design projects, she creates spaces that feel restful, relaxing and retreat-like. For commercial projects, she designs spaces that feel connected to company culture and aligned to strategic branding.
“If you’re in a chaotic environment, you’re going to feel chaotic,” Montague said. “If you’re in a thoughtfully designed space where everything is in order, then you’ll be better prepared to focus and work productively. Our goal is to create spaces where people feel energized and supported.”
According to Elizabeth Lagnese, this client-centric approach is key. Lagnese hired Montague for a renovation of her Sewickley home and was struck by the level of detail and attention that Montague brought to the client relationship.
“Catherine took our unformed ideas and preferences and molded them into a beautiful design,” Lagnese said. “She chose every aspect of the design and materials, often presenting us with multiple options. She even took us shopping! She directed us away from impractical decisions that would have caused construction problems.”
Because home design is so personal, Montague, who recently relocated the business to Franklin Park, understands the need to balance client preferences with practical design choices. She listens to the likes and dislikes of her clients while carefully steering them toward choices that will complement the existing architecture of the building.
“Catherine directed us to quality products and saved us from some bad decisions,” Lagnese said. “We got caught up in the design process and were leaning toward adding a pocket door. Catherine pointed out that in this specific case, there would be no advantage to such a door, and it would require significantly more effort to install.”
Many home and business owners find that this level of professional expertise can help them save time, money and headaches during the renovation process. Renovating your home or office can feel overwhelming, which is why Montague creates email newsletters for clients to share tips about planning, budgeting, time management and design choices.
“There are so many details to the design process,” Montague said. “The goal of an interior designer is to guide clients through each step of the decision-making process and allow our clients to live their lives while we take care of the details.”
That type of relationship-building experience has served Montague well throughout her career, and it’s a strength that she brings to her community service projects, as well.
Inspired Women
As Montague was establishing her client base in Sewickley, her neighbor, Debra Dion Krischke, recommended that she connect with women outside of work to develop deeper and more lasting relationships. Krischke had the perfect opportunity in mind.
“We were talking about Catherine’s interior design business and how she could market herself,” Krischke said. “I said, ‘Maybe you need to open a chapter of Inspired Women here in Sewickley so that you could meet people based on your values first. Then they find out what you do secondarily.’ We just looked at each other, and we both knew right there. It made perfect sense.”
Krischke founded Inspired Women in 2015 with a group of 20 women who wanted to serve local and international organizations through collective giving. Often known as “giving circles,” collective giving groups allow individuals to pool their resources and create greater impact for their beneficiaries.
“Most of the nonprofits that we support are small, with budgets of less than $1 million, and they need our help,” Krischke said. “Not everyone can write a check once a quarter for $5,000, but $100 a quarter is reasonable for a lot of women. So collectively, when you take all those hundred-dollar donations, now you have real impact.”
The overarching goal of Inspired Women is to lift women and girls out of poverty, both locally and globally. Seven chapters exist throughout the Pittsburgh region. Montague started the Sewickley chapter in 2019 as a way for local women to connect and make new friends while supporting worthy causes.
Some local organizations that have benefited from the philanthropic efforts of Inspired Women Sewickley include Blessed Home Project, Crisis Center North, Bethlehem Haven and Blessed Bag, among many others. To be eligible for funding, organizations must have 501(c)3 status, serve women and girls and be nominated by a chapter member of Inspired Women.
According to Montague, chapter members meet four times per year and commit to contributing $100 per quarter. Members also invite representatives from local and global charities to visit the quarterly meetings and network with the women.
After the networking session, three of the charities in attendance are randomly drawn from a basket. Those charities are then invited to give five-minute pitches about how their work benefits women and girls. Chapter members vote on which charity should receive the pooled funds for the quarter.
With International Women’s Day being celebrated on March 8, Montague wants the Sewickley community to know that opportunities to lift women and girls out of poverty are all around us. Inspired Women makes finding and contributing to these causes accessible and affordable, and new members are welcome to join. The group’s next quarterly meeting is scheduled for April 15.
For more information about how to get involved, visit inspiredwomen.com or email Catherine Montague at catherine@montaguedesign.com.