Sylvia Katuutu beautifies people’s indoor spaces
A few year ago, when she had just completed school at Kyambogo University where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in biomedical and mechatronics engineering, youthful Sylvia Katuutu stayed home without a job and all opportunities she tried out, she was told the companies only needed volunteers.
“However, I had vowed never to work for free,” she says.
She says during the time, she attended an event where she interacted with the organizer, and as fate would have it, she was an interior designer.
“We had a good conversation, and after some time she reached out to me and asked if I could be her assistant. The fact that I was too desperate to get something to do and I loved beautiful spaces, I gladly said yes. I worked with her for close to two years. She nurtured me and groomed me in interior design Industry,” Katuutu said.
As they say, the rest is history as a few years later, she resigned from the job and went on her own as an interior designer, having acquired the skills.
“My job is interior designing. I help people make indoor spaces functional, safe, and attractive. I do this by assessing the needs of a space, selecting materials, and coordinate with contractors, site visits, and furnishings, and creating a design plan,” she says of her job.
Katuutu says she didn’t use any coin while starting out but rather took advantage of her phone contacts.
“I sent a message to all the people that I had their contacts saved in my phone. Amongst them was one who trusted me with his home to add in a few touches and others are truth recommendations by my friends.”
She has never looked back as she has now become a trusted interior designer.
Katuutu says she gets clients through social media and recommendations from past clients and friends.
“I usually get clients who need consultation services and those who need one to two services. I haven’t got any who hands over a whole project to me but I believe, I’ll one day get there. It’s a matter of time.”
She says with time, her confidence in the job has improved since it involves having conversations with clients, and coordinating service providers.
“Besides that I have managed to take care of myself and improve my standards of living courtesy of interior designing.”
Just like any other job, Katuutu’s is not without challenges.
“Sometimes I get disappointment from service providers regarding time management but I solve this by getting a variety whom I trust that if one is unable to deliver in a specified time, I immediately switch to another,” she says.
“Some clients tend to undermine me because I have no car but to prove them wrong, I produce quality work which speaks for itself.”
She however says despite these challenges she pushes on and sees herself as one of the biggest interior designers in the country but also work on big projects.
“ To my fellow youth, please just start. Don’t fear starting small. Even the people we are admiring or looking up too didn’t have whatever they have in an overnight. It’s just a matter of time. Believing in yourself and take action,” Katuutu advises fellow youths.
