SANDPOINT — Kate Lyster’s favorite childhood book captured her imagination — and inspired both her interior design business and the launch of its new companion showroom.

Much like Henrietta in “Need a House? Call Ms. Mouse,” Lyster is dedicated to creating homes — beautiful spaces that are practical, unique and feel like “home.”

“This book is literally falling apart at the seams because I read it so much when I was little,” Lyster said with a laugh. “I think design is just in in my being right? I think I truly am meant to do this.”

Lyster, who opened Base Camp Design in 2018, recently expanded her efforts to help others make themselves at home in their own spaces by opening Elliott Cole Home in downtown Sandpoint.

Lyster was inspired by her choice of careers by an aunt who runs her own design showroom in the Hamptons. While she worked with her aunt for a long period in New York, she said she felt pulled to return home to Sandpoint and opened Base Camp Design in 2018.

She built the interior design firm around the area’s outdoor recreation and lifestyle, deeply rooted in an appreciation of nature and community. She loves that she can turn clients’ ideas into a real embodiment of those hopes.

“It’s always been a part of my vision to bring this to life here,” Lyster said. “My goal is to bring in that layer of antiquity and patina and lived-in energy to this, which is what (my aunt’s) business did. And I love that so much — I want to do that here.”

Lyster grew up in Sandpoint, deeply rooted in the community and inspired by its beauty, craftsmanship, and neighborly spirit. It is what has anchored her life and guided her 25-year journey as an interior designer.

It is also what has led her to an exciting new chapter — the opening of Elliott Cole Home, her design firm’s new retail showroom that serves as its sister company.

“Elliott Cole Home is the culmination of decades of hard work and a lifelong dream to create a place where design, history, and community meet,” Lyster said. “As a locally owned and operated business, we’re proud to contribute to the continued vitality of our downtown and to be part of the growing movement to shop small and support local artisans.”

The space also serves as a showcase for the many craftsmen she’s worked with, known for both their skill and artistry. The showroom allows her to connect those individuals with those looking for someone to make their vision a reality.

“My goal is to also really, truly lean into trade programs so that other designers and architects and makers and builders can come here and pull for their clients,” Lyster said. “We’re going to have an amazing presentation space in the back that’s going to have a beautiful library of samples, and we’ll do custom packages for everybody, and they’ll be able to plug into really good price points.”

But those spaces are only part of the overall picture, she said. Much of the space — roughly three-fourths of it — is filled with custom furniture, window coverings, fine art and more; everything that transforms a house into a home.

Located in the heart of downtown Sandpoint at 408 Cedar St., Lyster said she’s worked hard to blend the building’s history with its next phase of life.

“We’ve worked with great care and intention to breathe life back into this historic building,” Lyster said. “Every detail has been thoughtfully restored to honor its character while creating a welcoming space for locals and visitors to explore timeless, curated home furnishings and décor.”

Interior design is more than pretty spaces; it is about crafting spaces that have function as well as beauty, individual style tailored to the individual. She’s created the showroom to do all of that and more — a space where community members can come to browse for gifts or meet with a designer to custom curate a space or pinpoint their own, unique style.

Lyster credits those around her — the craftspeople and artisans she works with as well as a team of talented designers — with helping her turn dreams into reality. From a design director and lead designers to support staff and a marketing team, all are key to the transformation of ideas into homes.

In the new showroom, “living vignettes” and cozy spots are sprinkled throughout the store designed to offer inspiration and showcase area craftspeople and artisans. Care was also taken, Lyster said, to feature a variety of price points, from affordable to luxury. It was important to her to show that design isn’t about spending money, it is about creating a spot unique to each person, welcoming, individual and special.

Lyster loves that space that Elliott Cole Home now occupies has a deep and rich history in the community, dating back to early 1917. It was then that Al Filson took over Interurban Rail and opened a business that both operated the streetcars and sold cars, according to information compiled for Lyster by the Bonner County History Museum.

According to the history they compiled, Filson would later discontinue the rail company as cars became the preferred mode of travel, selling it the following year to William E. Jaeger who built a successful automobile dealership and operated The City Garage.

It would later be sold to William Cady and Al Pier shortly after Jaeger passed away in September 1932, according to the museum’s research. Fast forward to 1965, the building was again remodeled, adding 600 square feet to the showroom. Almost 10 years later, the building changed its name to Evergreen Ford and would be taken over a few years later by Dave Wall.

The building would later be sold to Bill and Lorraine Lowman, who had bought Connie’s on the south corner of Fourth and Cedar in 1972. They would expand the motel in 1978 and again in 1985 when they bought the former Evergreen Ford building and began using it as a conference room.

According to the museum’s research, the former showroom would also be used as office and retail space and by a variety of businesses.

Lyster said she loves the building’s history and feels honored to be a part of the next chapter of its story.

“It’s all about the soul,” she added. “… How much has happened in these walls? We want the brand and what’s within the walls that we introduce to speak to that as well because we want people to be in their home ad feel all kinds of wonderful emotions.”

    A shot of the new Elliott Cole Home showroom in downtown Sandpoint.
  

    An interior shot of the new Elliott Cole Home showroom in downtown Sandpoint.
 

    An interior shot of the new Elliott Cole Home showroom in downtown Sandpoint.
  

    An interior shot of the new Elliott Cole Home showroom in downtown Sandpoint.
  

    An interior shot of the new Elliott Cole Home showroom in downtown Sandpoint.