About
We're Catherine & Bryan Williamson.
Beginning in the Middle is a lifestyle brand and blog that follows our interior design and renovation work, entrepreneurial journey, and other life happenings.
Our story started unexpectedly in 2012, when we decided to make a big move from New York to Columbus. The glamour of climbing the corporate ladder was wearing off, and we knew that renting an expensive small apartment and dealing with crowded subways everyday was not going to work forever. We wanted to start creating something for ourselves, and although we didn’t know exactly what that something was, we knew NYC wasn’t the place for it. We decided on Columbus because Bryan grew up here, and we were intrigued by all of the development going on in the downtown area at the time. We drove through many of the neighborhoods and admired the boarded up old houses, most of which were built in the early 1900s, and started dreaming about the things we could do here.
Things really started the moment we decided we wanted more than the status quo.
We purchased our first home when we moved, which was a builder-basic home built in 1920 that had been used as a rental for years. We dabbled in DIY projects during our nights and weekends, and started the blog to share our progress with friends and family. We named it Beginning in the Middle because we wanted it to reflect our new adventure in the Midwest. Almost immediately, we felt a creative energy we hadn’t experienced before and realized that we were onto something.
we never planned on working together. it just happened.
We kept at it for a few more years, slowly turning our side hustle into our full-time careers. In the process, we have renovated over a dozen homes, became Airbnb Superhosts, and have designed residential & commercial spaces for our clients. Our work has been featured in HGTV Magazine, Domino, The Wall Street Journal, Dwell and House Beautiful, to name a few.
We love sharing our journey with all of you, and are so happy you’re here. We’ve come a long way, but we also feel like we’re just getting started.
the timeline
We got married in Puerto Rico. Bryan convinced Catherine to move to Columbus, OH for something better.
We purchased our first boutique hotel project. We had another baby girl, Zuri. Our house was on the cover of HGTV Magazine, and we began filming our new TV series for Magnolia Network!
We sold our first flip and bought The Pearl Duplex. Bryan quit his day job to renovate our property full-time. We accepted our first client and started our design studio, Mix Design Collective.
We listed our spare bedroom on Airbnb to make extra cash & pay off debt. We bought our first investment property (spoiler: it was BAD).
We bought The Blonde Vic (our home!) with our flip earnings. Catherine quit her CPA job.
We finished 2 more flips, and bought our Historic Townhome Airbnb.
We bought our first house. We did our first DIY project. Catherine started Beginning in the Middle.
We completed kitchens, bathrooms, and even a coworking space for our Mix clients. Our daughter, Bianca, was born right before Christmas.
Our hotel has required all hands on deck, and is proving to be the most challenging project we've worked on together. It's also shaping up to be the best. We're taking one day at a time as we balance family and business.
in the press
“As a home-renovating couple in Columbus, OH, Catherine and Bryan Williamson have perfected the art of compromise.
— hgtv magazine
more press
That's WHAT SHE SAID:
“Amber is a creative genius and she totally
represents
my brand!”
rocked my world!”
— shanna, food stylist
did you know?
we were both division 1 athletes in college (football & rowing).
we dated "You've got mail" style for a year before living in the same city.
bryan has an interior design degree and used to build custom furniture. CATHERINE HAS A MASTER'S IN TAX AND WAS A CPA in new york.
catherine's an introvert, and bryan's an extrovert.
we always have music going. we're currently loving all things jazz, burnaboy, and pink martini.
let's be email pals
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