A kitchen remodel can either raise your home’s value or quietly drain your budget, and the difference usually comes down to one decision: when you bring in a designer. That’s the heart of my conversation with Will Clark of Clark Design Studio, the Wichita Falls firm behind residential remodels, commercial renovations, and a local furniture-and-flooring showroom on Kemp Boulevard.
Will walks me through his own path from counseling into construction, why timing changes a renovation budget, and which updates actually help homes here sell faster.
Curious about this episode? Here’s a quick preview of our conversation in the clip below:
From Counseling Sessions to Custom Kitchens, How Will Clark Found His Way to Design
Will’s design journey began unusually after a decade as a licensed counselor in Dallas. With family commitments, he sought hands-on construction experience, sweeping job sites in the mornings while counseling in the afternoons. His background in counseling shapes his renovation approach, prioritizing communication, conflict management, and expectation adjustment. After moving to Wichita Falls, he explored real estate, flipped a house, and started receiving design and renovation requests.
Clark Design Studio in Wichita Falls grew out of that pivot, and today it covers residential remodeling, commercial renovation, interior design, and a furniture and flooring showroom that helps simplify sourcing for clients.
Wichita Falls offers businesses greater visibility and easier trust-building in a smaller market than metroplexes. Will, a third-generation Wichitan, highlights that small-town trust fosters connection, a sentiment echoed by other local founders. This trust, crucial for selling a home as well as attracting new residents, is a key reason why the community attracts those looking to create meaningful ventures.
Watch the full conversation here:
Why Bringing In a Designer Before the Blueprint Is Final Changes Everything
Here is where the conversation gets useful for anyone about to start a project. Will’s clearest advice is about timing. Most homeowners think of interior design for home renovations as choosing paint colors and furniture after construction wraps. In reality, the biggest savings come from involving a designer at the architecture stage, before plans are finalized.
“I think in this day and age where so many people start their projects on Pinterest or just with inspiration photos, you can really get over your head on your budget, especially in our market, if you show your contractor only things from Pinterest, because it can lead to a high-end design. So being able to take a picture from Pinterest that maybe shows a really fancy kitchen faucet and saying, ‘This one looks very similar, and it is still very good, and you can get it for a better price,’ I do think that that’s really helpful, and we like to start as early as possible. The idea of bringing in an interior designer early for us is at the architecture stage. We would love to be able to look at your plans before they’re finalized and say, ‘Have you thought about this or have you thought about that?’ Sometimes that’s about function, sometimes it’s about design, and sometimes it’s about budget. As early as you can rope in an interior designer on a construction project is the best advice for sure.”
This kind of early planning is what the industry calls value engineering, and it is not glamorous, but it works. Instead of handing a homeowner a thousand backsplash options, Will’s team narrows the field to one or two that fit the budget and still look intentional. According to the 2025 NAR and NARI Remodeling Impact Report, Americans spent an estimated 603 billion dollars on remodeling in 2024 alone, and kitchen upgrades ranked among the highest for homeowner satisfaction. Getting that spending sequenced correctly matters just as much as the spending itself.
If you are weighing whether a home renovation value in Wichita Falls makes sense before you list, I’ve written before about how current housing numbers affect Wichita Falls sellers, and timing your project against that data matters just as much as the design choices themselves.
The Kitchen and Bathroom Updates That Actually Move the Needle for Buyers
I asked Will which updates consistently help a home sell faster, and his answer was not complicated. Kitchens and primary bathrooms get used the most no matter who buys the house, so they remain the best places to spend money. But that does not mean gutting the whole room.
“We always talk about kitchens and primary bathrooms; those are the places that no matter who’s buying your house, they’re going to be used the most, and so those are always good places to put money. In all spaces, there are ways to make them look better and updated without fully gutting a kitchen, because kitchen budgets can blow up faster than other rooms. There are more places in a kitchen where you could make a big difference, changing out a backsplash or changing out countertops. At the end of the day, they’re not always cheap options, but they can make a big difference, and it could be a more affordable option than redoing all the cabinets and all the flooring. The other thing we love from our firm in general is lighting, and changing lighting out in a house is something you can do incrementally. You can take one a year and replace your dining light, then come back and replace your kitchen pendants. That’s something that can be done, but it’s also not a disruptive project.”
That incremental approach matters. The 2025 Remodeling Cost vs. Value Report from Zonda found that a minor kitchen remodel remains one of the strongest interior projects for return on investment, even as exterior projects like garage doors and entry doors continue to outperform larger interior jobs.
In other words, you do not need a full teardown to get real value back. Sometimes a wallpaper accent in an entry or laundry room is enough to make a listing memorable, even if it does not raise the sale price directly. It can still shorten your time on market, which saves money on holding costs either way.
What Flipping Houses Taught Will Clark About Walking the Line Between Broad Appeal and Standout Design
Before Clark Design Studio became a studio, Will was flipping houses, and that period taught him lessons no amount of theory could replace. As a Realtor myself, I see this tension constantly. Homeowners want their home to feel personal, but a renovation aimed at resale needs broader appeal.
“As a realtor, I think in our market there are so many times where you start doing a remodel, and you get in a little over your head. It’s pretty hard right now, with pricing the way it is for renovation, to be able to complete projects in your home and stay at a place where you could resell it for that much. We do a lot of conversations about that at the office, because it’s a tough pill to swallow. You want what you want, and you want it to be nice, but it doesn’t make sense all the time if you’re going to be moving on from that home in a short time frame. Flipping houses is a little different, because you want to make it marketable to as many buyers as possible, but you also need to do a few things that make it stand out, because you don’t want it to just be another house on the market. It needs to look like something that anyone could see themselves in, but it also needs to look special. That is the hardest line to walk right there.”
Flipping houses in Wichita Falls taught Will which subcontractors to trust, which parts of a renovation timeline actually matter, and how to build a reputation fast in a small market. He is candid that those early flips were not always profitable, but they were where Clark Design Studio’s process was born.
Will’s team has built out a full portfolio of completed remodels and renovations that shows this balance in practice, from full kitchen overhauls to smaller design refreshes.
The Wichita Falls Design Trends Shaping Homes Right Now
Wichita Falls design trends move more slowly than in a big metroplex, and Will thinks that is a feature, not a flaw. Right now, he is seeing a shift away from stark whites and grays toward warmer off-whites, creams, and beiges, both in paint and in stone. Quartz remains the dominant countertop choice locally, with higher-end options like Taj Mahal quartz trickling down into more accessible product lines. Marble is following a similar path, moving from cool white-and-gray tones toward warmer white-and-gold or white-and-taupe finishes.
This local shift tracks with what the 2025 U.S. Houzz Kitchen Trends Study found nationally, where homeowners are investing more heavily in kitchens than any other interior space and continuing to move away from all-white designs in favor of warmer, more personal palettes. Wallpaper is also making a comeback in smaller, higher-impact spaces like entries and laundry rooms, according to Will, giving a listing a detail people remember.
If you want to see how these material choices come together in real projects, Will’s team keeps an updated look at their current design work and product sourcing through their showroom.
Where Home Design Is Headed Over the Next Five Years
Working from home has changed what people expect from their floor plans, and Will is already seeing the shift in his client requests. Smart home features are coming up more in conversations than they did even a few years ago. Formal dining rooms and separate living rooms are being reimagined as flex spaces, cozy libraries, or rooms built around game tables for majong, dominoes, and cards.
That demand for flexible space is not unique to Wichita Falls. A recent survey found that 94 percent of new construction homeowners are willing to pay more for flexible, multipurpose rooms, and that a home’s ability to adapt to changing routines is becoming as important as its square footage.
Will’s take lines up with that finding almost exactly: the goal is not one more unused formal room; it is a space that earns its keep every single day. For homeowners planning ahead, Will’s team also shares renovation planning insights on their blog that go deeper into these emerging layouts.
Great design was never about spending the most money. It’s about creating a home that fits how you actually live, functions well day to day, and still adds lasting value when it’s time to sell. If you are weighing a renovation against a move, I’ve also put together a resource on home valuation for Wichita Falls sellers that can help you compare both paths side by side.
Follow Clark Design Studio on Facebook and Instagram for a closer look at their design projects and renovation work across Wichita Falls. Will and his team share tips and updates regularly.
Want to hear my full conversation with Will Clark of Clark Design Studio? We break down exactly which renovations deliver real value in Wichita Falls and why timing your design decisions early saves money. Tune in now.
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FAQ Section
Do I need to hire an interior designer if I’m only remodeling one room?
Not necessarily, but Will’s approach shows that even a single kitchen or bathroom project benefits from early design input. Small selections like cabinet style, countertop edge profile, and drawer versus cabinet placement are easy to get wrong without guidance.
Which renovations give homeowners the best return before selling?
Kitchens, primary bathrooms, and lighting updates consistently make the biggest difference, especially when handled incrementally rather than as one large, disruptive project.
Is it better to flip a house for broad appeal or design it to stand out?
Both, at once. A successful flip needs to feel like a home any buyer could picture themselves living in, while still having a few standout details that separate it from every other listing on the market.
Who is Tim Lockhart, and what makes him qualified to guide Wichita Falls homeowners through this?
Before real estate, I spent my career in the U.S. Air Force, closing out my service as Director of Operations for the 366th Training Squadron at Sheppard AFB, and I hold my Certified Military Relocation Professional designation. Since 2012, I have helped more than 300 families buy and sell homes throughout Wichita Falls, many of them PCSing in or out of Sheppard, using VA loans, BAH-aware budgeting, and remote-friendly tools built for tight timelines. See how I help military families relocate to Wichita Falls
Apply As A Guest on The Falls Home Front Podcast
Wichita Falls is full of business owners, builders, and professionals shaping how this community lives, works, and grows. Will Clark’s journey from counseling to construction is proof that the most interesting guests do not always come from a traditional background, and every conversation adds something new for the people listening.
If you are doing meaningful work in real estate, design, construction, or a related field and want to share your story with local homeowners and buyers, I would love to have you on the show.
Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only. Tim Lockhart is a licensed REALTOR® in Texas, and the renovation and design insights shared in this episode do not constitute contractor, structural, or design professional advice. Always consult a licensed contractor, designer, or other qualified professional for guidance specific to your own project.
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