What did you learn about perfumery?
KW: I had in mind my first visit to Europe when I was 20. Everyone looks good there. I thought, You shouldn’t have to be rich to look or smell good. So to get to that point I had a lot of help from the people at Givaudan perfumery just outside New York City. I learned the different olfactory categories and the lingo of top notes and base notes. I would bring in a candle as an example of what I liked, and they would help me articulate scent in the language of perfumery.

  Jumpsuit, Stella McCartney ($5,375). Neiman Marcus, Copley Place. Mosaic earrings, Tiffany & Co. ($5,800). Copley Place. Ring, Chanel ($53,900). 5 Newbury St. Necklace, Kate’s own.

Did you learn anything in the process about yourself?
KW: That I’m way overextended! Owning a company is a big job. Before this, I thought of business as very linear, but it’s just as creative and messy as the arts. You make it up as you go along, and it’s important to be involved in the process creatively. I got really excited about the experiment of it—marketing it digitally and interacting with women. It’s been incredible, exactly what I’d hoped for. Fans responded with their own boyfriend stories.

Speaking of boyfriend stories, in last season's Private Practice finale Addison and Sam got back together, and Addison said she still wants to have a baby, even if she has to go it on her own. Can you give us some hints of what's to come?
KW: The baby stuff is going to be dealt with in an exciting way. What I love about our producer, Shonda Rhimes, is that she gives relationships their due. So we’ll see that played out. The baby issue isn’t going away; it doesn’t go away for women. It’s important to me and to Shonda to get to that. So many women can identify with it—it’s become a dilemma endemic to this generation of women.

What's your own relationship status right now?
KW: Single but dating, unmarried.

What about the issue of being a mom yourself? 
KW: I always said I didn’t want to do it on my own, but never say never. I do know that one way or another I will be a mother. If you have the desire, you have to do it.

What else can we expet from Private Practice?
KW: Benjamin Bratt will be joining the cast, and we’re going to see the show going in a few unexpected directions.

You've been in a number of films, like Under the Tuscan Sun and the recent Angels Crest. How does acting for the big screen compare to television?
KW: I love doing movies because they’re finite—it’s 90 minutes instead of seven years. On TV, great writers keep it interesting, but doing films or plays allows me to explore other stuff. It’s a catch-22 when your television show or character becomes a success—it gives you the opportunity to dig deep into a character, but you’re also playing that one character for years.