Designer Spotlight

We are excited to have another Designer Spotlight week and feature our new team member, Ally Jackson! Ally received her BAA in Interior Design from Bellevue College and joined our team almost 2 months ago. She loves interior design for the creative, yet practical environment she gets to work in and she enjoys the excitement from clients when they have a space they love living in.

 

What three adjectives best describe your design style?

          Timeless, simple, and modern.

What is the best design advice you’ve ever received?

          Less is more. When I was early in my career, I had a hard time keeping it simple.

What is your main design aesthetic?

          Vintage modern as well as Scandinavian design.

Are there any design trends that excite you?

          I am loving the modern farmhouse trend that also mixes in vintage mid-century furnishing styles.

If you had $100 to put the finishing touches on a space, what do you do?

          Drapery – I think that it adds softness to any space.

What are your hobbies, when you’re not designing?

          I enjoy going to the gym, reading, dancing, hiking, spending time with friends and family, and trying new restaurants.

What is the least glamorous thing you do as a designer?

          Quoting. That can take up most of my time.

What color scheme are you loving right now?

          Neutrals! I am a black/white/gray/“greige” fan!

What is your favorite part of designing a customer’s home?

          The product/material selection. I love the challenge of putting patterns and textures together that the client will love.

 

Ally will be taking over our social media accounts this week, so be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram for some design tips and inspiration! You can follow Ally on social media (@allyfountaindesign) and check out her Houzz profile at https://www.houzz.com/pro/ally-fountain.

 

 

It’s Designer Spotlight week again and we are featuring our newest team member – Emma Holmstedt! Emma joined our team just over 2 months ago, has a passion for design and helping people live happier, healthier lives in their homes. She earned her Bachelor of Science from the Art Institute in Minneapolis and her MFA in Interior Architecture and Design at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco.

What inspires you?

Nature and technology and how we can combine the two to make a more sustainable life for us all.

What is the best design advice you’ve ever received?

Always layer your lighting and have several different options and moods within a space.

Are there any new design trends that excite you?

Wallpaper is coming back, and it is so much fun to see what new patterns and textures are being made.

What are your hobbies, when you’re not designing?

I love sports with my family, playing soccer in our yard, enjoying a good bottle of wine, and reading.

If you could design a space for a celebrity, who would it be and why?

If I could choose a person not alive, I choose Marie Antoinette as she would have an unlimited budget and it would be so decorative, over the tip and unique that maybe I would have started a design movement.

What is your favorite room you’ve ever been in?

In Spain, Mies Van Der Rohe built one of my most beloved architectural structures, the Barcelona Pavilion, and it brought me to tears standing in it. It is so powerful to experience something I had written about, designed projects from, and was just truly inspired by his work and the simple beauty of this building.

If you had $100 to put the finishing touches on a space, what do you do?

Flowers – biggest bang for your buck.

Emma will be taking over our social media accounts this week, so be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram for some design tips and inspiration.

 

It’s Designer Spotlight week again and we are featuring our newest team member – Naomi Kim! This practical, modern, and efficient designer earned her BFA in Interior Design at the Art Institute of Washington and hopes to continue her education in the architectural field in the future. To keep her design wheels spinning, she loves perusing through the latest design publications to catch the newest features, materials, and ideas in her spare time. Naomi will be taking over our social media accounts this week, so be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram for some design tips and inspiration!

 

How long have you worked with Renewal?
I’ve been at Renewal for a short, but exciting three months!

What is your main design aesthetic?
I enjoy the minimalistic approach to design; a well-designed space will always have a clear purpose, whether it be to relax, work, or gather. I find the ‘less is more’ approach will always allow room to grow.

 What inspires you?
I take inspiration from the world around me. Current events, the natural world, and the people around you all have something to offer when taken into the perspective of a designer.

What attracted you to interior design?
I am fascinated with the dynamics of people in a space. When entering a space, there is an instinctual need for individuals to gather toward a particular point, whether it be the center, a corner, or scattered about. These dynamics take into account the psychology, structure, and function of a room, therefore solidifying the need for spaces to be designed in a way that facilitates that purpose with style and ingenuity.

 

 

Tara Apple is an interior design powerhouse! Seriously. She’s a never-ending source of fresh design ideas, options, and inspirations. She has a talent for creating stunning environments that tell a story, or take you on an emotional journey. Tara specializes in designing spaces around the personality of those living in it, with elements are elegant, yet whimsical; timeless, yet trendy. Her clients love her…and so do we! We couldn’t be more thrilled to have Tara on our team!

How long have you been with Renewal?

I have been working with renewal for 6 short months, but it feels like forever! The atmosphere here is so wonderful.

What is your design aesthetic?

I consider my design aesthetic monochromatic. I love mixing elegant with whimsical styles, to bring warmth and character to a space.

What trends are you excited about right now?

I’m in love with grey! (A very popular trend right now, but I can’t seem to steer clear of it!) It’s a beautiful neutral that is calming and clean. I am convinced grey will be a timeless color statement that we will continue to use for a while!

What inspires you?

I like finding something in a space that will tie the design together, like a picture, or piece of art— something that you can pull multiple colors and textures from to finish the design. Typically, something my client already has in their home.

Where did you go to school? What was your major?

I went to the Art Institute of Seattle, and earned my Bachelor’s degree in Interior Design.

What attracted you to interior design?

I would have to say my mom. Growing up she always had a wonderful sense of taste and design. I can remember always helping her shop for our home. I enjoyed it so much that after high school, I went straight to college to pursue a career in it!

 

Welcome to our second Designer Spotlight! This week, we’ll be talking all about what makes Stacy Becker such an amazing, inspired designer! So keep an eye on our social media accounts for style tips, design inspiration by Stacy!

Stacy is a daredevil. She loves spending time adventuring in the outdoors with her husband and two children, so it’s easy to see why she is constantly inspired by nature. She channels the dramatic scale, beautiful colors, and calming atmosphere of the outdoors in her designs. Nature helps keeps her work grounded and down to earth, and her aesthetic is clean, comfortable, and easy to live in.

How long have you worked with Renewal?

I’ve been with Renewal for 18 months now, or so. I took some maternity leave which Renewal is very supportive about–love the family-focused atmosphere here.

What kinds of materials inspire you?

I’m drawn to natural materials that add warmth and good energy to a room.

Best feature of a room?

I have strong feelings about windows…there are never enough windows! Natural light reigns in my world.

When you’re not designing, what do you like to do?

In my spare time, I act as a Board Member of the Northwest Chapter of the Institute of Classical Architecture and Art. It’s a great way for me to connect to the craftspeople and architects of the area!

What is your favorite part about being a designer?

I love working with clients and pulling together the materials and layouts for their spaces. Paring finishes, materials, and concepts comes easy to me, as does designing kitchen layouts. Once I learned a few keystone design tricks (and I’m constantly learning) I knew that I could take a design and problem solve the heck out of it.