After earning a finance degree and spending five years as an investment consultant in Virginia, Emily Vaughan realized her passions lay elsewhere. A lifelong fascination with interiors led her to a job in the Alexandria studio of designer Maria Crosby Pollard, where she learned the business inside and out. “I couldn’t have had a better mentor, and I got to experience every facet of the industry,” Vaughan asserts.

Eventually, the Pennsylvania native decided to take the next step, launching her eponymous firm. “I wanted to work on jobs where I’d have creative ownership,” she notes. Recent projects include a Spring Valley makeover for repeat clients who had outgrown the Petworth row house she’d designed.

Vaughan jump-starts a project by getting to know a client’s personality and aesthetic. “I consider whether they can handle bold pieces, or if they want to pull back,” she explains. “In terms of making a home feel like its owners, I bring in a mix of new and vintage and texture and color. All of those layers come together to represent who a person is.

“I think we are all deeply impacted by our environments,” says the designer. “I want to help clients create spaces where they feel both at home and also inspired.”

Interior Design: Emily Vaughan, Emily Vaughan Interiors, Bethesda, Maryland. Contractor: Monumental Contractors, Washington, DC. Text: Sharon Jaffe Dan. Photography: Stacy Zarin Goldberg (Spring Valley); Laura Metzler (Petworth).