As a child, Ann Gottlieb loved buying fabric and making her own clothes. Though she flirted with a fashion career, a practical side led to pre-law studies at Virginia Tech—but […]

An entrepreneurial spirit runs in Mikell Rice’s family—along with creativity. Raised in the DC area by parents who owned a graphic design company, Rice embraced her affinity for interior design […]

Morgan Taylor caught the interior design bug at Liberty University while pursuing a degree in studio art. “I took electives in 
design and worked on volunteer projects,” 
she relates. “Interior […]

While a stay-at-home mom, Shoshanna Shapiro was content to design her own home and those of her friends—but when her kids were grown, she shifted into career mode. “I’ve always […]

Growing up in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, Brandi Wilkins remembers driving around, “oohing and aahing” at residences in her hometown with her mom, who loved decorating. “I knew I belonged in a […]

Now in its 13th year, this annual feature spotlights local pros who have launched firms of their own. The women designers in this year’s group—whose stellar work is shown on […]

During her years as a corporate recruiter, Shannon Hickok longed for more creativity. Eventually, she decided to embrace her love of home décor, completing a BA in interior design at […]

As a girl, Jodi Berger loved to sketch floor plans of her dream home. “I knew I wanted to be a designer,” she affirms. So it was clearly fate when […]

Following an early career in child-welfare nonprofits, Kiyonda Powell switched gears to pursue her lifelong passion: design. She earned an interior design degree at Marymount, then joined a boutique studio […]

While most future designers spend their childhoods rearranging furniture, Melissa Colgan took it a step further. “When my parents said I couldn’t have wallpaper,” she recalls, “I tin-foiled my bedroom.” After […]

Now in its 12th year, Home & Design’s “Hot Talent” feature spotlights local pros-to-watch who have launched firms of their own. According to H&D tradition, we gathered these rising stars […]

While working for more than 10 years at California Closets—where he orchestrated organized spaces for a range of residential and commercial clients—DuVäl Reynolds discovered he had a knack for design. […]

After studying architecture at the University of Pennsylvania, Catherine Ebert “took a detour” when she discovered the field wasn’t for her. She eventually enrolled in the Corcoran’s design program while […]

With a degree in applied economics, Melissa Sanabria was working in the financial industry when she moved to Capitol Hill. After years of on-the-job travel, she was happy to settle […]

Sarita Simpson first met Jason Claire when she landed a job at Vastu, then a popular furniture showroom on DC’s 14th Street. One of its founders, Claire worked with Simpson […]