Welcome to ARS Design Studio: What to Expect from a Client-Centered Design Approach
Hello, and welcome to the official blog of ARS Design Studio—a place where thoughtful design meets personal connection, and where every home tells the story of the people who live in it.
Launching ARS Design Studio has been a deeply personal milestone for me. Since I was very young (see proof below!)—watching my dad design and build our family home stud-by-stud— I became obsessed with everything to do with home design and construction. I would spend hours on end drawing plans of imaginary dream houses for characters in the books I was reading. Ever since then, I’ve dreamed of creating spaces for people to live in. Not just houses, but homes.
Fun Fact:
I was so interested in what I saw while my dad was building our family home that I became obsessed with construction equipment. So much so that in one of those classic 90s Sears photoshoots I posed proudly on a toy front-end loader complete with my very first hard hat!
My parents saw early on that the dream was real, and encouraged me every step of the way - they’ve kept this ‘dream house’ plan taped up in my childhood bedroom for the last 20 years!
My approach is rooted in what I like to call “Whole-Home Design,” a phrase I first used in my college application essay to Virginia Tech, where I went on to receive my Bachelor of Architecture and refine my design process. To me ‘Whole-Home Design’ is the perfect way to describe my goal with every project - to design a home holistically, considering all facets of design from site context to finishes, interior to exterior. A home isn’t just a collection of rooms—bedrooms, bathrooms, a kitchen—it’s perhaps the most important space an architect can design, with the greatest impact on an individual’s life. It might be a great room that draws you toward the fireplace in winter, or a deck that opens wide to the backyard where your kids play. These moments of use and memory are just as important as materials and layouts. Home has such a personal and often emotional meaning, and each person has their own version of what that means. I’m sure you’re already thinking of something it means to you. Maybe it’s the sense of peace you feel stepping into a well-lit entryway that welcomes you home each day, or the memory of gathering on a front porch with loved ones during summer evenings. Home is as much about the people you share it with as it is about the physical space. It’s for that reason that I believe home design should follow the old architectural adage: form follows function.
In support of my interest in residential architecture, my mom took me on many roadtrips to see famous houses, particularly those designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. His design ideas have played a outsized role in my own design thinking since then, even forming the basis for my undergraduate thesis at Virginia Tech. My first trip to Fallingwater was a particularly inspirational moment and cemented my desire to go on to earn my degree.
Understanding how you want to live—your needs, the way you move through your day, and aesthetic elements that are important to you—is the foundation of good design. In that way, the client plays as much a role in the design of a home as the architect does. A design may be beautiful, but if it doesn’t function for your life, it isn’t successful. Maybe you need a kitchen that can host a weekly pasta night with friends, or a private corner office that finally gives you space to focus. The way a home functions should reflect how you want to live. My goal is always to bring beauty and function together to craft a home that feels cohesive, considered, and deeply personal—every room with intention, every detail with care.
My role is to bring my experience and education to help bring your vision to life. While we’ll likely use inspiration from various sources—and I have many tools to help you articulate your ideas—the ideas themselves are yours. I hope to offer guidance on sustainability, efficiency, constructibility, materials, accessibility and design styles and strategies to help shape your vision into a physical reality that you can enjoy for years to come.
I’m open to all architectural styles, construction budgets (I’ve designed homes ranging from $250,000 to $1.2 million), and locations. I am particularly interested in creating a way to bring affordability to custom home design and expanding access to this service to those who may not have been able to consider working with a professional due to their budget. From modern to craftsman, lakefront to wooded site, I’m inspired by all eras and locales. While many residential designers specialize in a single aesthetic, I enjoy working across styles and with a variety of design challenges. Occasionally I will also work on adapting existing structures - while renovations and remodels introduces new variables , it often results in some of the most rewarding design outcomes.
Process Development
I have always been interested in the home design process and I took the opportunity in my undergraduate thesis project to explore the idea in more depth. This work centered on a way to make professional design more efficient and affordable to those who may not think they can afford to work with an architect, expanding access to thoughtfully designed homes. You can read more about my thoughts on this by clicking the button below.
Here you can read more about exactly what steps go into this process if you chose to work with me. Throughout our time together I prioritize clear communication, respect for your investment, support through the process—especially if this is your first time working with a design professional. You’ll work directly with me from start to finish, and I’ll bring in trusted partners—junior designers, consultants and other professionals—when needed. Much of our communication will be visual (as is the nature of design!), and I often share hand-drawn sketches, color renderings, digital interior models, and material samples, in addition to the construction documents that mark the final phase of each project.
Starting a new design project—whether big or small—can feel overwhelming. My goal is to make the process feel exciting, transparent, and even a little fun. If you’re curious about working together, I’d love to hear from you. You can schedule a complimentary consultation or browse the portfolio to see recent work and get a feel for the studio’s style.
I hope to hear from you soon!