Archives: Members

Graysen came to interior design by taking her love of the arts—from painting and ceramics to photography—and layering on an appreciation of structure and architecture. She relishes the style and simplicity of the 1950s and 1960s design, from clothing to cars, but she’s no Mad Men acolyte when it comes to office space. Graysen values today’s flexible, versatile workspaces and the creativity and collaboration they inspire.

When she was young, Haley dreamed of being an artist. Inspired by Monet and the impressionist style, Haley now pours her creative energy into interior design. She enjoys working closely with her clients through design challenges and taking the vision through to completion.

Like Javier, Heather started out designing spaces for her Sims, then made the leap from simulation to reality. Her favorite things about designing spaces for actual humans are seeing her designs brought to life and collaborating with her coworkers. Those coworkers don’t include her half-Maltese, half-Yorkshire dog, Remington Elliot, but probably should.

Javier’s earliest clients, his Sims families and the yellow-headed citizens of Legoland, benefited from his ambitious designs, love of creative problem-solving, and focus on the big picture. Years later, he brings the same skills to the sshape offices, where he can share his ideas with his bigger, more human clients in English, Spanish, or Italian. He’s still working on Portuguese.

Growing up in a 100-year-old farmhouse where her father also grew up sparked Jessica’s interest in interior design and how light, colors, and changes in the material could impact a space. After taking a few design and architecture classes at a local architecture firm, she confirmed that she wanted to be a designer. Today, she uses that same curiosity she had as a child to learn more about her clients and their companies to create workplaces that positively affect the people using them.

Leah has always been interested in the built environment, so it’s no surprise that in a middle school writing prompt, she wrote down that she wanted to be an interior designer when she grew up. When she isn’t having an internal debate over whether she’d rather meet Taylor Swift or Beyonce, Leah can enjoy her favorite part of the design process, putting design concepts and palettes together and seeing them come to life.

As a child, Lisa dreamed of becoming a National Geographic photographer, traveling the world with a long lens and an expense account. Though she ultimately turned her love of art and math into a career as a designer, instead, she’s still lived the adventurous photojournalist lifestyle, summiting three volcanoes (so far). Her favorite part of being a designer is seeing ideas becoming engaging, habitable reality.

Like most people, Mariale spent her childhood in Peru immersed in German international education. Those early years gave her an appreciation for both Bauhaus design and the intersection of the natural and built environments evident in the cliff-top construction of Lima’s coastline. A move to the DC area and high school visits to the National Gallery layered on a love of I.M. Pei’s New Modernism. Mariale’s desire to apply her unique influences and worldview led her to design, where she enjoys creative problem-solving and the opportunity to bring monumental ideas to fruition.

When Masha wasn’t dreaming of becoming an artist as a kid, she could be found seeking adventure through whitewater kayaking or horseback riding. Her decision to ultimately become a designer happened during an Antoine Predock lecture, where she was inspired by his passion for art, architecture, and poetry. As a designer, Masha thrives on the creativity and collaboration of many disciplines to create tangible spaces and products for her clients.