DESIGN INSIGHTS
Choosing the right partner for your home renovation is a significant decision. When looking for an interior designer in Northern California, you should prioritize a firm that offers comprehensive technical elevations, a clear understanding of sustainable design, and portfolio that reflects your personal style—whether that is Modern Farmhouse, Organic Modern, or California Cottage.
How to Choose an Interior Designer for Your Home Renovation
When planning a kitchen or bath renovation, many homeowners start with inspiration photos. However, the bridge between a beautiful concept and a functional reality lies in technical architectural elevations.
With over a decade of experience in Northern California, our design process at Wraith Design prioritizes these detailed drawings. Elevations provide the "blueprint" for contractors, ensuring that cabinetry, lighting, and plumbing are placed with mathematical precision. This technical lens—honed through Shivaun’s UC Berkeley certification—minimizes costly mistakes and ensures that every Organic Modern or Modern Farmhouse space is as high-performing as it is beautiful.
Beyond the Mood Board:
Why Technical Elevations are Essential for Your Remodel
Living in beautiful areas like Moraga and the surrounding East Bay offers a unique opportunity to harmonize our homes with the natural landscape. This is the heart of biophilic design—the practice of connecting built environments to the natural world.
At Wraith Design, we believe a home should feel grounded in its surroundings. To achieve a California Cottage or Organic Modern feel, we focus on:
Natural Light: Maximizing window placement to follow the sun’s path.
Materiality: Using raw wood, stone, and textures that mimic the local terrain.
Sustainability: Implementing water conservation and eco-friendly rhythms inspired by the environment.
By focusing on these intentional details, we create spaces that promote well-being and a joyful, vibrant life.
Bringing the Outside In:
A Guide to Biophilic Design in NorthernaCalifornia
We’re Now on Instagram
July 2025
We’re excited to share that Wraith Interior Design has officially launched on Instagram!
Our Instagram will be a space where design meets inspiration — a place for you to discover our latest projects, behind-the-scenes glimpses, and thoughtful design tips you can bring into your own space.
Beyond updates, we want it to feel like a creative corner where you can connect with us more directly. Whether you’re looking for fresh ideas, following along with our work, or reaching out for collaborations, Instagram will be another way to stay inspired and in touch.
Follow us here: @wraithinteriordesign
This is just the beginning, and we can’t wait to share more with you there. See you on IG!
DESIGNING A SECOND ACT
September 4, 2025
In the quiet of an empty nest, I discovered a second act for myself — one filled with creativity, courage, and a love for design. From fumbling through AutoCAD as a beginner to embracing life’s lessons as a mature student, my journey back to school taught me it’s never too late to start over. Join me as I share how stepping out of my comfort zone helped me find not just my skills, but my confidence.
Creating Your Own Style
September 17, 2025
In this reflection on the creative process, Shivaun Wraith delves into the heart of what makes a house feel like a home: connection over perfection. Drawing on her background in education, she explores a "guide-first" philosophy that moves away from dictating trends and toward nurturing a client’s own design intuition.
The piece highlights that the most beautiful spaces aren't those pulled from a catalog, but those that serve as a visual language for a family’s history—weaving together heirlooms, personal rituals, and timeless materials. It is a call to embrace the "quirks" that make a space authentic and to find the confidence to prioritize personal storytelling over fleeting Instagram aesthetics.
Sustainable Design: Creating Beautiful Spaces with Less Waste
November 12, 2025
In “Designing Responsibly,” I share my journey toward sustainable kitchen and bath design, sparked by the shock of seeing functional materials tossed during a remodel. I discuss practical ways I reduce waste, from donating and recycling to properly disposing of hazardous materials, and I highlight how I give old materials and furniture a second life—like transforming redwood into a fireplace mantel or upgrading particle-board tables to solid oak. For me, thoughtful design isn’t just about creating beautiful spaces; it’s about making choices that honor both the home and the planet.
Read more to discover tips and ideas for bringing sustainability into your own remodel.
The Art of Intentional Living
Why Space Planning is the Heart of Design
April 14, 2026
Not every beautiful space works well—and that’s where space planning comes in. In this post, I’m shifting from pure aesthetics to something just as important: creating a home that truly functions for your everyday life.
Drawing from personal experience living in a smaller home, I share how thoughtful space planning can transform even limited square footage into something efficient, intentional, and surprisingly spacious. It’s not about filling every corner—it’s about knowing what matters, using space wisely, and designing around how you actually live.
Because at the end of the day, a home isn’t just meant to look good—it should feel effortless to live in.