“Our values guide who we are and how we conduct business—from choosing projects to designing, communicating and supporting our clients, partners, and team.”
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We are authentic, honest, thoughtful, and integrous in how we express ourselves and represent our company. We are at all times authentic to Sparrow’s style and design philosophy as well as the era, architecture and design intent of the spaces we work on. This commitment also means knowing when to say no to a project that may ask us to compromise any of these. We are committed to the delicate dance between giving our clients what they want and also honoring spaces through authenticity.
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We engage each day with gratitude for ourselves and our work, our team members, our clients, and our partners. We are grateful for the good times and also for what we learn through the challenging ones. And we are immeasurably grateful for the privilege and honor of making the built environment, particularly its interiors, uniquely beautiful now and into the future.
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We prioritize and promote creativity and beauty in all that we do. Vibrant beauty in the designs and spaces we deliver, beauty, kindness and grace in our interactions with others, and beautiful consideration for how we contribute to each project, our community and the world around us.
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We are forever learners. We honor the process of learning and growing in ourselves and our team. We also honor the client learning process—in how they work to grow their trust in us, stretch to learn alongside us, and even learn to do things differently in their homes. We give benefit of the doubt that we are all doing the best we can with what we know, but we are also committed to knowing more!
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Our designs are driven by curiosity. We honor the curiosity in ourselves and we promote it and celebrate it in our team members and our clients. No idea, design or question is “silly.” Curiosity is always rewarded when it is shared and acted upon thoughtfully and with courage.
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We are envelope pushers. We are committed to being courageous in our designs. We take calculated design risks—daring to step out into new territory—and we honor the courage and creativity in ourselves, our team members and our clients. That courage leads us to learn, grow, and be authentic.
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We engage all projects in the spirit of collaboration. We extend grace, patience, and a demonstrated desire to work together as a team to increase our shared learning, our efficiencies, our creativity, and—most importantly—the design outcomes for our clients. Each member of our team brings to the table unique ideas, perspectives, solutions, skills, and beauty—all of which we celebrate.
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We honor and have gratitude for the gift and responsibility of family. We make decisions that put family first both for our clients and for our team, and allow space for everyone to define what that means to them. We also regard and honor our partners and our clients as our Sparrow family whom we treat with priority, respect, kindness and gratitude.
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I really don’t take myself too seriously. But the beauty and functionality of a space is another matter entirely.
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We cherish the relationships we build with our clients and their spaces. Being entrusted with a home or workplace is an honor, and we take that responsibility seriously—listening closely, building trust, and leading the process with clarity and care. We design spaces that are beautiful, classic, vibrant, and highly functional; that elevate daily life and reflect clients at their best; and that honor the architectural intent of each space.
Rooted in a love of design history, our work blends enduring elements from every classic design era with a fresh, contemporary point of view. You will almost always find a vintage or antique piece in our projects, bringing depth, soul, and a real sense of story to each room.
A client’s art and treasured pieces are often our compass. We love working with collections or sourcing and commissioning pieces with meaning—sometimes building an entire concept around a cherished work of art, special rug, or piece of furniture—so each space feels thoughtful, highly personal, and unmistakably theirs.
We care about intention and purpose from room to room, but resist anything overly formal or fussy. Especially in family homes, the “look-but-don’t-touch” spaces rarely serve real life; the most spectacular homes and workspaces should still feel inviting, livable, and intimately connected to the people who use them.
“I put a lot of emphasis on ‘intuitive design’ and I rarely design anything quickly. I like to spend time getting to know the spaces and listening to what they want to be; and I find the answer is revealed over time. And the same connection extends to my clients—I can’t tell you how often I’ve picked a tile or piece of furniture for a client, and when we share it she gasps, ‘I just saw something like this the other day and was really hoping we could work it in!’ Or we pick a pattern or design element and turns out, it has major meaning for the client. These are true stories. And this connection is undoubtedly one of the most rewarding parts of my work.”
— Lauren , Sparrow Owner & Principal Designer
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The home should tell the story of the family that lives there.
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We work with our clients intimately over the course of months, sometimes years, as we peel back the layers of who they are, how they live, what dynamics they want to exalt or to improve upon, and how they envision their spaces. We get to know them and their families. It is truly the designer-client relationship determines the experience for everyone.
Before we take on a project, Sparrow evaluates each one to ensure it is the right fit. We ask potential clients to do the same. This section shares a glimpse into what it’s like working with us. And because it is the other half of the equation, in the following section we have shared the client characteristics we’ve found to be the best fit with how we work.
Here is what you can expect from us
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As interior designers, it is our job to introduce new ideas and designs that push you outside your comfort zone. The more open you are, the better. Clients invest in us to deliver something they know they could not do on their own. And they trust than even when there are bumps and hiccups during design or construction, it’s part of the process and that we always arrive at the best outcome possible.
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Our aesthetic, while signature to us, is adaptive to each home and is always evolving. Your home will not look like the images you see in our portfolio—every home represents a unique combination of our + our clients’ design sensibilities and also what the home called for. There is often compromise—sometimes it’s on our end, sometimes the clients’, and sometimes both. Once we design a space, we retire the unique or foundational elements we used, such as a distinct wallpaper or fabric, and start new in each space.
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Balance between form (aesthetics) and function (how a space and its components within operate) is critical. Function is always important and will be greatly considered, but as designers who are obsessed with artful spaces, we are not willing to compromise form for function. If someone is looking for a designer to deliver a highly functional space without much consideration of, or budget for, aesthetics, we are not the right fit.
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We know good design and we listen and apply preferences and ideas you have in context of the space we’re working with. But there are three parts to our equation, and the space itself must also be considered. If we were to not honor all 3 parts of the equation, we would not be doing our jobs well.
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Challenges, setbacks, and unpleasant discoveries are virtual guarantees with a build or (especially) a remodel from design through completion. We ask clients to trust us to take the lead, and to achieve the vision we develop together even if it means pivoting when needed. We are experts at troubleshooting issues that arise during a project and act thoughtfully and swiftly to find the best solution. Once we identify a problem, we rarely dwell there. Instead, we use what we learn to find and create the best solutions.
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A profound design process makes the patron, the [designer], and every occasional visitor a slightly better human being.
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sparrow clients
Here are the characteristics of the clients with whom we have found we work most successfully and easily, which creates the best experience and outcome for everyone on the team.
Our clients want a professional to lead the design of their space and are ready to trust that process, with clear opportunities to share ideas and to collaborate along the way.
Our clients are ready and willing to invest in a design team to create what they could not, fully committed to the best outcome, and very open to how both the style and use of the space may evolve.
Our clients believe in the value of form and function. They are excited to create spaces that are as interesting and beautiful as they are practical and functional, and do not expect us to compromise style for utility.
Our clients value high quality as much as price. While we are mindful of budget, our clients understand we are not a source for lower-end goods and they see high quality at a good price as a bonus and not an expectation.
Our clients communicate clearly and promptly, making time to meet, review, and make decisions so projects move efficiently. They show up as open, trusting, and respectful collaborators from start to finish.
Our clients trust us and the process, and remain patient, flexible, and solution-oriented from start to finish.
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To create, one must first question everything.
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