Design Services

design services

Studio 516 reflects your ideas into reality.

Most people have a sense of what they want, what they like and the challenge is getting those ideas curated in a cohesive way & conveyed to the contractor. I like to start with a conversation on how you live your life, what you are looking to create in the new spaces and hear the stories of the sentimental items which would like to find a special location in the new home

The measure of success is the enjoyment of walking from one room to the next feeling a sense of connection; a home that feels natural, a reflection of your life; it feels like you. Good design is thoughtful, attentive to personal detail and reflective of each owners’ personality. The goal is not to replicate a page from a magazine with a Photoshop addition of you and your dog. Though we can do that – this is a place which has an ambiance that is just right for you.

featured project: Bodega Bay Harbour home remodel.

feedback from a recent homeowner

We are about to embark on a major renovation of our home in Kenwood. We struggled trying to find contractors, structural engineers and kitchen designers and could not get a definitive response from anyone during the height of the Covid mess. We were directed to Julie Anne at Studio 516 by a close friend who used her services.. She immediately took over the design process and helped direct us in finding all of the various subcontractors and engineers that we needed. They were all very responsive to her requests and this has taken a huge burden of stress away from us especially taking the lead on the permitting process. She took all our ideas and was very attentive to detail and turned the design into exactly what we dreamed of. We are looking forward to completing this project in the near future and would highly recommend her services. We are very grateful!

Homeowner

contractor feedback

We have collaborated with Julie Anne Overholt on four projects over the last five years. Julie has excellent organization, presentation and communication skills. She quickly focuses the projects, brings a wealth of creative ideas to the table and her interior renderings are an integral tool for helping to visualize each room. Julie has a comprehensive understanding of all finish materials, lighting and plumbing, and excels at assembling a room-by-room palette of finish samples. Julie also has a clear understanding of the construction process and how to document fixtures and finishes.

Simon Fairweather

Fairweather & Associates, Design Build Contractor

modern home with a view of the sky

Designer renderings couple dancing in front of a fireplace

homeowner feedback

My husband and I worked with Julie Overholt on the rebuild of our home destroyed in the Tubbs Fire in Santa Rosa in October 2017. She has been an absolute joy to work with. Julie is a great listener and takes the time necessary to really understand the client's vision. What has impressed me during this process is her ability to make substantial improvements in what I thought was an already great home layout. Her suggestions as to room layout and moving features around have brought substantial improvements to our home's flow. She is also not afraid to suggest changes to update the style of our home and is completely in-tune with all the latest trends in home and interior design. She completely understood our need to stay within the budget we have from our insurance proceeds. Her research on finding unique pieces and saving money in our budget has more than paid for our cost of her services.

Homeowner

the power of the arch

From simple conceptual renderings to a variety of volumes sculpted by arches and beams accentuated by the homeowner’s world travel art, lighting and accents. A creative collaboration which brought new life to a home rebuilt after the fires.

photography by Gene Ivester, California Property Photography

life of the pool party kitchen Before and After

homeowner feedback

When my husband and I decided to remodel our kitchen, we knew we needed someone to help with designing the best possible solutions for our space. We were given Julie’s name by someone who was thrilled with the design of her kitchen and couldn’t recommend Julie enough. At our initial meeting, Julie immediately put us at ease as she completely listened to our thoughts and ideas. Even more importantly, we found her to be extremely creative and innovative with ideas that we hadn’t even realized were possible. Julie also looked at other areas of our home and gave wonderful suggestions about how we could create more of the look that we want to improve and update our 1980’s home.

Homeowner

out of the box. into the pool.

This before and after project is a fun example of how to take a typical kitchen in a box and transform to fit the homeowners’ lifestyle and take advantage of the existing home and property. Flipping the kitchen to the back wall allowed for tons of light from the new glass slider door to the pool and a giant island in the center with plenty of work space and seating.

design process overview

Schematic Design

The beginning of the design process is a fun conversation, a deep dive and download of your world. This is usually a couple hours and includes a ton of brainstorming, photos and notes. This information settles into an organized scope of work which sets the goals for our collaboration.

Conceptual Design

Developing a custom home design is essentially a curated collection of all the choices into a cohesive whole. If you are looking to build a home around a discovery by your designer of an amazing overpriced Moroccan bowl with just the perfect patina to grab the eye of the most discerning guest at your next party – you should probably keep looking for a collaborative partner. I strive for unique spaces and a customized style with an ambiance that reflects the personality of the homeowner.

Design Development

The design process is highly customized and each project is so unique it is challenging to define where it will go and grow over time.

Sometimes Studio 516 is brought into the project by the architect or the contractor to develop the design details further from the original set of plans – interior casework & millwork, cabinets, color palette, finishes & materials, art& lighting etc.

The magic is in the details. During design development we weigh choices – does this fit with the theme, the parti, does this choice support the intended aesthetic goals and ambiance desired? You imagine the experience of walking through the competed spaces; details conceptually repeated just enough to create continuity without repetition. You feel it more than see it. The spaces feel balanced, connected and cohesive.