“I feel like my home is the best version of my home—my home, but better,” gushed one client after hiring designer Kate Hougen to give her place a refresh. Hougen, the talent behind Mira Jean Designs, chalks it up to her collaborative and budget-minded approach. Rather than scrapping everything and starting over, she often finds ways to incorporate a client’s existing furniture and art into the redesign—though the designer’s own spirited lines of wallpaper and textiles (picture fields of pink tiaras, Bernese mountain dogs or delicate cherry blossoms) often make their way into the homes of those with an affinity for color and pattern. Hougen offers one-hour consultations that make her services accessible to anyone interested. Lately, she says, the work-from-home trend has sparked demand for bedrooms that double as functional workspaces. “The work I do is not just about a pretty picture,” she says. “How are they using that space?” –Susan Anspach
Other top vote-getters:
BraePark Design, KPH Studio, Manlove and Co. Interiors, Samara Interiors, Susan Sutter Interiors, Whittington Design Studio