Last updated on July 4th, 2024 at 03:04 pm
As the capital of Ohio and the most populous city in the state, Columbus offers a dynamic and vibrant community where economy, culture, and art collide. Its centuries of development has allowed it to grow as a highly competitive metropolis with a deep connection to its history. Aside from being home to notable architectures, such as the Ohio Statehouse, LeVeque Tower, and the Greater Columbus Convention Center, among others, it is also the center for art and design with a thriving creative community led by the renowned Columbus Museum of Art. The city’s sophistication and taste in art extend to its residential architecture and interior design scene. Many of the city’s homes celebrate the harmony and balance of some of the most iconic, contemporary, traditional, modern, and classic interiors.
Below are the best interior designers in Columbus, Ohio. The firms included here are either based in the area or have done projects for the city’s residential and multi-residential markets. This article considered the quality of the firms’ work, their years of experience, and the size of the portfolio that they have for projects in Columbus and its nearby communities. The list also looked at the press features, awards, and the firms’ affiliations with the biggest entities in the interior design community. Most importantly, the article considered the testimonials and overall feedback that these firms have received from their past clients and project partners through the years.
If you are thinking about building a custom home, we recommend checking each builder’s license with the local licensing board, speaking to past clients, and using our bidding system to get competitive quotes from at least 3 contractors. Getting multiple bids is the best way to ensure you get a fair price and that bids include the complete scope of work.
Angela Bonfante Kitchen Designs
Upper Arlington, OH 43220
Since its inception in 2003, Angela Bonfante Kitchen Designs has delivered custom residential interior designs to Ohio’s homeowners. From its Arlington studio, the firm expands its services throughout Columbus, Dublin, and Powell, and other nearby cities. Principal Angela Bofante believes that the role of a designer is to curate spaces that reflect the stories and aspirations of its owners, as seen through design choices, materials, and other elements that are incorporated into every home transformation. This approach is rooted in how Bonfante draws inspiration from actual people and the real world and eventually translates them into forms, colors, lines, and patterns.
Bofante’s firm specializes in kitchen designs and redesigns and makes use of the latest in design technologies, including the use of 3D remodeling software for design consultations and client review. Aside from her membership with the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA), she is also a lifelong affiliate of the National Association of Remodeling Industry (NARI). In recent years, NARI awarded the firm its ACE Award, a recognition that emphasizes the firm’s focus on customer-centric design practice.
As an interior designer, Bofante not only features a kitchen design portfolio, but also highlights designs of living spaces and full-home remodels. One of its most interesting works is for an Ohio residential client who requested a home transformation inspired by a sleek and bursting fusion of Mid-century and 1970s home styles. The result is an interior that balances the muted palettes of mid-century traditional interiors and the vibrant splashes of the 70s neon era. The stark contrast between the subtle hues and saturation provides a refined yet playful ambiance to the space.
Blue Designs
3040 Riverside Dr. Suite #123, Columbus, OH 43221
Blue Designs has been serving Columbus and the surrounding Ohio communities for more than two decades. As an interior designer, it offers a wide scope of services from kitchens, baths, to luxury bedroom suites, great rooms, as well as outdoor spaces. Included in the firm’s services are hourly consultations and entire home redesigns. The company is also licensed to complete home remodeling works.
The firm is owned and operated by Rhonda Blue, one of the city’s most renowned interior designers. Aside from Blue’s membership with NARI, she is also a lifelong affiliate of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) and the Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ). With her extensive background in environmental design and residential design, her studio has produced spaces that celebrate the textiles, patterns, and textures of classic, transitional, and contemporary designs.
Many of the firm’s design projects have caught the attention of the industry as well as relevant publications in the region. House Trends, Columbus Business First, Columbus Dispatch, and Upper Arlington magazine, for instance, featured some of the firm’s most iconic projects. The firm’s interior design works are just one of the highlights of its practice. It is also an award-winning remodeler that has earned recognition from NARI through its Best Bath and Interior Renovation Awards and ACE Awards. Its overall contribution to the region’s design scene was also recognized, with the firm earning ASID’s Chapter Presidential Citations, Chapter Service Award.
Daniel Russo Home
2814 Banwick Rd., Columbus, OH 43232
Daniel Russo Home is known for its innovative and holistic design practice that prioritizes the needs of its clients. The firm focuses on curating spaces inspired by the unique lifestyle of its users and involving them in every step of the process. Because of this thoughtful practice, the firm remains one of the most preferred interior designers in Columbus and beyond. The firm’s extensive design portfolio not only features residential designs, but also highlights public spaces that are celebrated for their elegance and unforgettable design elements.
Conceptualizing and executing design projects means more than just changing colors and restructuring layouts. Interior designer and principal Daniel Russo believes that “anyone can design a space, but only a designer can make a space magical.” This philosophy has inspired the company for more than 20 years to deliver rooms and homes that defy the stereotypical and go beyond the basics. The results are homes and spaces that are thoughtfully designed and viewed from different perspectives: space planning, lighting, use of materials, balancing of forms, palettes, and patterns, and composing a representation of the client’s “dream home.”
This in-depth understanding of the creativity and technicalities of the design process can be attributed to Russo’s background. Aside from being a member of ASID, Russo is a renowned social media personality and has established a strong presence in the digital space as one of the leading figures in today’s digital generation of interior designers. Russo was among the Design Hounds Influencer nominees, commended for understanding the balance between timeless design perspective and the significance of technology in designing modern spaces. On multiple occasions, the local television show, “10 This Morning,” invited Russo to share his ideas and design expertise.
Fine Designs & Interiors, Ltd.
11 South Main St., London, OH 43140
A majority of Fine Designs & Interiors’s clients are residential homeowners from Columbus as well as from Central Ohio’s surrounding suburbs. The firm’s 30 years of serving this wide geographic scope has allowed it to develop a profound understanding of the most unique and highly personal needs of homeowners, especially when it comes to transforming their homes through design scapes that enhance the way they experience everyday life.
This experience also inspired owner, founder, and interior designer Melinda Peters-Elliot to focus on a design practice that delivers “creative, healthy, and affordable” interior designs. The firm’s emphasis on healthy spaces is further solidified through its training and affiliations as an ASID REGREEN-certified company. The firm’s overall approach is not only commended by its loyal and new clients, but has also caught the attention of the design community. Over the years, the firm has earned several annual design awards and publication features by renowned papers, including Vision magazine.
Peters-Elliot is also a Windows Fashions-Certified Professional Expert (WFCP-Expert), credibility that expands the firm’s services to include custom window treatment. The combination of these two disciplines produces a portfolio that features a wide spectrum of practical, stylish, and timeless interior designs. A look at its project galleries reveals home transformations that feature Art Deco, Southern Traditional, contemporary, midwestern, and other design inspirations.
Fritz Harding Interiors
1050 Broadview Ave., Columbus, OH 43212
Principal interior designer Fritz Harding is a celebrated local interior designer that has vast experience in residential and commercial retail design. With more than 20 years as a key figure in the region’s design community, Harding developed his deep understanding of the design process and execution during his years of teaching practice at Columbus College of Art and Design where he served as a department chair. He eventually transitioned to private practice and established his design studio to cater to high-end commercial and luxury residential sectors.
Photographed for Cirqua Studio and Gino Fantozzi Builders
Over the years, the firm has delivered projects that are commended both for their attention to detail and their uniqueness. The firm’s design process makes sure that “no projects repeat themselves,” by taking time to listen to each client’s most intimate design ideas and applying an individualized approach to design. To complete the firm’s one-of-a-kind portfolio and deliver many of its unique commissions, the firm partners with artisans and fabricators to deliver its most unforgettable residential and hospitality interior designs.
Included in its interior architecture services, are the firm’s expertise and style in lighting solutions, furnishings, finishes, and window treatments. The firm’s profound understanding of design has also helped it transform and revive some of the most priced century-old homes in the region. Columbus Monthly Home & Garden and Home Decor featured some of its historically sensitive home transformation and redesign process.
G. Everett
752 N State St. Suite #223, Westerville, OH 43082
Principal interior designer Alexis Michalovich founded G. Everett a few years ago and since then, it has become one of the emerging figures in the local design community. Having an extensive background in commercial and retail interior design, as well as a rich experience in serving high-end retails clients, Michalovich has a deep understanding of the different elements of design and how they can be applied in transforming residential spaces. The same experience allowed her to explore the different complexities and uniqueness of designing functional spaces for a variety of clients, clients that have varying degrees of aesthetic and functional demands.
Many of Michalovich’s works for commercial and residential design have been commended by the Westerville and Columbus’s design community for their forward, practical, and stylish looks. In recent years, the firm’s featured interiors were included in some of the region’s notable publications, such as the Columbus Monthly, Outword magazine, and 614 Home magazine.
Included in the firm’s extensive service offerings are residential and commercial interior design, environmental design, project management, and virtual design. Products of these services are well-received by the firm’s new and repeat clients. Testimonials from homeowners highlight how the firm helped them make informed and practical design decisions that pay respect to the budget, timeline, and most importantly, the vision of the client.
Grand Design Group
211 North Fourth St., Columbus, OH 43215
Grand Design Group’s mission is to “create enduring and captivating” designs that embody its client’s values, as well as enhance their everyday routines, through beautiful and comfortable spaces. Since the firm’s establishment in 1988, founder and principal interior designer Pamela Yost’s focus has been on new builds and major remodeling projects. As an Allied ASID member, Yost not only has an in-depth understanding of the design process, but also has the knowledge of the latest industry design trends and technologies.
Under Yosts’s leadership, the firm is an active member of the Building Industry of Central Ohio (BIA) and National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). As a leading figure in the region’s design community, the firm has been featured in myriad publications, including the Columbus Monthly, Builder/Architect magazine, Luxury Living, Midwest Living, and Home Living magazine, among many other regional and national papers.
Luxury residential spaces dominate the company’s interior design portfolio. From the selection of custom fixtures and lamps, furniture and fabrics, window treatment and bedding, flooring and carpeting, wall coverings and decorative painting, as well as artworks and gallery picks, the firm showcases homes that exude sophistication and display craftsmanship. Beyond the unique designs and high-end materials, the company incorporates the innovation of modern design elements. The result is a balanced harmony of timeless interiors and functional builds.
Julie Paulino Design
Columbus, OH
Julie Paulino launched her interior design firm in 2005 to cater to the single-family residential market. From its Columbus design studio, the firm expands its practice across the different regions in the U.S. Paulino refined her own style while attending Parsons School of Design and further developed her signature design influences through the years. Her evolution as a designer is well documented through the different features and project highlights in the pages of Rue Magazine, Columbus Monthly Lifestyle magazine, New York Design magazine, Claudia, and Business of Home.
Paulino has an extensive background in multicultural interior design. Her in-depth knowledge of designing, crafting, and curating spaces has produced a unique portfolio of works, each of which embodies the individuality, lifestyle, and practical demands of their homeowners. She is also expanding the firm to take on commercial design projects.
One of the firm’s most charming interior design projects was for a kitchen remodeling commission. The client wanted to transform her kitchen into a space that reflects her vision of a “charming, warm, and a bit rustic” preparation, cooking, and dining space for her home. Guided by these concepts, the firm created and executed a design transformation to deliver a country style kitchen: rustic elements in the form of rough and dusty-textured cabinetry is complemented by a white backsplash of white tile tapestry. The use of wood and rustic, copper styling, evokes the nostalgia of the farmhouse vibe. A modern twist of polished, metallic kitchen appliances upgrades the space for a more trendy and relevant functionality.
KP Design & Associates
8910 Commerce Loop Dr., Columbus, OH 43240
Since KP Design & Associates first opened its doors in 2002, it has delivered a comprehensive and custom interior design service to the region’s residential market. The firm’s process centers on collaboration in which clients take a significant role in the design process. The same focus on finding what works for the client without compromising the budget and timeline of the project is one of the reasons why the company continues to build a portfolio of projects from referrals and repeat businesses.
Testimonials from its past clients show how the firm helped conceptualize and explore the possibilities of clients’ spaces, producing works that exceed expectations. Aside from its highly recommended practice, the firm is also a respected member of the city’s design community. Over the past years, the firm has been named the Best Interior Design Firm in Columbus, awarded by Columbus CEO magazine. During BIA’s annual Parade of Homes showcase in 2016, the firm also won the Gold Award for the categories of Interior Design & Decor and Flow & Function.
The success of the firm’s design practice can be attributed to the experience of its founder and CEO, and her lifelong relationships with some of the leading architects, builders, landscapers, and artisans that serve the residential sector. Supported by her design team, the firm has delivered timeless and unique interiors in Columbus and beyond. Many of these works highlight the textiles and patterns of transitional interiors, while others emphasize the practicality and minimalism of contemporary and modern designs.
Mary Dixon Designs
3468 Timberside Dr., Powell, OH 43065
Mary Dixon Designs is well known for its comprehensive and thoughtful design practice that has won the trust and approval of its wide client base and of the interior design community. The firm’s process starts with listening to the needs of its project owners, interpreting design goals, and finally translating them into functional and beautiful interiors, delivered on time and within budget.
Since Mary Dixon, ASID, established her company in 1988, she has gathered an overwhelming list of commendations not only as a designer, but also as a creative professional that puts the needs of their customer first. Aside from the stellar reviews that highlight her masterful design and project management skills, City Beat News also recognized the firm with the Spectrum Awards for Excellence in Customer Service. The firm is also a strong advocate for green design practices and makes use of socially responsible products and materials for every project that it takes on.
The company’s full-service residential interior design practice has produced works recognized with ASID Design Excellence and the Best of Powell Interior Design recognition. All projects from its extensive residential portfolio are products of its three-step method: consultation, design concept, and installation and styling. The same process was employed for one of its modern interior design projects in Columbus featured here. Completed in 2016, the design for this urban den illustrates how light, colors, and sleek lines of minimalist design can visually expand the space and provide an atmosphere of freedom and comfort. Custom fixtures define the character of its owners, and the soft feel of its fabrics and textiles is a comforting contrast against the solid and sturdy elements of rustic and polished wood and metal.
Mary Shipley Interiors
5237 Brynwood Drive, Columbus, OH 43220
With more than two decades of residential and commercial interior design experience, Mary Shipley Interiors delivers a thoughtful and refined design practice that continues to inspire and astound the region’s most sophisticated clients. With the company’s timeless designs and sophisticated process of selection, curation, and execution, the firm has established a portfolio of luxury living spaces, many of which are found in Columbus, Delaware, Dublin, Grandview, New Albany, and Upper Arlington, and other nearby cities.
Since Mary Shipley, Allied ASID, started her design practice, she focused on “designs that transform lives” by finding the balance among three vital factors: personality, form, and functionality. In recent years, Columbus Dispatch highlighted the firm’s design practice and featured one of its works. The firm is also a regular winner of the annual BIA Parade of Homes showcase. As an interior designer that has won the trust and commendation of Columbus’s residential market, the firm has completed some of the most well-loved home transformations in the city.
For a residence located in the city’s renowned Italian Village, it transformed an iconic 1900’s residence into a functional and stylish modern space. The firm emphasized the complimenting forms of industrial and contemporary elements to come up with a warm and interesting product that celebrates its old roots through vintage accents and rustic fixtures while embracing modern finishes and equipment to complete a functional and stylish home.
Midland
1127 E Broad St., Columbus, OH 43205
Midland is an emerging architecture and interior design firm that was established in 2015. It was founded by Matt Diersen and Greg Dutton, a creative partnership that designed and produced an award-winning portfolio of projects found across the country, including works in Los Angeles, New York, and the rural Midwest. The company serves project owners and entrepreneurs from its two design studios, in Pittsburgh and Columbus.
“Creating spaces that approach beauty through simplicity.” A line that best describes the firm’s design philosophy, further emphasized in many publications features that the company’s projects were included in in the past. Magazines such as Dwell, New York, Wallpaper, and GQ, as well as the home improvement network HGTV, highlighted many of the company’s most unforgettable works. The concept of simplicity and its significance in emphasizing the beauty and uniqueness of spaces can be observed in many of its works, especially for the residential sector.
One of its most interesting projects that embody the firm’s unique philosophy is for a St. Clairsville residence. The project, completed in 2017, was for new home construction, and the firm led the work’s architecture and interior design, drawing inspiration from the home’s picturesque landscape. The home is set in expansive greenery that overlooks a lake, located just beyond the home’s backyard. Capturing its beauty and bringing these natural sights indoors were the team’s biggest goals. Subtle palettes and textures, classic, natural, and unimposing materials were chosen to emphasize the views as seen through the home’s massive windows. Leaning on a more minimalist, yet comforting interior, the firm delivered a balanced atmosphere of warmth and relaxation.
Schlegel Design Group, LLC
49 E 3rd Ave., Columbus, OH 43201
Stephanie Schlegel has been an interior designer for 20 years. Her extensive background in design includes commissions for the commercial, retail, and residential sectors. Through the years, Schlegel has built her reputation not only as a local designer, but also as a recognized figure in the region’s design industry. Aside from her membership with the International Interior Design Association, she is an NCIDQ-certified professional. Incorporated in her design practice are sustainability and green methods, as well as practices that adhere to USGBC’s LEED standards.
Many of the firm’s works are found in Ohio, but it has the resources and training to complete projects in Southwest Florida and cities around the midwest. The company collaborates with residential and commercial project owners, as well as builders and architects, to complete some of the most challenging, yet fulfilling projects in the region. Home and Design magazine featured one of its works in recent years. Aside from its design services, the firm offers furniture and styling services. As an alternative to in-person consultations, the clients can also access the firm’s services virtually through its online consultation services.
One of the firm’s most well-loved interior design works was for a transformation of an old automobile manufacturing structure into a modern loft apartment building. The firm collaborated with Jonathan Barnes Architects to deliver urban and modern loft spaces with a nod to its original design by bringing out the space’s original character to life: exposed bricks served as the backdrop for the interior’s modern furnishings and soft fabrics. The result is a contemporary, semi-rustic, industrial vibe that plays between the balance of the realized functional design and the charm of its aged character.
Terri Slee Interiors
6063 Frantz Rd. Suite #104, Dublin, OH 43017
Terri Slee leads Terri Slee Interiors as one of the city’s most recommended interior designers. Slee is an active member of the Ohio design community where she established a loyal client base. As an ASID member, she takes on every design challenge from the perspective of an artist and curator, making use of the latest trends and technology in interior design. The company is supported by a veteran and local team of artisans and experts in cabinetry, window treatments, furniture, and textile designers, among many others.
A big percentage of the firm’s portfolio comes from referrals and repeat clients, many of whom have been commissioning the firm for more than 40 years. The firm takes on residential interior design work that focuses more on customer satisfaction. One of the qualities that the firm is commended for is its ability to maximize the set budget and deliver living spaces that inspire, while enhancing the lives of their inhabitants through practical and functional designs. Reviews from the project owners confirm how the firm translates a homeowner’s “style” into the redesign, while making sure that every design decision is both realistic and provides long-term functionality.
One of the firm’s interior design works in Columbus was a redesign of a master bedroom. Inspired by the textures and textiles of transitional design, the room exudes comfort and calmness, thanks to its muted palette around its walls and carpet. This gives way to striking, yet unimposing shades of finished wood and emerald green cushion and upholstery. The subtle lighting sets the mood to provide an atmosphere of relaxation and quiet. Aside from serving the greater Columbus area, the firm has also completed works in Florida, Montana, Vermont, as well as in the Grand Caymans and Canada’s Pelee Island.
About Our Rankings
This list takes a range of ranking criteria into consideration, including but not limited to: work history, customer satisfaction, awards and recognition, geographic area of work, cost, building permits, and clientele. We spent over 40 hours researching local contractors before calculating the final ranking for this post. If there is additional information about your business that could affect these rankings, please fill out this form and we will take it into consideration.
Get Bids For Your Build
If you are thinking about building a custom home, we recommend checking each builder’s license with the local licensing board, speaking to past clients, and using our bidding system to get competitive quotes from at least 3 contractors. Getting multiple bids is the best way to ensure you get a fair price and that bids include the complete scope of work.
