Senior Interior Designer
- Location: Hybrid Remote (Must be based in the San Francisco Bay Area for site visits)
- Type: Full-Time
- Reports To: Principal Designer, Laurel Oberst
About Laurel Design Collective
At Laurel Design Collective, we design modern spaces for old souls. We are a boutique, woman-owned and led interior design studio dedicated to creating environments that are sophisticated, lasting, and deeply personal. We have a passion for high quality materials, sustainable practices, and the refined, highly technical details that turn a house into a sanctuary. We operate with the agility of a boutique studio and a process-oriented and organization focused culture
As we intentionally scale, this role offers the unique opportunity to become a core leader in our studio's future. We don't believe in corporate layers, endless middle management, or micromanagement; we believe in giving talented people the autonomy to do their best work. We prioritize a healthy workplace culture that respects your boundaries and values focused, deep work over high stress burnout. Whether you are an experienced Mid-Level Designer looking to step into true project ownership, or an established Senior Designer wanting a foundational seat at the table, this role is designed to scale with your expertise.
The Role: Why This is Unique
We are looking for an exceptional individual contributor who thrives on autonomy, loves owning their projects end-to-end, and wants to grow alongside our studio in a truly impactful way. This is not a traditional, rigid corporate design role, nor is it a chaotic catch-all. As our Senior Interior Designer, you will be a foundational pillar of our team. You will work in a direct partnership with our Principal, Laurel, to bring luxury residential concepts to life. This is a comprehensive, hands-on role for someone who gets just as excited about sourcing the perfect, locally made tile as they do about drafting a flawless, airtight construction document set.
Best of all, because we have dedicated management handling procurement, expediting, and billing, your time is fiercely protected. You won't be trapped chasing vendor invoices or tracking shipments; you are free to focus strictly on the high level craft of design and technical execution.
Core Responsibilities & Key Capabilities
✦ Interior Architectural Design, Sourcing, & FF&E
- Holistic Ownership: Lead and execute luxury residential projects across all phases, from initial creative spark and space planning to final styling and install.
- Bespoke Detailing: Develop custom millwork, cabinetry, and furniture concepts, ensuring architectural elements blend seamlessly with the interior finishes and FF&E.
- Sourcing & Selections: Drive design selections, sourcing unique, high quality finish materials and FF&E that elevate the Laurel Design Collective aesthetic.
✦ Technical Execution & Documentation
- Expert Construction Documentation: Independently generate, detail, and complete comprehensive construction document (CD) sets to an impeccable standard with minimal redlining from the Principal.
- Precision Layouts: Maintain total accuracy in all technical drawings, ensuring our design intent is flawlessly communicated to trades.
✦ Construction Administration & Client Relations
- Site Representation: Lead local construction administration by conducting regular site visits throughout the Bay Area. You are the face of our team on site.
- High Stakes Communication: Confidently and articulately hold collaborative, high stakes conversations with general contractors and fabricators to protect design integrity and solve problems on the fly.
- Shop Drawing Review: Review contractor shop drawings and submittals with an obsessive eye for detail, catching errors before they manifest on site.
Who You Are
- The Well Rounded Professional: You have 6–9+ years of experience in high end residential interior design or architecture. Your portfolio beautifully showcases both stunning finished spaces and complete, highly detailed construction document sets.
- An AutoCAD Expert: You are an absolute wizard in AutoCAD, capable of drafting complex interior details and full CD sets independently, efficiently, and cleanly.
- Tech-Savvy & Modern: You are ready to plug seamlessly into a modern, digitally organized workflow (experience with Programa or Asana is a bonus).
- Articulate & Resilient: You possess the "battle tested" confidence required on an active construction site. You know how to stand your ground with a contractor to protect a design detail while maintaining a warm, professional, and collaborative relationship.
- Bay Area Local: You live in the SF Bay Area and have a reliable vehicle for regular, independent site visits.
Why Join Laurel Design Collective? (Perks & Benefits)
We know that exceptional talent deserves exceptional respect, freedom, and compensation. We want you to love coming to work and feel deeply invested in our shared success.
- Competitive Salary: Highly competitive compensation packages tailored to your exact experience.
- Paid Time Off (PTO) & Paid Holidays: Generous paid time off, plus paid holidays, because we know rest fuels creativity.
- Foundational Impact & Room to Grow: You aren't just filling a seat; you are helping shape the design standards, resource library, and creative culture of an expanding boutique studio. As the studio grows, your role will naturally expand into leadership and mentorship of future junior design staff.
- Autonomy & Respect: We hire senior professionals because we trust their expertise. You will have true ownership over your projects, technical sets, and site visits, working in a highly collaborative, flat team structure.
- Boutique Flexibility: Enjoy a hybrid remote working model that balances focused, uninterrupted work from home with dynamic on site execution.
To Apply
Please submit your application to [email protected] with the subject line: "Senior Interior Designer – [Your Name]". To be considered, your application must include:
- Resume & Cover Letter: Tell us why you thrive in a nimble, autonomous boutique environment, and briefly share one instance where you had to stand your ground on a construction site to protect a design detail.
- Design Portfolio: High resolution images showcasing your interior architectural design, material curation, FF&E selection, and styling.
- Technical Work Sample: A multi page PDF sample of a full, independently produced Construction Document (CD) set (including custom millwork/cabinetry detailing, electrical plans, and interior elevations).
Note: Applications without a technical drafting sample will not be reviewed.
Pay: $80,000.00 - $100,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Flexible schedule
- Paid time off
Work Location: Hybrid remote in San Francisco Bay Area, CA