Velinda Hellen Design
Velinda Hellen Design
Velinda Hellen Design
Velinda Hellen Design
Velinda Hellen Design
velinda
...went through a renovation boot camp of her own fixer-upper project; juggling the roles of designer, project manager, and contractor's assistant for a full renovation of a 1926 Los Angeles bungalow. Post reno-recovery, she went running for design school, having fallen in love. With an intimate understanding of tight budgets and 'what's worth the splurge', V swears by a bit of 'vintage heart' in a room. With a love of color and pattern, she's still a sucker for clean lines and the minimalist pursuit.
Team: Full Service & E Design!
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Personal design aesthetic: "A minimalist rockstar visits Spain while haunted by a somewhat-creepy 1920s New Orleans ghost"
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Pets: Otis, a siamese that was one of 5 kittens I bottle fed during the pandemic
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Beverage of choice: Whiskey on the rocks or a craft cocktail with mezcal
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How you spend non-work time: I have weekly ‘date nights’ with people I love that I’m religious about keeping and have been for years
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Where you'd live if it could be anywhere: In the coolest, Swiss Family Robinson-style treehouse that’s eclectically-designed and definitely has a hot tub
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Desired superpower: The ability to visit (at-will) people who have died (as long as they present themselves decently, no decay, please). This superpower could go very badly and needs some serious parameters.
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Favorite flower / plant / nature things: I have a sweet-spot for Bougainvillea but an even sweeter spot for human-error-tolerant, dehydration-loving indoor plants. I’ve formed a recent tri-weekly ritual that I’m loving: going to the DTLA flower market and assembling my own vases of fresh flowers.
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Random Facts: I host ‘Bi-B*tch Bingo’ in a park once a month for a growing group of awesome women (of all orientations). Oh, and I can lucid dream!
GRACE
...was a public accountant in a former life before going back to school for interior design. She landed at Emily Henderson Design shortly after and worked on the Mountain House project and design book with Velinda - her desk-mate fo' lyf! She's an aspiring ceramicist, a frustrated black thumb plant mama, a Broadway enthusiast... and most likely a Brit in some parallel universe.
Team: E Design - Lead
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ISFJ / Hufflepuff
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Hidden talent: Professional Napper—can nap at will anywhere
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Superpower: Known for making dogs run away with her Super Screams
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Granny Alert! Collects vintage English teacups & saucers (and salad plates!)
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Can grow veggies but can’t keep a snake plant alive
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Fave coffee order: A cup of Earl Grey (or any black tea), but I’ll take an iced mint mojito from Philz Coffee please
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Favorite piece of design advice: Work with a designer whose aesthetic aligns with your own style or the style you’d like for your space.
JULIE
...the epitome of the interior designer who loves the outdoors. After attempting to thru-hike the PCT, she officially moved back to LA after 5 years in Seattle, WA to work for - you guessed it - Emily Henderson. She, Velinda and Grace worked long hours and birthed a beautiful Mountain House together. In off time, you can find her somewhere in the mountains climbing and eating a whole bag of chips.
Team: Full Service - Lead
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Libra / 9 / INFJ / Hufflepuff…basically this means that I just want peace and love in life.
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Design Aesthetic in 5 words:
Old man goes on hike.
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Favorite Instagram Follow:
@houseinhabit Jessica Kraus is everything in. Also,@chrisburkard ‘cause nature photography, duh.
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Title of Memoir:
A tale of the interior designer who lives outdoors.
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Silliest Secret Single Behavior:
Making forts and watching movies in them. I don’t think I’ll ever grow out of this and I have gotten pretty good at them.
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Favorite Place To Shop For Home Decor:
Long Beach Flea Market or Etsy Vintage…is it cheap? Great, I’ll take it!
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Favorite Place To Shop For Fashion:
REI; if it was socially acceptable to wear my hiking clothes to work every day, I would.
marlene
...from New Jersey, was an art history student before she fell head over heels for interior design. She obtained a degree in both fields and makes an effort to incorporate her art background into every project. In her time off she travels as much as possible, spends too much time reading about astrology and says hello to every dog she meets.
Team: E Design
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Virgo / INFJ / Enneagram 4 / Ravenclaw
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I have an energetic and totally loveable Labrador Retriever / Chihuahua / American Foxhound mutt named Penelope and a rude (but very well-loved!) black cat named Hocus Pocus.
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I never learned to whistle, but find myself bored, trying to teach myself. It NEVER works, but I persist!
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Fav design advice: "Don't marry your first girlfriend". Basically, don't keep trying to make a design work just because you've already put time into it. Take a step back and be open to scrapping the whole thing and starting all over again if something feels "off" and you just don't know why! The end result is almost always a zillion times better than what you were trying to make work.
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Personal design aesthetic:: A perpetual standstill between a) light, bright, 19th century Parisian apartment mixed with eclectic scandi vibes and b) moody, dark academia with all the vintage pops.
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Random Fact: When my mom moved back to Portugal, she left me with her precious collection of lovely orchids that she had nurtured for years. I (and my dark apartment) killed every last one of them. In classic people-pleaser fashion, I replaced them with lookalikes that I gladly show off every time we FaceTime. Please don't tell her!!
BRITTANY
... has been working with HGTV for the past two years in almost all capacities of design. She recently relocated to ATL from the fabulous Las Vegas, where she is now lending her “jack of all trades” abilities with the VHD team. She spends the majority of her free time as a wannabe professional soccer player, aspiring yogi, and also a stay-at-home dog mom.
Team: E Design
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Favorite flower: Sunflowers and bougainvilleas <3
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Fav time/day of the week: I love Wednesdays because there’s something accomplished and motivating about being half-way through the week. I also love, love sunsets and how the warm glow shows through the trees.
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Favorite city: Puerto Rico!
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Favorite places to explore: I love eating at new, unique places and cool cocktail bars
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Pets: My dog is my old man, Wesley, who is a border collie mix that I rescued 2 years ago.
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Favorite films/storytellers: I love Wes Anderson and Quentin Tarantino films!
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Random facts: I have played soccer (still do!) for almost 20 years.
Trina
...had a brief stint working in advertising before realizing she actually loved designing spaces. She then decided to go back to school to study interior design, and that’s where she met Grace — they’ve been teammates ever since! She’s a self-confessed reality tv binge-watcher, a plant lover (those she can keep alive) and loves everything arts & crafts.
Team: E Design
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Zodiac sign: Gemini aka over-thinker
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Dog person (but thinks cows are also adorable!)
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I love humming! I almost always have a song stuck in my head.
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I think a rainy day in is the best kind of day
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Superpower I’d like to have: teleportation