Profile

We are an inspired interior design firm specializing in residential projects.  We have evolved in response to clients’ desire for unique, customized and functional environments. Our design sensibility integrates real life solutions filtered through our knowledge of art, design, and architecture, with a focus on the importance of beauty in our surroundings. Our work is always tailored to the project and is a reflection of our clients’ individual taste and requirements. Our purpose it to create enthusiasm and wonder in clients. There is not an ABD “look”, though people often comment that our design solutions are recognizable- unique, distinctive, and “feel right.” The signature elements of our work are spaces that are at once sophisticated, soothing, cozy, colorful, and even surprising: eclectic with purpose. We strive for imaginative, practical, and delightful solutions that appeal to clients’ dreams.

Process - Short Form

  • Define: Most certainly the critical phase in which we discover clients’ vision, project goals, budgets, and (secret) dreams.  We meet with clients and discover the site,  document existing conditions, coordinate information, and begin to determine a unique design direction with specific solutions.

    Design: Creative work begins and solutions evolve, layered and refined: the picture comes into focus.  In a key series of interactive working sessions with clients we present phased options.  Spaces, materials, and furnishings are specified and documented.  We collaborate with a network of contractors and fabricators to synthesize design concepts into real, coordinated spaces and environments.

    Deliver: Designs become real.  Materials, schemes, and furnishings are ordered, built, and become tangible.  ABD coordinates fabrication, delivery, and installation. Project: complete.

About us

Principal

Andra Birkerts

 

Art informs Andra’s life and work. Her heritage: generations of artists, is a vital influence on Andra’s work. After graduating from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree she earned an MFA in painting from the Nova Scotia College of Art. She has taught drawing, worked in the Interiors Department at Arrowstreet Inc, and was a founding partner at Linea5 in Cambridge where she created and managed the interiors department. Andra has been recognized for excellence in interior design, painting, and graphic design. Her deep knowledge and love of art history and architecture are the foundation of her multi-faceted design work. Watercolor painting on a quiet island cultivate creativity and provide relaxation.  Andra’s secret pastime is a leisurely open water swim.

SENIOR ASSOCIATE

Courtney Driver

Courtney is no stranger to Andra Birkerts Design.  If she looks familiar, it is because she was a Senior Interior Designer at ABD several years ago.  She is so happy to be back, collaborating with a group of very talented designers.  In those interim years, Courtney was fully immersed into interior architecture at a high-end residential architecture firm in the Boston area.  In 2002 Courtney earned a Bachelor of Arts degree at Wellesley College, but shortly thereafter her interest in interior spaces brought her to the Boston Architectural College where she received her Master’s degree in Interior Design.  One of the things she likes best about her career is getting to know her clients and providing them with spaces that reflect their personalities.  When not thinking about interior design, she is scheming up some great fort with her kids or going on a family hike on wooded trails.

 

SENIOR DESIGNER

Cimon Starr

Cimon’s heart lies somewhere west of the Mississippi River. Raised in Colorado, schooled in Oregon, and settled in California.  Briefly living in Massachusetts and working at ABD, remote work during Covid allowed Cimon to move back home to the Bay Area where she remains a valuable addition to our East Coast team. Cimon earned a Bachelor of Science degree in International Affairs at Lewis and Clark College. She has continued her art and design education at Pacific Northwest College of Art and UC Berkeley. Cimon has extensive experience in graphic arts and marketing.

Jr. DESIGNER

Briana Spencer

Briana was born and raised in the Boston area and earned a BA in Psychology from Boston University.
Prior to being a designer at ABD, she worked in the hospitality industry and lived in Dublin for over a year.
The pandemic prompted her to explore her lifelong interest in designing spaces, and she pursued an
Interior Design Certificate from MassBay. She enjoys traveling and cooking, and prefers to socialize with
dogs.

DESIGNER

Rima Butto

Rima is a fan of all things creative and loves the artistic atmosphere at ABD. Hailing from the Midwest,
she made Massachusetts her home after graduating with a degree in Communication from Boston
University in 2014. After trying out a career in writing, she returned to her first passion, visual art, and
earned a degree in Interior Architecture from Suffolk University. A voracious researcher, you can often
find her trying out a new art medium or learning something new at the library.

OFFICE MANAGER/CFO

Harris Footer

Harris secretly longs to design and build a seaside cabin in Maine. An ambitious gardener, he relaxes best in the water or on a bicycle. A graduate of the Washington University in St. Louis, Harris was a principal in a wholesale distribution business before transitioning to the world of interior design. He manages finance, operations, and human resources for ABD.

Artist: Sarah Innes