Andrea Goldman on Designing Homes That Feel Effortless
people • DESIGNERS
Chicago-based interior designer Andrea Goldman has built a practice grounded in the idea that beautiful spaces should first and foremost feel good to live in. Through her firm, she has developed a distinctly refined yet approachable design language, balancing clean lines, tactile materials and neutral palettes with warmth, comfort and emotional ease. Her interiors avoid excess, instead focusing on how people move, gather and experience everyday life within a space.
Before founding her studio, Goldman worked in residential development, an experience that continues to shape her instinctive understanding of layout, flow and liveability. Today, her firm delivers full-service residential interiors across the United States, combining creative direction with a rigorous approach to project management and execution. The result is a body of work that feels timeless rather than trend-driven, where every detail is considered not only for visual impact but for how it contributes to daily living.
In this interview, Andrea Goldman reflects on building her studio while raising a family, the discipline behind restrained interiors, and why truly successful homes are the ones you never want to leave.
Words: designeers
may 2026
WEBSITE: andreagoldman.com
INSTAGRAM: @andreagoldmandesign
DESIGNEERS
You didn’t start in design; you came through development. What did that world teach you about what really makes a space work?
Andrea Goldman
I started in residential development, and that mindset is entirely centred around how people will actually live within a space. We would develop eight to ten different unit types at a time, each requiring its own floor plan solution and way of living. That experience sharpened my understanding of functionality very early on.
It taught me how to anticipate the needs of someone I had never met before and understand what made a home feel successful in daily life. I learned what resonated with people, what felt natural and what ultimately endured, and those lessons still inform every project we take on today.
DESIGNEERS
You built your studio from home while raising a family, without a big launch or safety net. What did that period demand from you that people rarely see?
Andrea Goldman
It demanded constant movement. There were no defined work hours or separation between life and work. You would answer emails while making dinner, review drawings between school pickups, and use any spare thirty minutes to keep things moving forward.
At the same time, those early years were incredibly energising. I had so much enthusiasm that the hard work rarely felt burdensome. I had to learn every role as I went along and become comfortable figuring things out in real time. That mindset only takes you so far though. Eventually you realise that building something sustainable requires structure, confidence and experience alongside ambition.
SW Michigan Vacation Home
A New Chapter Renovation project
DESIGNEERS
Your interiors feel calm and restrained, yet simplicity at that level requires enormous discipline. Where does that instinct come from?
Andrea Goldman
At this stage, after years of experience and client feedback, our approach feels very intuitive. We rarely second-guess decisions because we understand how we want a home to feel emotionally as well as visually.
Every client has their own perspective and way of living, but there is always a common thread running through our work. We create homes that feel approachable, comfortable and easy to inhabit. Design decisions are never made purely for appearance. Form and function always have to coexist naturally.
DESIGNEERS
There’s a difference between a home that looks beautiful and one that genuinely feels right. How do you recognise that moment?
Andrea Goldman
You never fully know until installation. After months, sometimes years, of work, there is a moment where you walk into the completed space and simply do not want to leave. That feeling is instinctive.
We think deeply about how people move through a home, where they place a drink, how they reach for a remote, or how lighting shifts throughout the day. Those details shape whether a space feels effortless to live in. Occasionally, even very late in the process, we will pivot if something doesn’t feel entirely natural.
DESIGNEERS
Neutral interiors dominate the design conversation right now. What still interests you about them, and where do people get them wrong?
Andrea Goldman
Neutral does not mean boring. The problem comes when there is no depth, layering or variation in texture. A restrained palette can still feel incredibly rich when materials are handled thoughtfully.
We focus heavily on tactility through textiles, wallcoverings, wood tones and subtle material contrasts. Those layers create warmth and personality. A quiet palette can still feel emotionally engaging when there is enough nuance within it.
DESIGNEERS
If you could remove one overused trend from high-end residential interiors right now, what would it be?
Andrea Goldman
Jewel tones and overly saturated brass finishes have become very overused over the last several years. They appear so frequently that many interiors are beginning to look interchangeable. That doesn’t mean we avoid them entirely, but trends become problematic when they stop reflecting individuality and start becoming default design choices.
SW Michigan Vacation Home
A New Chapter Renovation project
The Treehouse project
“Neutral does not mean boring. A restrained palette can still feel incredibly rich when materials are handled thoughtfully.”
Andrea Goldman
DESIGNEERS
When you walk into a room, what is the first thing you instinctively notice?
Andrea Goldman
Lighting. I notice decorative fixtures right away, but more importantly, lighting placement, intensity and how that affects tone or how you feel in a room. I’m extremely sensitive to lighting and notorious for adjusting lights as soon as I walk into a room. Now people who know me have said they immediately notice lighting too! Without a doubt, lighting sets the tone and affects ambience.
DESIGNEeRS
You’ve scaled a studio across multiple cities — what has actually been the hardest part of growing that no one talks about?
Andrea Goldman
Scheduling and maintaining continuity across projects. We do enough out-of-state project work at this point that we work remotely as much as possible. But it really requires boots on the ground, and I want to remain part of every project. It’s hard to be out of the office and make sure clients are receiving adequate attention. In Chicago, we have a trusted network and support system that has developed over years. Recreating that infrastructure elsewhere takes time. We’ve become good at building strong teams, and we’re not afraid to say yes to projects across the country in California and Florida or in Cabo, Mexico. The formula remains the same, and it’s all about plugging in the players.
DESIGNEERS
At your level, is design more about creativity or decision-making?
Andrea Goldman
Hopefully both. Creativity has to remain at the centre of the work, otherwise the process loses its meaning. But decision-making is equally important because projects need momentum and clarity.
Feeling confident in our selections and not looking back has served us well over the years. We still love pushing ourselves design-wise and staying inspired. At the same time, we still push ourselves creatively and collect references or ideas until the right project presents itself. Clients love when they’re the first to try something new. Good design is what keeps this from feeling like a job – it’s that creative piece.
A New Chapter Renovation project
Chicago High-Rise project
DESIGNEeRS
You’re now moving into retail. Is that about creative expansion or building something more scalable?
Andrea Goldman
Both. For our team, if we’re not learning and challenging ourselves, what’s the point? Retail will definitely push us in a new direction, where a product isn’t specific to a client but something that resonates with us and a broader audience. It’s a different, exciting animal. At the same time, it offers opportunities for growth beyond the traditional structure of an interior design studio. Hopefully it allows the team to expand while opening up entirely new creative possibilities.
DESIGNEERS
Your favourite hotel in the world?
Andrea Goldman
Ett Hem in Stockholm, Sweden. It’s a boutique hotel with two homes that connect through a courtyard, and you have meals in the kitchen with other guests at the hotel. The design is delicious and welcoming; I would get on a plane right now to go sit in the living room. It feels like you’re staying in a curated, comfortable and sophisticated home. Ett Hem is so special.
DESIGNEERS
A maker, artist, or collaborator you continually return to?
Andrea Goldman
We return to Cuff Studio in Los Angeles again and again for lighting. Their designs tend to work with any interior, from modern to more transitional. Pieces feel less like light fixtures and more like sculpture, with relatively clean lines and a more modern sensibility.
DESIGNEERS
One place in Chicago that never fails to inspire you?
Andrea Goldman
Driving along Lake Shore Drive never ceases to amaze me. I’ve always lived within walking distance of the lake and feel so lucky to live here. Lake Michigan is Chicago’s greatest asset – it feels like an ocean right next to our city’s urban development, and it’s unlike any other place in the world.
A New Chapter Renovation project
