Julie Cavanaugh proves 'Design Matters'.

Home Guide San Francisco Chronicle and SFChronicle.com | Sunday, August 8, 2021

Julie Cavanaugh proves ‘Design Matters’

By Jordan Guinn CE N T R A L VA L L EY N EWS- S E N T I N E L

An entrepreneur and an instructor with a keen sense of style, Julie Cavanaugh stands out as one of the Bay Area’s premier interior designers.

The principal of Design Matters, Cavanaugh cultivated a network of three Bay Area showrooms and one in Wyoming from a humble spot in a co-op in Saratoga more than 25 years ago.

As she looks back at her time in business, Cavanaugh can turn to a portfolio featuring a myriad of residential and commercial spaces in a variety of different architectural styles.

“I don’t have a theme I repeat or something I do where someone can walk into a room and say ‘Oh, Julie Cavanaugh designed this,’” she said. “It’s about listening to the client and making their vision a reality.”

Born in the Midwest and raised on the East Coast, Cavanaugh migrated to the West Coast with her family as a teen.

When it came time to select a college, she opted to stay local and study at San Jose State.

After graduating, she attended West Valley College in Saratoga, where she quickly Cavanaugh continues on L2

Bernard Andre’ Photography

This living room in Portola Valley, conceptualized by Julie Cavanaugh of Design Matters, features a gas fireplace, hardwood flooring and sliding glass doors that open to a view deck.

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DESIGNER PROFILE Cavanaugh from page L1

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became one of the program’s standouts. She returns West Valley College’s affections, serving as an occasional instructor and liaison for the organization.

“I have been asked to visit my alma mater as a guest instructor for the interior design department on occasion,” she said. “I enjoy being part of the educational community of students learning our trade who will one day be colleagues of mine.”

Cavanaugh’s brand revolves around a concept she calls “Livable Luxury”, an aesthetic aiming to blend form, function and beauty — without breaking the bank.

In this interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, Cavanaugh talks about how she got here, her philosophy and a design trend she can’t wait to see die out.

Design Matters is an end-to-end professional design service with three locations in the Bay Area and one in Jackson, Wyoming.

Principal Julie Cavanaugh and her team of designers blend form, unity and function to every room they design, priding themselves on projects that are thoughtful and stand the test of time.

Website: www.designmatters. design.

Email: projects@designmatters. design.

for parts of the year, so you need to craft something people will be happy to spend most of their time in.

Q: What made you open a satellite in Jackson, Wyoming?

Q: What are some examples of “Livable Luxury”?

A: I coined that term because it feels like today’s family environments need to be very approachable. COVID-19 taught us how we live in our homes.

Sometimes extended family stays. People want functional flexibility with something that looks highly elevated. Not something so fussy, but something that looks luxurious. It’s all in the fits and finishes. It comes from using a rich palette of materials, combined with a proportional, hyperfunctional layout.

Q: How do you cultivate a network of vendors?

A: I’ve been doing this for more than 25 years, so I’ve built a lot of relationships over time. It started by meeting vendors at the co-op in Saratoga. And I’m always being introduced to new vendors and suppliers. I like to keep an open mind and have a sensible approach. So I’ll see what they have to offer. I still fall back on things that are tried and true.

Annie Barnett Photography

Julie Cavanaugh is the principal of Design Matters, a Bay Area-based interior design firm with three offices in the region.

There’s a best fit for every project. And that can come from either a new supplier or trusted one. It’s important to me that we form a relationship that’s deep and meaningful.

The goal is to craft a project in line with what the client envisioned.

Q: What made you stay in the Bay Area?

A: The Bay Area has such an interesting layering of client projects and aesthetics. I simply felt it was the right place for my family and business.

There’s all different types of architecture here. We have Victorians, Craftsmans, Bungalows, Ranches, Edwardians, Midcentury Moderns and contemporaries all amid this

beautiful landscape. We grew our business organically, going all the way from Sonoma to Monterey.

What’s fun about the Bay Area is different areas have different aesthetics and topography and that makes for unique designs. In Monterey, you’ll see more historic architecture and coastal cottages, as opposed to Palo Alto, where more contemporary and cutting edge designs reside. The location in Wyoming gives us a chance to work in a mountain town region. The land is rugged, yet can be tamed with a contemporary or traditional log home. Homes we do in Wyoming provide an additional challenge because the weather can be so unforgiving

A: I have a Bay Area client who lives six months in Jackson and six months in Portola Valley. They’re a developer, and got me involved in a large commercial project in Jackson.

One job basically turned into a substantial relationship for Design Matter. For people who work in Jackson, finding available housing is very difficult.

My developer client and I are helping remedy that. It also made sense to open a location in Jackson because there’s a huge relationship between Jackson and the Bay Area that’s only gotten stronger in recent years. It could be because Jackson offers a resort lifestyle that’s approachable.

It’s so welcoming. It still has this back-in-the-day feel, but paired with cutting-edge design firms, architects and builders. Every three weeks I fly to Jackson for a week. I was spending so much time there, it just made sense to open a showroom studio there. I couldn’t schlep my samples anymore, I needed a place to park it.

Q: What are some design trends you wish would die out or are overused?

A: There was a very big push from last decade to move away from heavy or complicated looking interiors into spaces that are bright and clean. But in that time, we’ve seen a massive amount of use of white and gray. It’s very clean, but austere. I think it’s turned itself into something that’s gone through its cycle. It’s one design trend that took a foothold last decade that’s starting to move out. Now we’re seeing more stuff that’s cleaner and uncontested, but softer, warmer, lighter and brighter. That trend started about 48 months ago. The implementation of color is back, and I hope it stays for a bit.

Q: How do you organize the logistics of your day-to-day operations?

A: I live with a full plate. A major part of it is being able to do the business of interior design — not just be an interior designer. I can orchestrate the day-to-day, progress and planning of 60 to 70 projects at a time. It takes a lot of foresight. But I have the bandwidth within my personnel to make that happen. It takes a village and we’re a little village making it happen.

Q: What’s your favorite architectural style to work with?

A: I don’t have one. And my portfolio reflects that. The designs we’ve done for others involve a combination of different things. Each design reflects each homeowner. We invent and recreate for every client. Can’t say I’m drawn towards one style over another.

Q: What’s next for you and Design Matters?

A: I want to continue serving our clients and regions at the highest level, I want to work with new builders and architects, and grow projects into a different level and caliber.

Would I say I want to capture the design world? No, I don’t have an ego. That’s not how I approach projects.