About Liz
My Path to Design
I’ve been a professional interior designer for over twenty years, but my love for interiors started long before that. With three generations of designers in my family, I grew up immersed in the belief that great design isn’t just about paint and fabric - it’s about creating a home that truly reflects the people who live there.
My mother, a talented designer with an impeccable eye for elegance, taught me early on that a well-designed home isn’t just about how it looks - it’s about how it feels to live in it. She instilled in me the importance of not only creating beautiful spaces but also working closely with clients to bring their vision to life in a way that feels personal and natural. When I was a child, we lived overseas for a time, and I often joined her on buying trips to Hong Kong and other parts of Asia, where I developed an early appreciation for craftsmanship and globally inspired design. She showed me how to turn what can often be an overwhelming process into something collaborative and enjoyable - an approach that remains at the heart of my work today.
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When I moved to California for college, I found myself drawn to the relaxed yet refined interiors of the West Coast. It also brought me closer to my aunt, an interior designer with a luxury firm and a beautifully curated boutique in Newport Beach. She had a way of mixing vintage treasures, custom pieces, and modern elements to create homes that felt collected, layered, and deeply personal.
After college, I moved to Washington, D.C., and began working in real estate, gaining a deep understanding of the luxury home market. But I quickly realized my passion wasn’t selling homes - it was transforming them. My husband and I designed and renovated three homes of our own, including the one we live in now in Arlington, VA. That experience gave me invaluable hands-on knowledge, and today, our home serves as both our family’s sanctuary and my personal design laboratory. I love experimenting with color, layering in vintage pieces, and proving that bold choices can feel just as natural as neutral ones.
That passion led me to launch Liz Mearns Imagine Design, where for more than two decades, I’ve helped clients create homes that are effortlessly elegant and designed for real life. Whether I’m helping a young family design their dream home, restoring character to a historic property, or blending old and new to bring warmth to a fresh build, I take a hands-on, collaborative approach to every project.
At the end of the day, a well-designed home should feel like a reflection of the people who live there.
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