--- title: "Residents Understood — Interior Designers & Decorators | Houzz" canonical_html_url: https://www.houzz.com/professionals/interior-designers-and-decorators/residents-understood-pfvwus-pf~1795257558 markdown_url: https://www.houzz.com/md/professionals/pf~1795257558.md entity_type: LocalBusiness business_name: "Residents Understood" category: ["Interior Designers & Decorators"] image: https://st.hzcdn.com/fimgs/a8d3f94d0b9e5499_6664-w400-h400-b0-p0--.jpg address: "Washington, D.C. 20003, United States" phone: "(202) 630-6184" website: http://residentsunderstood.com/ rating: 5 review_count: 68 best_of_houzz_awards: 16 followers: 774 last_updated: 2026-08-30 --- # Residents Understood Original Houzz profile: [Residents Understood](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/interior-designers-and-decorators/residents-understood-pfvwus-pf~1795257558) ## Professional summary - **Primary category:** Interior Designers & Decorators - **Location:** Washington, DC - **Serves:** Washington, Alexandria, Arlington, Bethesda, College Park, DC (Washington), Forest Heights, North Bethesda, North Chevy Chase, Saint Simons Island, Silver Spring, Takoma Park, University Park - **Houzz rating:** 5.0 out of 5 (68 reviews) - **Best of Houzz:** 16 awards (2013–2021), for Design, Service. ## About ### Houzz Badges - Star Houzzer - Houzz Influencer - Recommended on Houzz - 500 Ideabook Saves As Washington DC interior designers, we believe authentic design tells a story. Discover why Residents Understood is the right team to tell yours. ### Services Provided - Interior Design - Kitchen Design - Bathroom Design - Living Room Design - Bedroom Design - Color Consulting - Furniture Selection - Kids Bedroom Design - Dining Room Design - Custom Cabinets - Custom Kitchen Cabinets - Lighting Design - Home Office Design & Construction - Custom Built-ins - Design Consultation - Floor Plans - Custom Bathroom Vanities - Entry Design - Project Management - Playroom Design - Custom Furniture - Laundry Room Design - Mudroom Design - Nursery Design - Custom Blinds & Shades - House Plans - Custom Home Bars - Art Selection - Closet Design - Outdoor Kitchen Design - Basement Design - Custom Bookcases - Custom Walk-in Closets - Custom Entertainment Centers - Custom Fireplace Mantels - Custom Shelving - Custom Pantries - Home Staging - Downsizing - Drafting - Green Building - Energy-Efficient Homes - Attic Conversion - Decluttering - Custom Storage - Historic Building Conservation - Garage Design - Custom Murphy Beds - Interior Design Photography - Bicycle Storage ### Areas Served - Washington - Alexandria - Arlington - Bethesda - College Park - DC (Washington) - Forest Heights - North Bethesda - North Chevy Chase - Saint Simons Island - Silver Spring - Takoma Park - University Park ### Typical Job Cost $75,000 - 1 million ## Business Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Business Name | Residents Understood | | Address | Washington, D.C. 20003, United States | | Phone | (202) 630-6184 | | Website | http://residentsunderstood.com/ | | Followers on Houzz | 774 | **Social profiles:** - Facebook — http://www.facebook.com/residentsunderstood - X (Twitter) — https://twitter.com/r\_understood - Blog — http://residentsunderstood.com/ ## Contact - **Houzz profile:** [Residents Understood](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/interior-designers-and-decorators/residents-understood-pfvwus-pf~1795257558) - **Website:** http://residentsunderstood.com/ - **Phone:** (202) 630-6184 ## Credentials **Certifications & Awards** - ASID Allied Member - LEED AP, ID+C - **Best of Houzz:** 16 awards (2013–2021), for Design, Service. **Affiliations** - [American Society of Interior Designers](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/schools-and-organizations/american-society-of-interior-designers-pfvwus-pf~1510192642) - [LEED AP](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/professionals/schools-and-organizations/leed-ap-pfvwus-pf~1386238498) ## Reviews **Overall rating: 5.0 out of 5 — 68 reviews** ### Reviews **★★★★★ — Kari D, Sept. 2019** > Cannot say enough wonderful things about my experience with Kiera at Residents Understood in designing a nursery for our first child. I had never used a designer before and was not well-versed in the industry lingo so was nervous about whether I'd be able to explain the vision (or lack there of) I had in my head. It felt like Kiera read my mind and delivered a design even better than I imagined! She designed the perfect gender-neutral nursery, centered around a family heirloom tapestry, that quickly became our favorite room in our house. The process was straight-forward, there was great communication, she was super helpful in helping pick new pieces when a few things were out of stock, and the project was completed on budget! Most importantly, she made it stress-free which is exactly what I was looking for during the exciting time of starting a family. I look forward to hiring Residents Understood to help with the rest of my house! **★★★★★ — KateLyn Smith, March 2019** > We loved working with Kiera from RU on our home project! We hired RU to help us redesign our basement into a more comfortable guest/family space and to decorate our first floor living/dining room space. RU not only provided design support, but also worked directly with our contractor to handle all the nitty gritty details we just didn't have time for. Kiera listened to our needs and preferences every step of the way and helped us design a space we're truly proud to call home. We found the entire process very easy. Kiera and her team were super responsive, great problem solvers, and fun to work with! I would easily hire them again or recommend them to others. **★★★★★ — Lindsey Quinn, Feb. 2019** > I cannot say enough good things about RU. I found them several years ago through instagram and have been working with them ever since on various projects throughout my home including home office, family room, and nursery. Jess and Kiera make it easy to work within my schedule and stay within my budget all while incorporating my style and adding their flawless recommendations making everything perfect. My house truly feels like the home I've always dreamed of all thanks to them taking my style and adding their flair. > > If you are on the fence about hiring them, I promise you that you will not be disappointed in the outcome of your project. They have been worth every penny. **★★★★★ — Thomasin Franken, Jan. 2019** > RU is a pleasure to work with. They have the best taste, and are incredibly responsive and engaging even well after our work with them was completed. **★★★★★ — Rebecca Epstein, June 2018** > Jessica and Ann Marie from Residents Understood were wonderful. They spent a generous amount of time with us, had great instincts, responded to our preferences, and made concrete, actionable recommendations that we could implement immediately (which was important because of our timeline). They were then available for input on our proposed selections, responding quickly and helpfully via email, and helping us get connected to a great wallpaper guy, and making additional recommendations. I can't say enough positive things. Would highly recommend. Note: I am not a review-writing person - I asked Jessica if I could write this because of our excellent experience. **★★★★★ — Claire Prestel, June 2018** > I have worked with Jessica and Kiera twice, and both times have been wonderful. They are great to work with and very responsive. They seem to understand what I would like even better than I do and are very good at mixing things I've seen with new things I might never have thought of but really love - including custom pieces. They are also great at mixing pieces at different price points so that the total doesn't end up being overwhelming. **★★★★★ — Laura V, March 2018** > I reached out to Residents Understood when I bought my first condo and needed help figuring out how to best furnish and design the space. A good friend had worked with them to design her home and raved about the experience. Based on that recommendation, I reached out to them, and I couldn't be happier with the end result. My new place is in a converted church, and the same uniqueness and character that drew me to the home also challenged me when it came to figuring out how to best design the space. Jessica and Kiera knew exactly what to do and worked out a design plan that perfectly suits my taste and also is very practical. They tailored the design to not only my aesthetic preferences, but also to meet functional and practical considerations, including providing more space for storage and little touches that I find myself using daily. I went for the full design experience, including having them work with the contractor and purchase and install the furniture. The entire Residents Understood team was great every step of the way at managing every detail, and it was wonderful coming home the day they completed the install - just like on TV! I love my new home and couldn't be happier with the space. Working with the Residents Understood team was for me a key part of moving into my new home - I love it in large part because of their work. **★★★★★ — Denise Thigpen, Jan. 2018** > Kiera, Jessica and Josh are an amazing team! They did an excellent job of blending the styles of me and my husband (me: transitional, hubs: mid-century modern). I love decorating and they came out with a finished product that was much better than I could have done on my own. They are down to earth, professional, responsive and have a wonderful ability to understand your own style/preferences and elevate it! We used them for our entire downstairs - enjoyed the process and final product so much that we had them do a complete renovation of our master bathroom. Wonderful to work with - highly recommended!! **★★★★★ — Mary Beth G, May 2017** > We are so grateful to have found RU to help us design 3 rooms in our new home! We chose the "redesign" plan to get a cohesive design plan that we could implement as our time and budget allowed. Kiera and Jessica were a delight to work with and we are so happy with the end result! They took the time to walk through every inch of the rooms to ask thorough questions and truly listen to our needs as far as functionality, our daily routines, problems areas we would like solved, and our goals for the project before we even mentioned colors, style, etc. They were also able to seamlessly incorporate existing furniture pieces that we wanted to keep in the spaces. The final design plan exceeded our expectations from both a style and functionality standpoint! They chose a great mix of "save" and "splurge" pieces that all fit within our budget. We were also impressed with the follow-through as they promptly answered any questions we had, offered alternative options as needed, and even helped us find professionals in the area to implement any skilled labor we needed. Keira and Jessica proved to be talented, reliable, prompt, and kind. We can't wait to have them help us again with more areas of the house! **★★★★★ — jrneuville, May 2017** > We used Residents Understood to help us furnish our Capitol Hill row house. We were very happy with their service! Kiera and Jessica nailed our style after just one meeting and we loved the final design. We appreciated that they were respectful of our budget as well. They truly helped us to maximise our space. I would highly recommend them! **★★★★★ — Caroline Hegeman, May 2017** > Kiera, Jessica and the Residents Understood team were instrumental in helping my husband and me transition from our 900 sq. ft. modern DC condo into a 2600 sq. ft. Old Town townhouse. The RU team provided a soup-to-nuts design schematic for our first floor, plans for updating all of our bathrooms, and gave us guidance on paint, hardware and other finishings throughout the home. As newbies to home renovation and working with a finite budget, the RU approach allowed us to execute their plans with confidence on our own timeline. In bringing their vision to life in the last several months, we’ve gained an immediate appreciation for the amount of skill and design expertise the team poured into our plans. They really have helped us turn our house into a home. Kiera and Jessica truly understood our aesthetic and guided us to making a few high-reward choices that otherwise would have been outside of our comfort zone (if we even contemplated them in the first place!). They were incredibly patient with us throughout the design phase and have been super-responsive with our questions during the execution. We wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them and hope to work with them again whenever we tackle our next phase of renovations. **★★★★★ — Amy, May 2017** > After months of struggling with how to decorate an oddly shaped living room, we hired Residents Understood to help us with the project and could not be happier with the results! Kiera and Jessica are consummate pros and a wonderful team with which to work. They helped us to stay within budget and find items for an entire room and a layout that we honestly wouldn't have thought of on our own. In particular, they helped us navigate where to save (coffee and end tables) and where to splurge (built in bookshelves), and the impact on the room was HUGE! They also have excellent contacts in the contracting world that can help execute their vision on certain projects. Their process is thorough on the front end so that they can make recommendations with your likes and dislikes in mind. We took nearly every recommendation they provided and continue to seek their counsel on specific design ideas. They are a tremendous team and I look forward to continuing to work with them for many years to come! ## Selected projects - [Tolmach Family](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/tolmach-family-pj-vj~7702850) - Location: Washington, DC - Photos: 8 - [Saydah Townhouse](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/saydah-townhouse-pj-vj~7702849) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 9 - [Courtney Family](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/courtney-family-pj-vj~7702846) - Location: Washington, DC - Photos: 6 - [Fox Project](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/fox-project-pj-vj~7702844) - Location: Washington, DC - Photos: 12 - [Lewis Family](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/lewis-family-pj-vj~7702842) - Location: St. Simons Island, GA - Photos: 23 [See all 5 projects](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/interior-designers-and-decorators/residents-understood-pfvwus-pf~1795257558) ## Ideabooks - [Wish List](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/113245922/list/wish-list) — 2 ideas - [Reyes - Florida Home](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/118948303/list/reyes-florida-home) — 3 ideas - [Smart Front Porch](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/103244320/list/smart-front-porch) — 3 ideas - [Coffey Renovation](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/107029534/list/coffey-renovation) — 1 idea - [3 Gessford](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/84071463/list/3-gessford) — 12 ideas - [Kitchen](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/61031251/list/kitchen) — 3 ideas - [RU Fireplace](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/61916384/list/ru-fireplace) — 2 ideas - [Built-in](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/52885572/list/built-in) — 3 ideas [See all 8 ideabooks](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/users/residentsunderstood) ## Community Q&A **Q: The stone on the island...** *(in Photo Questions)* What is it? Color/Type? A: It's a honed black quartz - made to look like sopastone. **Q: what color green is the island painted?** *(in Photo Questions)* A: Sherwin Williams SW 2816 Rockwood Dark Green. **Q: Where is this rug from?** *(in Photo Questions)* I love this rug but wondering where you found it. Thanks! A: Rug is from Kravet! **Q: Where did the rug come from?** *(in Photo Questions)* A: Dash and Albert! **Q: Love that blue bench** *(in Photo Questions)* I love the blue bench. Can you share where you purchased it? Thanks!! A: Thank you! The bench is from Jonathan Adler! **Q: Chairs** *(in Photo Questions)* Love the leather chairs- who makes them? Thanks A: Thank you! The leather chairs are from Room and Board. --- *Source: Houzz professional profile. Reflects the profile as of 2026-08-30.*