--- title: "Gloria Carlson - Harrell Design + Build — Design-Build Firms | Houzz" canonical_html_url: https://www.houzz.com/professionals/design-build-firms/gloria-carlson-harrell-design-build-pfvwus-pf~469891753 markdown_url: https://www.houzz.com/md/professionals/pf~469891753.md entity_type: LocalBusiness business_name: "Gloria Carlson - Harrell Design + Build" category: ["Design-Build Firms"] image: https://st.hzcdn.com/fimgs/499361b30ec5a9c8_1798-w400-h400-b0-p0--.jpg address: "944 Industrial Ave, Palo Alto, California 94303, United States" latitude: 37.4673 longitude: -122.1388 phone: "(650) 230-2912" website: http://www.harrelldesignbuild.com rating: 4.9 review_count: 10 best_of_houzz_awards: 3 followers: 147 last_updated: 2026-08-29 --- # Gloria Carlson - Harrell Design + Build Original Houzz profile: [Gloria Carlson - Harrell Design + Build](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/design-build-firms/gloria-carlson-harrell-design-build-pfvwus-pf~469891753) ## Professional summary - **Primary category:** Design-Build Firms - **Location:** Palo Alto, CA - **Serves:** Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, San Mateo, Redwood City, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Cupertino, Menlo Park, Foster City, Los Gatos, Los Altos, Belmont, Stanford, Los Altos Hills, Atherton, Woodside, Portola Valley, Loyola, West Menlo Park - **Houzz rating:** 4.9 out of 5 (10 reviews) - **Best of Houzz:** 3 awards (2014–2018), for Design, Service. ## About ### Houzz Badges - Star Houzzer - Houzz Influencer - Recommended on Houzz - 10,000 Ideabook Saves Designer at Harrell Design + Build: A Peninsula resident since childhood, she has two degrees from Stanford University. Gloria started her career in Speech Technology, but left to raise two children. After remodeling her home in 2001, she realized that Design was her passion. She went to work for her contractor and returned to school to study Interior Design at Cañada College, where she specialized in Kitchen and Bath Design and Green/Sustainable Design. Gloria quickly realized that the kitchen was her favorite room to design, and decided to focus her years of training on this specialty, including multiple examinations from the National Kitchen and Bath Association, and earned the title of Certified Kitchen Designer (CKD). Before joining Harrell Remodeling, Gloria worked as a Designer in a Kitchen and Bath showroom, and now she enjoys designing projects of all sizes, from a small bathroom update to whole house interior and exterior remodels and additions. Awards: META - Gold Award 2018 (Bath, Universal Design) META - Gold Award 2018 (Bath) META - Silver Award 2018 (Kitchen) NKBA - 3rd Place Award 2018, Medium Bath NKBA - 2nd Place Award 2017, Sponsor Award-University Electric (kitchen) NKBA - 2nd Place Award 2017, People's Choice Award (large bath) NKBA - 2nd Place Award 2017 (med bath) NKBA - 2nd Place Award 2017 (other area- bar) META - Gold Award 2016 (kitchen) META - Gold Award 2016 (whole house) META - Gold Award 2016 (residential addition) META - Gold Award 2016 (bath) META - Gold Award 2016 (bath) META - Silver Award 2016 (kitchen) NKBA - 2nd Place Award 2016 (master bath suite) NKBA - 3rd Place Award 2016 (bath) Gentry Magazine: Silver Award, Home Design Excellence 2016 (wine room) Qualified Remodeler Magazine, Master Design Award 2016 (kitchen) Pro Remodeler Magazine, Design Award 2016 (kitchen, residential interior) CoTY 1st place, Southwest Regional Award 2016 (interior remodeling) META - Platinum Award, Judges Choice 2015 (interior remodeling) NKBA - 1st Place Award, Peoples Choice Award, 2015 (kitchen) NKBA - 2nd Place Award 2015 (kitchen) META- Platinum Award 2014 (bath) META - Gold Award 2014 (kitchen) ### Services Provided - Home Remodeling - Kitchen Remodeling - Home Additions - Bathroom Remodeling - Kitchen Design - Bathroom Design - Building Design - Architectural Drawings - House Plans - 3D Rendering - Floor Plans - Universal Design - Basement Design - Custom Home Bars - Laundry Room Design - Space Planning - Lighting Design - Deck Design - Site Planning - Drafting - Home Theater Design ### Areas Served - Sunnyvale - Santa Clara - San Mateo - Redwood City - Mountain View - Palo Alto - Cupertino - Menlo Park - Foster City - Los Gatos - Los Altos - Belmont - Stanford - Los Altos Hills - Atherton - Woodside - Portola Valley - Loyola - West Menlo Park ## Business Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Business Name | Gloria Carlson - Harrell Design + Build | | Address | 944 Industrial Ave, Palo Alto, California 94303, United States | | Phone | (650) 230-2912 | | Website | http://www.harrelldesignbuild.com | | Followers on Houzz | 147 | ## Contact - **Houzz profile:** [Gloria Carlson - Harrell Design + Build](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/design-build-firms/gloria-carlson-harrell-design-build-pfvwus-pf~469891753) - **Website:** http://www.harrelldesignbuild.com - **Phone:** (650) 230-2912 ## Credentials **Certifications & Awards** - Certifications: - CKD (Certified Kitchen Designer) - UDCP (Universal Design Certified Professional) - **Best of Houzz:** 3 awards (2014–2018), for Design, Service. **Affiliations** - [National Kitchen & Bath Association](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/schools-and-organizations/national-kitchen-and-bath-association-pfvwus-pf~1351084655) ## Reviews **Overall rating: 4.9 out of 5 — 10 reviews** ### All 10 reviews **★★★★★ — A S, Dec. 2015** > We worked with Gloria on a whole house remodel. She did a fantastic job. She listens to what your needs and wants are and is very good at offering options to fulfill as many items on your wish list as possible. She is always thinking about your job - even when she's not at work - coming up with ideas to perfect the remodel. She was with us every step of the way, keeping tabs on the installations and making any small adjustments to have everything look and function its best. She is great at the big picture but has an excellent eye for detail as well. Everything turned out beautifully, perfectly reflecting the sense of place that we wanted in our home. People can't believe how stress-free our remodel was. I have recommended Gloria to many of my friends and neighbors. **★★★★★ — rossde, June 2015** > Working with Gloria exceeded our expectations. She designed a total kitchen remodel for us which also ended up spilling over into our family room area and bedroom hallway. She was extremely responsive, totally professional and a joy to work with. She is very detail oriented and sensitive to her client's tastes, idiosyncrasies and budget. We loved her ideas and appreciated how open she was to revisions if we wanted to tweak them. This was our first remodeling experience and we were a little nervous about the process but Gloria actually made it fun and we are enjoying the end result immensely. **★★★★★ — jfkl, Feb. 2015** > It was a pleasure to work with Gloria Carlson, and our double award-winning kitchen/family room is the happy result! Gloria listened carefully to our taste, needs, desires, whims, wish list, budget, dislikes, etc. Then she came back with 4 of the most fabulous designs -- all different and all way better than we imagined. We selected one, and she repeated the "listen, provide options, discuss the best choice" routine until every last detail was chosen. In the end, we got everything we needed and almost everything we wanted! We saved dollars in places where we felt it didn't matter, and splurged a bit on the things that we cared about. Harrell did a super job with construction, solving some unexpected problems with creativity and good cheer and in good time. We finished ahead of schedule and on budget. We love cooking in our new space. Gloria truly transformed our home! **★★★★★ — dchauvel, Jan. 2014** > I am thrilled with my remodeled kitchen, thanks to Gloria Carlson. Gloria saw my vision, a bit retro, and went along with it. I had never remodeled before so I knew I had to have a professional lead the way and design a kitchen that was me. Thank goodness I hired a pro. I had no idea there were so many fine details to cover. I would highly recommend Gloria. **★★★★★ — kgre, Dec. 2013** > It was a pleasure working with - she designed our gorgeous new kitchen, which has turned out beautifully! She is very knowledgeable, with a meticulous eye to detail. She kept our needs, including design elements, deadlines and budgetary constraints in mind at all times. Gloria is well-organized and a consummate professional. We would recommend her without reservation. **★★★★★ — friebel4, Nov. 2013** > My wife, Betsy and I worked with Gloria to update one bathroom and redesign another bathroom. She is a true professional. Gloria is very creative and well organized, an unusual yet very valuable combination of skills. These skills plus Gloria's abilities to stay attuned to the clients needs and goals naturally led to very productive planning meetings. The end results exceeded our expectations. We highly recommend Gloria. **★★★★★ — ezias, June 2013** > My kitchen remodel has just been completed. Gloria provided excellent suggestions and guidance throughout. I am absolutely thrilled with the outcome. Gloria was on top of everything. She is a pleasure to work with. > I would highly recommend her. > > Sincerely, > Ellie Zias **★★★★★ — goldsteinr, April 2013** > Gloria's can do attitude and eagerness to assist us in creating our kitchen was fantastic. She not only listened to our needs but also gave us wonderful ideas to help us make our space exactly what we wanted. We appreciated her promptness in returning calls / emails as well as her follow through on pending items. Gloria was cognizant of budgetary constraints and presented products that met our grand ideas without going over our budget. We highly recommend Gloria. **★★★★ — gloriabath, Feb. 2013** > Gloria re-designed our two 75 year old bathrooms. She listened to what we wanted and designed the bathrooms with our personalities and tastes in mind. She seemed very familiar with all the available options but could help us focus on what might be best for our bathrooms. We were given price options throughout the process. She was very easy to work with and could be flexible around our work schedules. > The bathrooms are beautiful! **★★★★★ — slostrau, Jan. 2013** > Gloria did an outstanding job on our kitchen remodel. She was professional, creative and was a pleasure to work with. We are thrilled with the results of our addition and remodel and owe a great deal to Gloria personally and to Gillman's Kitchen and Bath. The project was very well managed and deadlines were consistently met. Gloria's skills as a designer were also greatly appreciated by our contractor. He said she did a wonderful job with the details which made is job much easier. We had a very complicated cabinet design and we were able to maximize our storage and install beautiful custom cabinets because of Gloria's meticulous attention to details in her design. I would highly recommend both Gillmans' and Gloria Carlson. ## Selected projects - [Palo Alto Functional and Bold Spaces](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/palo-alto-functional-and-bold-spaces-pj-vj~7600157) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 24 - [Monochrome Magic in Mountain View](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/monochrome-magic-in-mountain-view-pj-vj~7826814) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 7 - [Palo Alto Contemporary Whole House Remodel](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/palo-alto-contemporary-whole-house-remodel-pj-vj~7500267) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 12 - [Palo Alto Mid-Century Modern Kitchen](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/palo-alto-mid-century-modern-kitchen-pj-vj~7563130) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 9 - [Palo Alto Gourmet's Kitchen](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/palo-alto-gourmet-s-kitchen-pj-vj~7563139) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 11 - [Bold Palo Alto bathroom](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/bold-palo-alto-bathroom-pj-vj~6351200) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 4 - Description: The Designer/Homeowner wanted a unique bathroom, maximizing functionality, with a creative use of materials. - [Los Gatos Whole House Remodel](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/los-gatos-whole-house-remodel-pj-vj~6702822) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 19 - Description: This homeowner was looking for a whole house remodel, with particular focus in changes to the kitchen and master suite. Desires for the kitchen were to make the fixtures and storage more functional as a kosher kitchen. Top goals in the master suite were to reconfigure existing bedroom/loft/bathroom to include a bathroom with a curbless shower, separate water closet, a bedroom with a sitting area, and a new large walk-in closet - [Los Altos Hills addition with new kitchen](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/los-altos-hills-addition-with-new-kitchen-pj-vj~5997706) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 15 - [Colorful Menlo Park kitchen](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/colorful-menlo-park-kitchen-pj-vj~5246392) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 15 - Description: These art-loving homeowners wanted to “amp up” their plain-Jane, worn out, thermofoil kitchen and improve the flow between their Family Room and Kitchen. They desired bold colors to create a unique space, and they wanted to design the kitchen around a dramatic slab of blue granite they had already purchased. Two-toned Navy Blue and Mushroom colored cabinets highlight the blue granite, and a custom color Dacor range, and a stunning custom glass and stone mosaic backsplash add to the drama. Removi… - [Menlo Park Master Bathroom](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/menlo-park-master-bathroom-pj-vj~5833363) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 6 - [Menlo Park Kitchen and Garage Remodel](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/menlo-park-kitchen-and-garage-remodel-pj-vj~5755921) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 5 - Description: Kitchen remodel with structural wall removed between original kitchen and dining room. Adjacent garage space was also remodeled and refinished to provide overflow usable space. - [Palo Alto Whole House with Eclectic Design](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/palo-alto-whole-house-with-eclectic-design-pj-vj~2685156) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 15 - [Palo Alto Whole House remodel](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/palo-alto-whole-house-remodel-pj-vj~1609578) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 23 - [Modern kitchen, family room and wine room](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/modern-kitchen-family-room-and-wine-room-pj-vj~1330894) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 21 - Description: Homeowners were looking for a very modern kitchen with bright red accent and high contrast, glossy materials, that was connected to the family room. Prior, the spaces were disconnected by a structural wall. They are avid cooks and entertain frequently. - [Sunnyvale bathroom addition-Historic home](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/sunnyvale-bathroom-addition-historic-home-pj-vj~3586334) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 3 - [Los Altos Accessible Bathroom](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/los-altos-accessible-bathroom-pj-vj~3008473) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 6 - [Palo Alto Kitchen and Beverage Bar](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/palo-alto-kitchen-and-beverage-bar-pj-vj~1782589) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 6 - [Palo Alto Mediterranean Kitchen (with addition)](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/palo-alto-mediterranean-kitchen-with-addition-pj-vj~2206866) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 7 - [Palo Alto Master and Hall Bath Remodels](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/palo-alto-master-and-hall-bath-remodels-pj-vj~1728528) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 8 - [An artist's bathroom in Mountain View](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/an-artist-s-bathroom-in-mountain-view-pj-vj~1331770) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 14 - Description: Makeover of small bathroom for homeowners who are artists that love color and texture [See all 38 projects](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/design-build-firms/gloria-carlson-harrell-design-build-pfvwus-pf~469891753) ## Ideabooks - [Bathroom tile ideas](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/179255301/list/bathroom-tile-ideas) — 27 ideas - [brass lighting](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/16942585/list/brass-lighting) — 3 ideas - [I.B.](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/118852959/list/i-b) — 10 ideas - [Ipe Decking](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/74562068/list/ipe-decking) — 2 ideas [See all 4 ideabooks](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/users/glosteve) ## Community Q&A **Q: I also want to know about that beautiful and unique rug!** *(in Photo Questions)* I love the rug, and want to know who makes it A: The homeowners purchased this rug (and others) from Stephen Miller Gallery in Menlo Park, CA **Q: Do you remember where the rug is from? I think it looks good!** *(in Photo Questions)* Would like rug brand A: The homeowners purchased this rug (and others) from Stephen Miller Gallery in Menlo Park, CA **Q: how wide is the shower?** *(in Photo Questions)* The tile looks great, just curious about the inside width. Thanks! A: Thank you for your interest. The inside width is 30". It had been a 30"x60" tub/shower combination that was converted to a shower-only. **Q: Dimensions** *(in Photo Questions)* Curious what the dimensions of the counter are? A: Thank you for your interest. The vanity is 90" wide by 21" deep, with one sink in the middle. The full width is not shown in this photograph. **Q: Blue counter top** *(in Photo Questions)* What kind of blue counter top is used for the island? It looks like granite and the hue is so vivid. A: It is Cambria quartz, Clyde. **Q: I love the stone outside of the shower. It is a great idea.** *(in Photo Questions)* How did you have the stone outside of the shower done? Does it slope back into the shower to catch the door drips? So awesome A: Thanks for your interest! Since the shower is curbless, the shower floor was built with a slope toward a drain within the shower space. The entire floor of the bathroom has a waterproof membrane underneath, in case water seeps out of the shower, as extra protection. --- *Source: Houzz professional profile. Reflects the profile as of 2026-08-29.*