Larisa McShane & Associates

Larisa took our cute but run-down 1980s three-bedroom home and transformed it into a warm, modern California masterpiece. When we bought our home in 2020, it had not been updated since it was built in the late 1980s. We loved the location and the general layout, but the house really needed love. As first-time homeowners, we were very nervous about the remodeling process, but Larisa guided us through a complete renovation with confidence and care. We wanted to preserve the things we loved about the home while solving several major problems. The kitchen was tiny, the kids’ bathroom was too small, laundry was in the garage, and we wanted a small, dedicated entry area instead of walking straight into the living room. The windows and doors were rotting and needed to be replaced, and the floors needed to be replaced as well. We took the house down to the studs on the inside, which was terrifying, but Larisa used the open floor plan concept to create one connected great room — with a large, modern kitchen that is now the centerpiece of the home, a dining area facing the backyard, and a living room that flows naturally through the space. Since adding square footage was not an option due to California building regulations, Larisa completely reimagined the existing footprint — moving the front door, creating a true foyer and laundry room, and expanding the small bathroom within the home’s original layout. She replaced the old living room doors and windows with a full wall of floor-to-ceiling sliding pocket doors that disappear behind the kitchen wall, creating a dramatic, open connection between the living and dining area and the backyard, deck, and pool. The flow of the house is now intuitive, easy to move through, and has no wasted space. It is a 1,700-square-foot home that feels much larger because of its smart and creative design. Larisa’s incredible space planning, attention to detail, and knowledge of high-end materials helped create a home that is both beautiful and built to stand the test of time. People often come inside, stop in the foyer, look into the great room and through the large glass doors, and simply say, “Wow!” We could not be happier with our gorgeous home!

My original goal was to develop a personal area where our children’s playroom had been. From the beginning, Larisa wanted to understand what I wanted the room to be. Her questions put us on the same track and allowed very open communication. I did my own research on furniture, wallpaper, and other elements, and I enjoy having this truly be my room. Once my study was almost completed, I felt very confident in Larisa’s knowledge and skill. She is fastidious with details—measuring and remeasuring and following through with subcontractors whom she has worked with for years. Nothing fell through the cracks, even in our older home where repairs were done alongside enhancements. We replaced the 33-year-old living room wallpaper and drapes and created the inglenook, a treasure waiting to open for three decades. She and my husband created a “man cave / angel nook” that is now the heartbeat of our home. We had faux painting done on a white fireplace mantel, transforming it into walnut, and stained the wood floors, warming the house. Friends have enjoyed watching the evolution. Her calm steadfastness helped guide the process; I had asked her from the beginning to help balance my enthusiasm. Her experience creates unified spaces rather than rooms filled with beautiful pieces that do not relate to each other. The final project is creating the guest room. Larisa’s commitment and efficiency have allowed us to enjoy these improvements within a year and a half. The transformation has been wonderful. I would recommend Larisa McShane to anyone with an older home that needs updating, including lighting, or to anyone creating or upgrading a home or room.

She makes the entire design process fun and this is way out of my element. I was able to come up with a color pallet, pick furniture and fabric. The process was fun and i have used several other designers and it was anything but fun. I would recommend her for any designs in your home. I am excited to see the end result. The design feels like me. She was patient and kind through the entire selection process.

Larisa helped my husband and I with our exterior paint selections. This was a nerve wracking process but she asked all of the right questions to get our minds on track for how to go about picking the colors. We are extremely satisfied with the results. We would not have been able to select all of the tiny details without Larisa’s help which would’ve made the painting process not go as smoothly. We truly appreciated her guidance in selecting our exterior colors.

Larisa and I worked together over 10 years ago on a project in my living roon and a powder room, that both still look great today (and even have features to easily refresh when I'm ready to update.) We just finished another project, a beautiful primary bed/bath plan and design. Larisa does a great job guiding and supporting me in making great choices specific to my home and lifestyle. I love each of the rooms we have worked on together!

Larisa McShane has an exceptional sense of style and drama. She assesses your taste and then presents selection of fabrics, lighting and fixtures that give a nice range of choices. I am thrilled with the results of our master bath and master bedroom renovation as well as the hall bath that was renovated at the same time. Larisa designed and consulted during the construction of our pool house, she designed pool house, kitchen and bathroom and helped to select materials and finishes. It looks amazing and complements house and pool perfectly. Along with being excellent at her craft, Larisa is a delightful person. I’ve been very pleased with her work and would hire Larisa again.

When I was a teenager, Larisa McShane and Associates helped me redesign my outdated master bedroom which was still decorated from my childhood. She sat down and discussed what kinds of color schemes and elements that I liked, and was able to revamp my bedroom to a whole new level, way exceeding any expectations or ideas that I had about what my bedroom should look like. She also helped me with space planning at my new apartment, and showed me a layout that helped me fit a TV in my apartment that I otherwise wouldn't of thought of. Would highly recommend working with her!!

Very pleasant person to work with but I did most of the work myself. So unless you like doing interior design yourself, not worth the cost (which is significant).

I found a needle in a haystack when I found Larisa. She helped me to come up with a design concept and develop a floor plan for all 5 levels of my house. We collaborated on design, lighting and furniture ideas. She introduced innovative materials, finishes and details. If it wasn't for her taste level and design aesthetic, this would not have happened. She managed the renovation and made sure all details were executed to perfection. It feels good to come home to a place that reflects my style and personality. I enjoyed the process and love the outcome. I look forward to working with Larisa on my next project.

I have worked with Larissa on several projects and have always found her to be very creative, knowledgeable, and fun to work with.

Renovation of our 125-year-old historic home We are the proud owners of a historic home in a small town outside of Zurich, Switzerland. With the recent additions of our two sons, aged 4 and 6, we realized that the home we love so much wasn't well suited to our growing family. We needed to expand our children's bedrooms, kitchen, living and dining area and add more natural light to the whole house — at the same time, it was important for us to preserve the main architectural characteristics of the historic house. We originally hired and architect to design the project, but throughout the design process, felt that our ideas were not being addressed and in the end found that the new designs lost the charm of the original house. We began to work with Larisa, and she helped us to plan the renovation of our home from the "inside out" —beginning with the functionality of how we use each of the rooms, and our family's needs and then working outwards to plan the exterior look of the house. Larisa was able to help us to plan more harmonious spaces, to place new large windows that still were in line with the architectural style of the house, and redesign shape of the roof. After planning the first and second floors of the house, Larisa helped us place furniture in the rooms and designed lighting layouts. We very much appreciate Larisa’s creative ideas and dedication to finding perfect solutions for our challenging project. She was able to walk us through the challenges that we could not resolve ourselves and work with us to create a new home that we adore and suits our family so well.

I have worked with Larisa McShane and Associates for many years. Larisa is professional and very collaborative by nature. She designs with precision and the utmost attention to detail. She is a pleasure to work with and I always look forward to the opportunity to partner and celebrate the successes it brings.