Maria Alaverdyan

Maria's interest in design grew out of her appreciation for the shape and structure of buildings.

"I started my education in architecture at Pasadena City College. After doing case studies on various architects and architectural styles I decided to shift my focus to how things are designed inside buildings."

Maria earned a bachelor's degree in Interior Design at California State University, Northridge, where she also minored in Art.

She especially enjoys the challenge of coming up with innovative plans and arrangements, stepping back and looking at things in a different way.

One of her first design challenges was to develop the floor plan for the entry of a hotel. "I designed a bar that was circular and sat in the center of the floor, with sliding glass doors for the entrance. The round shapes and form gave it energy and visual interest."

Figuring out interesting angles, perspectives and scale comes naturally to this avid photographer, who enjoys the challenge of getting just the right shot or framing the best view of a room or space.

At DeWitt Designer Kitchens, one memorable project was to create a modern bathroom design with a his and her area.

"I wanted to give it a very relaxing spa feeling, so I included a glass shower with steam. But it was a challenge because we had to make everything fit into a very unusually shaped area."

Maria, a member of the American Society of Interior Designers, had to get creative. The solution?

"We placed the shower in the center of the space, with everything else around it. So when you walk in the first thing you see is a glass-enclosed shower in the center of the bathroom."