Today we’d like to introduce you to Elana Mendelson.
Elana, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My journey into design started at George Washington University, where I earned my MFA in Interior Design. That program grounded me in the principles and elements of design, form versus function and function versus form (both equally important), and taught me to think like a designer. I honed my drawing skills there, too, learning how to translate a vision from paper into fully realized, lived-in space.
During and after graduate school, I spent several years building a foundation across every scale of the industry. I started as a design intern at Danziger Design Group, then moved into commercial work with an internship at BBGM, followed by another internship at Adams Design, Inc. here in DC. From there, I worked as an interior designer at Interior Architects in Georgetown, getting hands-on experience with high-end commercial and institutional projects. I later returned to Adams Design as an interior designer, rounding out a decade of learning from some of the best in the DMV.
In 2015, I got my LLC and officially founded Elana Designs. By then, I had three young boys and knew exactly what I wanted out of running my own business: control of my own schedule, my own clients, my own hours and days off, and the ability to be home for my three boys, to pick them up from school and get them to their activities. Building a firm on my own terms meant putting it on pause while I was present for that season with my family. It wasn’t until 2021 that I began growing the business in earnest, bringing everything I’d learned across residential and commercial design into a single, focused practice built around the life I wanted to live.
Since then, Elana Designs has grown into a boutique firm specializing in large-scale renovations, new construction, and full-service furnishings for busy, high-net-worth families across the DMV area. This focus wasn’t an accident. My MFA program was rooted in interior architecture, strong design fundamentals rather than decorating, and that foundation naturally led me toward the kind of work I do today. I focus on full-scope projects where space planning, structure, and finishes all collaborate from concept to completion.
My clients are people who value their time above almost everything else. They don’t want to manage contractors, chase vendors, or make one hundred small decisions. They want a true concept-to-completion partner, someone who can take a home from bones to finished, livable luxury, without them having to lift a finger.
What I bring to every project is the range I built over those early years: an eye trained on both residential warmth and commercial precision, real interior architecture training, and the operational discipline to run complex, large-scale projects from first sketch to final install. Every project I work on is different, but the goal is always the same: to design spaces that are beautiful, deeply functional, and unmistakably attuned to the rhythm of family life.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Has it been a smooth road?
Not entirely, and I don’t think any meaningful business is built without friction. In those early years, I was running Elana Designs while my husband traveled almost every week, which meant learning to hold down a household and a growing business largely on my own. I hadn’t come from a business background, so much of what I know now about running a company, pricing, contracts, systems, hiring, was learned by doing it imperfectly first and refining it as I went.
The design work itself brought its own challenges. Every client comes with a different personality, aesthetic, and set of needs, and part of the job is learning to read that quickly and adapt without losing your own point of view. On the construction side, I’ve dealt with contractors who were unresponsive or who executed my designs incorrectly, deviating from the drawings in ways that compromised the vision. Those situations taught me to build a trusted network of tradespeople on whom I can rely, and to manage projects with the kind of oversight that protects both the design and the client’s timeline.
None of it was smooth, but every misstep sharpened how I run my business today. I built Elana Designs to be the kind of firm I wish I’d had access to when I was starting out, organized, communicative, and unwilling to let a client’s vision get lost in translation.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Elana Designs, LLC?
Elana Designs is a boutique, full-service interior design firm based in Potomac, Maryland, serving families throughout the DMV. We specialize in large-scale renovations, new construction, and full-scope furnishings, guiding a home from first sketch through final installation as a single, seamless project rather than a series of disconnected phases.
What we’re known for is turnkey execution at a high level. Our clients are busy professionals and families, many of them C-suite executives, who are accustomed to white-glove service and have neither the time nor the desire to manage contractors, chase vendors, or make a hundred small decisions themselves. They hire us because they want a true concept-to-completion partner, someone who can take a project from architectural drawings and structural decisions all the way to the last styled shelf, and hand back a home that is finished, livable, and exactly right.
What sets us apart is the range behind the work. My training spans both residential warmth and commercial precision, and it’s rooted in interior architecture rather than decorating, so we think about space planning, structure, and function first, then layer in the beauty. That combination lets us take on projects at a scale and complexity that many boutique firms don’t touch, without ever losing the personal, high-touch relationship that defines the client experience.
What I’m most proud of, brand wise, is that Elana Designs has never chased volume. I take on a select number of clients at a time, by design, so every project gets my full attention and every home reflects the family who lives there rather than a repeatable formula. If there’s one thing I want readers to know about the brand, it’s this, Elana Designs designs spaces that feel like sanctuaries, timeless, thoughtfully layered, and completely bespoke. We handle every detail so our clients don’t have to.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
For prospective clients, the best place to start is a conversation. Whether you’re planning a large-scale renovation, breaking ground on new construction, or doing a full-furnishings project, I’d love to hear about your project and your vision. The best way to start is by filling out the inquiry form on www.elanadesigns.com. From there, we’ll set up a Connection Call to discuss your goals, your timeline, and whether we’re the right fit for each other.
I also welcome collaboration with builders, architects, and trade partners across the DMV, and beyond, who share the same commitment to craftsmanship and communication that we bring to every project. If you’re a fellow professional interested in working together, I’d genuinely like to connect.
For anyone who wants to support the Elana Designs journey, following along on Instagram and sharing our projects with friends or family who might be planning their own renovation or build means more than you’d think. A boutique firm grows largely through word of mouth, and every introduction, referral, and share helps us continue doing the work we love.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.elanadesigns.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elanadesignsllc
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elanadesignsllc
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elana-mendelson-59a7078
