MEET THE ALCHEMIST
MEET THE ALCHEMIST
Owner & Principal Interior Designer
Bachelor of Science in Interior Design
Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Analysis
2023 Innovator Award from Kitchen and Bath Design News
Photo Credit: Christopher Dibble
Angela Garvin is the award-winning Principal Interior Designer at Interior Alchemy, a design company she founded in 2011. With experience in all aspects of Interior Architecture, including some commercial work, Angela specializes in design practice areas where science and art merge together – where details and aesthetics meet to create highly-functional spaces which make life easier for her clients. Focusing on the technical areas of design such as Kitchens, Baths, Lighting, and Remodels, Angela delivers customized design solutions for her clients’ unique lifestyles which save them time and energy when doing what they love to do most.
Angela earned her first Bachelor’s degree in the field of Environmental Analysis where she studied climate change, analyzed the relationships between people and places, and developed science-based solutions to improve people’s lives.
After a decade working for a business consulting firm, Angela returned to school to explore the creative side of positively impacting how people interact with their environment by earning a Bachelor of Science in Interior Design. She founded Interior Alchemy in The Midwest before
moving to Portland, Oregon in 2014. She is also the Kitchen and Bath Design instructor at Heritage School of Interior Design since 2019. In the Spring of 2023, she opened our retail space and studio – the Interior Alchemy Design Gallery – to showcase the best kitchen innovations from around the world.
In October of 2023, Kitchen and Bath Design News – a leading business and design resource for industry professionals named Angela as one of their Innovators who is forging a path forward to the future and pushing the limits of the kitchen and bath design trade through innovation and entrepreneurship.
Angela is passionate about the history of architecture and design, and how the past informs our design vocabulary today. When she isn’t designing, Angela enjoys traveling, going to see live music, exploring Portland’s culinary scene, growing roses, and exploring her neighborhood on foot. She lives with her husband and two whippets in The Alberta Arts District and is mentoring her daughter who has just graduated from Oregon State University.
Kitchen & Bath Design Instructor
HERITAGE SCHOOL OF INTERIOR DESIGN
Portland, Oregon | 2019 to Present
Heritage School of Interior Design approached me in 2019 and asked if I would be interested in sharing my Kitchen & Bath Design expertise as an instructor. My mother and some of my best friends were teachers, so I accepted the position to both update the existing course and teach the class. I honestly thought that it would be an intriguing side hustle at a time where it seemed that all professionals were exploring additional experiences outside of their daily professions. I didn’t expect it to find a more permanent home in my life.
“If you want to master something, teach it.” – Richard Feynman
From teaching students of all ages and backgrounds, I have learned how to communicate the more complex elements of a kitchen and bath remodel, helping my clients better understand the interrelated factors that go into making the best decisions to achieve their objectives, and that knowledge empowers my clients to determine how to get the most value from their investment.
My clients, like my students, have confidence their projects will be successful.
NOW
Some of the things that are inspiring my work right now in the studio: art, music, tools, books, YouTube channels, podcasts and more.
What’s inspiring me now
VISUAL EYE CANDY
James Jean | Visual Artist
Since the moment I began thinking about making our studio’s home in the iconic Fair-Haired Dumbbell, I became obsessed with the building’s origin, the architect who designed it, the community of people who invested love into this space, and the story behind the brightly-colored mural by James Jean that adorns its exterior.
James Jean, a Taiwanese-American painter and sculptor who began his career as a Marvel Comics and DC Comics cover artist, won the international competition to paint his artwork on the FHD exterior.
LISTENING
Pretty Lights | Electronic Music Producer
The music of Pretty Lights carried me through some pretty late nights while working on design projects during my 6 years of design school (over 18 years ago!) while also working full-time. I met Derek Vincent Smith (aka Pretty Lights) on Isla de Roatan in 2015 and was finally able to thank him for the hours of creative fuel he provided. After a break from touring 2018-2023, Pretty Lights came back in full force and the new music he and his live band are putting out there is really grabbing a place in my soul and making an exceptional soundtrack for my design work now.
LEARNING
Midjourney | Artificial Intelligence
Many designers are afraid that AI will replace them. I believe that we are a long way off from AI being able to solve the complex problems that I am solving for my clients. I am exploring how to use AI to quickly work through early creative ideas. Here, for fun, I’ve imagined a custom dog bed in the style of Marcel Breuer’s Wassily Chair but paired with leather formed in the organic vintage style of Kelly Wearstler. This first version was made in a few moments versus a few hours it may have taken in sketching. This tool for faster creative ideation saves money for my clients and helps us visualize results more quickly.
WORK WITH THE AWARD-WINNING ALCHEMIST
Winner of the Kitchen and Bath Design News Magazine Innovator Award
October 2023
KBDN Recognizes a new group of innovators who, through their dedication to design and the industry, are forging the path for the future of the kitchen and bath trade.
Growing up with a father who loved Modernism, Angela Garvin, founder and principal interior designer at Interior Alchemy in Portland, OR, fiercely rejects kitchen designs that offer form without function. After noticing that interesting kitchen ideas being explored in Europe were not as prevalent in the U.S., Garvin set out to build a modern kitchen and bath showroom that would reward its guests for seeking new solutions to make life better.
As someone who values her design community, a driving concept behind Garvin’s showroom was to create a space where creatives could casually mingle and share ideas at happy hour, collaborate on their latest projects and develop lasting friendships. So it was imperative that her showroom offer local craft beer on tap, a DJ booth and a disco ball!
Garvin is an active member of the local chapters of both the Interior Design Society and the National Kitchen and Bath Association. In 2022, she served as a Kitchen and Bathroom Design Judge for the Interior Design Society Designer of the Year Awards. In 2019, she began teaching Kitchen and Bath Design at Heritage School of Interior Design where she still teaches today, both inspiring and guiding the next generation of designers to turn their ideas into reality.
We are a proud member of
THE NATIONAL KITCHEN + BATH ASSOCIATION
Columbia River Chapter
Being a professional member of the NKBA, the world’s largest Kitchen and Bath industry group provides tools, resources, and education to ensure that my expertise stays current and fresh. Every year, I look forward to attending the NKBA’s KBIS – the largest Kitchen and Bath Industry Show in the world – 420,000 square feet of kitchen and products from all over the world and connect with other vendors to provide my clients, other designers, architects, and contractors with best-in-class solutions for their projects. Attending local monthly meetings with the NKBA Columbia River Chapter to learn more about product performance, material specifications, and other regional design work allows me to collaborate with trusted local home professionals who can help me quickly and efficiently meet my clients’ project needs.
INTERIOR DESIGN SOCIETY
Portland, Oregon Chapter
Belonging to the Interior Design Society has given me so many opportunities to both learn from other home professionals and showcase my expertise. In 2022, the national IDS asked me to serve as a kitchen and bath judge for one of the industry’s leading competitions – the Designer of the Year awards – where we recognized visionaries in design for their contribution to raising the bar in our field. With the local IDS Portland Chapter, I’ve been invited to serve on expert panels at the Portland Home Show, hosted events for design professionals, and competed against other designers at the annual Swatched event to raise money for The Children’s Cancer Association. I have made exceptional friends from this local IDS community and I love reconnecting at the monthly meetings with my former students who are forging their own paths forward.
THE MODERNIST SOCIETY
Part of Restore Oregon
As a huge lifelong fan of modernism, I enjoy Restore Oregon’s Modernist Society’s insider view into the best modernist designs Oregon has to offer. Exploring the work of Robert Rummer, Pietro Belluschi, John Storrs, and more has helped ground me to the regional design and architectural history of the Pacific Northwest right in our own backyard. Learning from other professionals, attending lectures, reviewing vintage plans, and touring modern homes with other experts in their field continue to challenge me to grow and learn from the masters.
