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balance design studio
portfolio
process
about
philosophy
press
sustainability
more
instagram
contact
portfolio
process
about
philosophy
press
sustainability
more
instagram
contact
Ruminations on more with less. 

Fine print: 
I use AI to create renderings of spaces like this one that don't yet exist.

I sometimes use AI help me with words. But I didn't in this case.
I am making an effort to share a bunch of new work with y'all. This image is hot off the presses. It's a treasured collab with @performancebuildingsupply. 
Notice the engraved nautilus on the wood paneling? It's a door to a utility space :0

That&rsq
Unpacking some rage bait to understand who designs kitchens and how their services differ.
This corner may look simple…until you have to carry in the *crazy* heavy corner piece of stone and slide it into a corner with not one but TWO windows without nicking any adjacent surfaces. Super impressed and grateful for the talents of my fr
Getting a little closer every day...

Contractor: @mgmbuilders 
Thinker upper: me
From this morning's trade news: "The era of all-white homes appears to be ending—and the pendulum has swung sharply in the opposite direction. For The Wall Street Journal, Laura Hine explores the varying ways the recent embrace of maximali
I just listened to my second Futurist presentation by @fashionsnoops saying that the future of home is no longer driven by: Big-Perfect-More. We’ve caught on to advertising distortion. We’re exhausted by excess, division, and tech bros wh
AFTER / BEFORE

Never ever did I think I'd get to design a wavy valence for a client. *joyful sigh*

The third image is a picture of my notes when I first spoke to this client. 

Some distinctions of this design:

1. The laminate front base cabinets
This showroom display isn't for everyone. And that's OK. This display is a beginning, a self-imposed push outside my comfort zone to explore how kitchen designers can strive for better environmental outcomes. 

The 1970s pantry and the sink cabinet w
When you think of a sustainable kitchen, it’s common think of the cabinets and counters. But the fridge is the 800-pound sustainability gorilla in the room.

Unlike cabinets and counters, the fridge draws power 24x7 and is made with metal and (
I've read *three* articles on the controversy surrounding Pantone's choice for Color of the Year for 2026 (a gray-white...swipe to see). I've read that white is a bad choice because it "perpetuates the blandification of home when what we really
Hey my social peep friends - if you're heading to KBIS in Feb, come check out my sustainability talk!

If you're a kitchen designer, this talk is for you. I've done a *ton* of research for this with no other goal than to support my fellow kitchen des

38 diamond street
portland, me 04101

catherine@balancedesign.studio
(207) 272-4025

      site design + words by balance design studio  :   photography by humans