OWNER / LEAD DESIGNER - Sheila O'Rourke

"I spent my childhood drawing house plans. One of my favorite presents as a child was a drafting table I received at age 10. I went to college for architecture but, when I got there, became intimidated by the ambiguity of a creative endeavor (how do you get an A?!). I switched to engineering, where there was no ambiguity! I graduated from undergrad in the 1990s when the software industry was taking off, moved to San Francisco, and started a career in software development.

I weaved my way back towards designing for the human experience, as I specialized in the information architecture of computer games and websites. I was the Design Director of a large educational website for a decade. I excelled in the creative science of designing cyberspaces but missed the tactile and personal experience of designing physical spaces. In short, I craved using all of my senses in my work – touch, talk, smell, sight, sound. Finally, I could not ignore my original calling any longer. I went back to graduate school and earned a Master’s Degree in Fine Arts in Interior Architecture. My sub-concentration was historic preservation. My thesis was on the power of physical space to affect our well-being, based on the belief that the spaces we occupy have profound effects on our physical, mental and spiritual health.

After a stint (4 seasons) as a designer for HGTV’s Love It or List It, I started my own firm based in downtown Durham, NC. My current work is a culmination of three decades of life experience. I have traveled extensively. I have lived in San Francisco, New York City, Paris, Vietnam, and Durham. Yoga is my church & I have done multiple yoga teacher trainings. My superpowers are empathy, spatial geometry, and visual sensitivity, mixed with a strong dose of killer project management skills. I am energized and inspired by the puzzle of discovering my client’s bliss, and then creating a home that manifests that state. I am a catalyst, I am an empath, I am a lover of textures, colors, and story. And I love love love what I do. "

SEE SHEILA AS THE "DAILY INSPIRATION" IN VOYAGE RALEIGH!!!