“The room is much more beautiful than we could have ever imagined. Thanks to all the volunteers and donations, patients will receive their chemotherapy in this peaceful, tranquil room for years to come,”
Barbara Goodwill, RN.
“Thank you Nicole for taking the time necessary to listen to my needs and understanding exactly what interior design help I need. I am so happy with the first phase and am looking forward to the full transformation and the journey! You Rock!”
Sherena J., Corona Del Mar
“Nicole, thank you so much for coming out to our home today. We learned a lot from you and are looking forward to moving on with this project…you have a trained eye for color and we appreciate that, and you!”
Karen H, Orange
| I am: |
an interior designer, International Interior Design Association (IIDA) member, author, animal lover and advocate. clandestine singer and dancer. a good supporter |
| I love: |
laughter. my dog, my family. horses. the coast, cool mornings, tea, a phenomenal outfit. helping others. connecting with people, contributing. feeling joyful, having fun. art history, anything that moves me. |
| Beauty is: |
natural, from within. |
| I am fascinated by: |
beautiful art. vibrant joyful people, travel. texture. |
| I see: |
life and the world from a different perspective. an artist’s eye. beauty, the opportunity for change. |
| I believe: |
in a better life by design. my gifts are for me to share. our environment affects us. always. |
| My causes: |
animals. we were always rescuing abandoned and abused animals growing up.
donating design time to charity to design nurturing, beautiful spaces for treatment and recovery.
supporter of Susan G. Komen Foundation and Olive Crest for Strong Families, Safe Kids |
Frequently Asked Questions:
I specialize in interior design for healing, health and wellness for individuals and businesses that struggle with outdated, drab interiors, or just don’t know where to begin to create a beautiful, supportive healing environment for their clients or for themselves.
My focus as a designer is to give each client fresh, beautiful interiors that help them heal from the inside out, help them feel welcome and supported and that are as individual as each of them.
I also realize that people have opinions, tastes and needs when it comes to the style and design of their spaces, but perhaps have trouble articulating them, or have trouble understanding what the space itself needs. My job is to discover what those needs and wants are and to translate those into fresh, new solutions that will help them, in the form of color, textiles, furniture, lighting, a space plan and overall flow of the space.
Aside from being completely passionate about people being comfortable in their space and enjoying it to the fullest,
I truly believe environment affects everything, from how we feel to how we heal.™
Going through design school, and even after completing my degree, I worked for several holistic health practitioners, chiropractors and a Reiki master, as well as a traditional Western doctor. I began to see how important the role of our environment is in our health. Patients were happier and seemed to heal faster in better environments, and the staff was happier, too. And, although I began to work toward a career as a residential designer, I found myself drawn to applying my design work in a larger way, I just didn’t know in exactly what way I would do so.
I would get that answer later in my career and would really come to understood how important environment is to everyone involved in a patient’s healing. In July of 2012, I was asked to join an elite group of designers that transform chemotherapy rooms and facilities. The very first project I was asked to design was for a hospital in resort town in Northern California, with a small budget and a lot of need. Their chemo treatment program had been moved from the trailer in the parking lot to a windowless room that was also used as a storage area and from first sight, I imagined how difficult it must be to face a life-threatening illness, much less to receive treatment in that drab, tired room. The mountain setting was beautiful, but there were no windows to be able to connect to the outside beauty or to even just pass the time while taking treatment. The color of the walls glowed a light green color under the fluorescent lights, the flooring was yellowing and the nurses had to constantly work around unusable equipment and boxes that were also stored in the room.
The day we opened the doors and gave them their new treatment room, everyone’s life changed and I knew my path in design had changed, too. The doctors and nurses were so happy to spend time in the rooms! The patients hugged me, crying, overjoyed that they had privacy, soft lighting and comfortable chairs and their families approached me with teary eyes and hugs, telling me how much it meant to them that their dad or sister had such a comfortable, pretty place to rest and take treatment. That afternoon, with the snow falling softly around me, I left the hospital with my team and started to cry quietly. They had thanked me, but it was I that felt overwhelming gratitude. I had been given the opportunity to provide healing from the inside out…comfort, happiness and beauty to a group of people who so deserving and who are so dedicated to healing and supporting others, and I away from that with a desire to do so much more.
Creating a beautiful, supportive, comforting space is always my first goal and the people who will inhabit the space and the space itself are definitely top of mind. My firm is based in coastal southern California and I take much of my inspiration from the incredible beauty of the area, with it’s vibrant hues and varied textures. I love pattern, color and texture, like a beautiful piece of ironwork on a building or even the pattern of light through the trees and I’m always thinking of ways to play with and blend these things with the client’s needs.
As a Southern California native, my style is largely influenced by the easy, relaxed way of living we enjoy here. We have enough stress in our lives! I think our interiors should support our health and well-being on all levels. I appreciate a fresh, clean look and a traditional style, combining regional elements, like Southern Mediterranean or Eastern European, or from a period or movement in history, like Mid-Century or Art Deco, and combining those with some of the current trends. I enjoy playing with history, reworking it and making it interesting, inviting and personal. I have spent most of my life by the coast and work to bring those experiences and elements into my designs in some manner.
I offer my services in several ways, so my clients can receive the best results for their investment in my services, and charge on a per-project basis – depending on the scope of work – or on an hourly basis. This allows me to serve clients no matter the size of their projects and I really do work to be as flexible as possible to help my clients get the end result they have in mind. I think most people would be surprised at how much benefit they can receive from the experienced, educated eye of a designer.
Since design needs vary so much from client to client, and project to project, we begin by discussing your project, your specific struggles and how I may best be able to be a resource for you. Once we’ve had an opportunity to determine the level of design services that best fits your vision for your space and have established what your needs are for your own particular situation, we’ll discuss what services may best help you, which will determine your investment in our services. Some situations require more design work than others and so we adjust for each project and situation.
We begin by scheduling a complimentary initial design assessment, which will be done via phone. I ask that you complete and return our brief questionnaire prior to our call, which I find also helps organize your thoughts about the space, so I can best understand what you would like to achieve. To begin the process, simply call 949-436-4524 or email nicole at cdgdesign.com to schedule your design assessment.
Yes, I work with both healthcare and residential design clients outside the Southern California area. However, I always work with health and wellness practitioners and chemotherapy treatment centers in-person. We are able to complete some residential projects via distance design, though I prefer to have at least one visit to the space.