Meet Michelle

“I am going to make everything around me beautiful, that will be my life.”

-         Elsie de Wolfe

 At Brown Haven, we know that home is not only a place but also a feeling. We are fully aware that a change of environment can truly change a person’s life. We believe that the more people who choose to build with Brown Haven, the more lives we can change. That’s the Brown Haven difference; that’s why Brown Haven is always the right choice.

Michelle, our lead designer, explains it this way, “To create the most beautiful architecture, blended with amazing interiors that make families feel like they’ve comehome- that is my dream!” When she designs a home, she isn’t just thinking about product placement or our company’s bottom line, she creates home designs with communities and families in mind. She creates homes that are just that,homes, places and spaces where families grow and spend time together season after season.

Michelle’s interest in interior design and architecture started at an early age. Frequently her parents would return home to find their daughter had completely rearranged furniture and decor. If there were little girls playing with Barbies, then Michelle was the type who might consider how to more effectively redesign the Barbie dream house. By middle school, she was passing time sketching out home designs and floor plans, daydreaming of one day bringing her design dreams to fruition. As an adult, she frequently finds herself waking up in the middle of the night to scratch out her ideas on a notepad she keeps on her nightstand. That’s the thing about Michelle, interior design and floor plans have always been her passion - it’s what she has always wanted to do with her life. Her goal: creating beautiful homes where families and friends come together. She’s in the business of curating happiness.

The Road to Brown Haven and a Home Designer’s Dream

                Michelle began her career journey at the University of West Georgia where she graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a concentration in Interior Design.  While in college, she engaged in a concentrated study of art history, as well as the history of residential and commercial design. Michelle has researched past and present design styles, as well as the science and unique psychology behind color and lighting. During this time, she also took advantage of the opportunity to study art, architecture, and design abroad in both Italy and France.

     After graduating college, Michelle felt drawn to return to her roots here in North Georgia where she was immediately employed as an interior designer at a boutique design studio. She worked there for ten years creating floor plans and helping clients decide on exterior and interior finishes of high-end homes in the mountains of North Georgia and Western North Carolina. She loved the process of helping families create their dream home; however, while she gained valuable experience, she wanted an opportunity for more growth as a designer.

In 2013 Michelle had a chance meeting at a local home show with John Allen, President and owner of Brown Haven Homes. Michelle was impressed with the vision of the company and the quality homes built by Brown Haven. She was particularly impressed with the inclusive, family-oriented culture of the company, and knew she wanted to be part of our growing team. As a result of her leadership abilities, design talent and eye for building and decorating trends, Michelle quickly became the company’s lead designer 

Through her years of experience working closely with customers, Michelle began to notice some common stumbling blocks in the home planning process. Inevitably, clients struggled with four things: choosing interior and exterior finishes, floor plan design, budgeting, and making changes after building commenced. Michelle explains the inspiration behind creating a curated collection at Brown Haven Homes, “From the beginning of my career, almost all my clients expressed the exact same sentiment when it came to designing their home. They know what they want but they have no idea how to put it together.” For Michelle, it really came down to helping her customers make their dream home a reality, “I wanted to take the stress out of how to put this puzzle together. I love to use that analogy when relating to my homeowners because it really is like a puzzle that needs all the perfect pieces in order to fit. And if one piece doesn’t fit the rest can’t work. So, it’s natural that clients have anxiety about all these little pieces coming together because they do mean so much to the overall look and feel of a home.”

In an effort to streamline the home design and selection process and better meet the individual needs of her customers, Michelle’s curated home collection was born. Her exquisite home designs marry quality construction and aesthetics, with an intelligent, practical floor plan. Her priority is making the home buying process stress-free by taking the anxiety out of choosing a home design right for you and your family.While some designers have a signature look, Michelle knows the most important aspect of home designing is creating a home that fits the personality of the homeowners. “I don’t like to impart my personal style on my clients; I think it’s more important to listen to what they want and make their vision come to life.  And that’s what I did when I created these collections. I listened to what our customers were saying about the colors and products they loved and put the collections together to appeal to the most discerning client. “

With her passion for home design, love of people, and heart for community, we know you’re going to love Michelle and her curated collection as much as we do.  Stop in today at any of our design centers and experience the collection firsthand.