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Berwyn native Elizabeth Roeder relates interior design to the process of piecing together a puzzle. “I’m looking for that common thread as clients communicate their wish list to me,” says Roeder, who founded Roeder Design Group, a full-service firm specializing in residential interiors, 10 years ago. “A photo, a swatch of fabric, a description of a place they’ve been—it all plays into being able to spot, interpret, decipher and translate their vision. The moment my clients have nodding heads and beaming smiles, that’s the best part of my job.”
Decorating style: A blend of traditional and modern. There are elements of each that I’m drawn to—the warmth and depth of traditional, and the clean lines and purity of modern.
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Favorite room in her house: The kitchen— with its punch of deep red walls contrasted by white cabinetry and black-and-white checkered floors—always feels fresh to me.
Most prized possession: An oil on canvas of a young Austrian girl painted by my great aunt. The color palette is rich, soothing tones of blue and green. It emanates an intimacy through the girl’s facial expression, which calms the overall large scale of the piece.
Designer who inspires her: I worked for a designer in Florida, Lorraine Rogers-Bolton, who could give any style or taste universal appeal.
Colors she couldn’t design without: It’s the variation within each color that I couldn’t do without.
Favorite design trend of the moment: With the influx of home offices and advancements in technology, design has evolved into combining aesthetically pleasing and efficient solutions with options for housing and displaying necessary electronics.
Her definition of good taste: Personal preferences should be shaped and illuminated by the applications of the principles of proportion, color, unity and variety, so the result is pleasing to the eye, body and spirit.
Three words that best sum up her design style: Classic, tailored, integrated.
Her favorite project: The master bedroom of the 2006 Vassar Show House. During the course of preparation, a robin built herself a nest in the flower box outside one of the windows. Just in time for the opening, the eggs hatched, bringing an unexpected feature to the room.
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