ABOUT
residential interior Design studio
Creativity takes courage.
Creativity takes courage.
Henri Matisse
Kalya Vardi
Even as a child, Kalya was drawn to interior design. Her family moved often—an experience with pros and cons. Overall though, Kalya enjoyed getting to know new people and places—and making each new bedroom her own! As an adult, she found opportunities to personalize each apartment and, eventually, renovate her own home. Family and friends also turned to her for help with their spaces.
In 2021, Kalya left her job as a physician to pursue a career in interior design. It was a difficult decision to say the least! Ultimately, she found the courage to set aside expectations—other people’s and her own—to honor her own needs and talents.
Kalya brings many of the same skills she developed as a doctor to her new profession. Both demand hard work, critical thinking and clear communication. And your home, like your health, can be a deeply personal thing to share with someone else. Kalya appreciates every opportunity to connect with clients and aspires to always treat people with empathy and kindness.
Kalya lives in San Diego with her husband and two kids. Her home reflects her individual style and values. It’s filled with art, light and toys! The walls are white, but the décor is colorful. There’s old and new, one-of-a-kind and Ikea, live plants and quartz countertops. It’s a work in progress—far from perfect—and that’s okay!
founder, principal designer
We are not a interior design studio.
How do you define luxury? Oftentimes, we use the word luxury to signal that something is expensive and therefore, out of reach for most people. Sure, luxury can also mean special. But it’s not just the product that’s special. If you can afford it, you’re special too. Luxury means status.
At (H)OURS, one of our core values is inclusivity, so these definitions of luxury just don’t work for us. Many people can’t afford a home, never mind deck it out with vintage designer furniture and custom everything else. To be clear, I am not against those things, especially when we celebrate and support the artists and craftspeople behind them. But I want people to know that you don’t need those things to experience good design.
I also want people to know that there is real value in good design. So many of us are worried about money and feel guilty about spending it on something unnecessary—a luxury. A well-designed space has the power to improve our daily lives, including our emotional well-being, relationships, and productivity. Hiring a designer could even save you money (and reduce waste) by helping you avoid costly mistakes and make wise choices that will stand the test of time.
On the Business of Home podcast, host Dennis Scully shared his hope that people will start to view interior designers more like accountants. Maybe you don’t need an accountant, but you hire one because doing your taxes is hard and you don't want to mess it up. Or maybe you'd rather spend your limited time and energy elsewhere. Not everyone can afford an accountant, but we don’t see them as luxury service providers.
So, if you’re dissatisfied with your space, please don’t feel intimidated or guilty about hiring an expert. At (H)OURS, we get excited about projects big and small. If you can’t afford everything on your wish list, we can help you narrow the scope or break it into phases. We can also be flexible about what services we include in our estimate to better match your needs and budget. We charge by the hour, so if we spend less time on your project, you spend less money on our services.
We’re not the right fit for everyone, but we’re happy to talk it through. Shoot us an email or give us a call—the initial consult is free! I look forward to hearing from you,
Kalya
luxury
“I never knew how great it could be working with a content creator who GETS it. Mathilde really gets it.”
I'm baby farm-to-table sartorial helvetica, migas marfa paleo chambray normcore 8-bit bushwick roof party truffaut banjo actually. YOLO health goth jean shorts forage farm-to-table flannel. Brooklyn hexagon biodiesel af, man bun literally salvia live-edge fixie cornhole freegan.
- rachel, photographer
(H)OURS style
Individuality, creativity, statement pieces, personal treasures, timeless materials, sustainability, collaboration, fun.
NOT (H)ours style
Exclusivity, trends, design rules, bigger is better, more is more, quick fixes, competition, clutter, other people's expectations.
agree? we're probably a great fit.
