About

Hoechstetter Interiors is a high end residential and small commercial interior design firm based in Mill Valley, California (in the San Francisco Bay Area) which caters to discering clients who value superb quality, service, value, unique custom solutions, gracious living – and having fun. We specialize in beautiful, transparent solutions for aging in place, universal design, and accessible design, and that are pet friendly, for those who share their homes with furry creatures.

We take the load off of your shoulders and free you to spend your time doing what you do best and enjoy the most.

Formally trained in interior architecture and design at California College of Arts & Crafts and the University of CA at Berkeley Extension, and in the process of obtaining formal certification as an aging in place specialist and in green design, Wendy Hoechstetter apprenticed with prominent San Francisco interior designer Michael Merrill, and is now accepting select private clients. Raised from birth around the interior design and couture fashion industries, first on a construction site in second grade, and involved in her first interior design project at the age of 9, Wendy also brings a lifetime of knowledge of fine textiles, furniture, antiques, art, and accessories to to clients, and an intuitive sense of space, color, proportion and how things go together. She has experience with a wide range of residential projects with budgets from $100,000 to $1.67 billion.

A former career as a paramedic honed her listening, analytical, and problem-solving skills, making her uniquely qualified to assess the needs of differently-abled people in the built environment. Wendy is highly skilled at discovering all clients’ unique needs and desires, even uncovering those that they themselves did not realize they had, and spends a great deal of time getting to know her clients so as to best serve their needs.

Wendy’s educational background also includes a degree in Spanish and Linguistics from Georgetown University, graduate business coursework at Golden Gate University, preceeded by a lifetime at a prestigious college prep school for girls, the Winchester Thurston School in Pittsburgh, PA.

Wendy does not have a unique style, but prefers to tailor the design solution precisely to each client’s individual needs and preferences, and enjoys working with a broad range of styles. Projects range from the very traditional to the transitional to the very contemporary, from the very colorful and highly detailed to the more serene, peaceful, mono/achromatic palette for which her former employer is justly renowned. All projects, however, share a certain eclecticism, freely mixing the antique with the contemporary in varying proportions. All share a sense of supreme comfort, and the use of the very best and most luxurious products and materials, and all receive the same meticulous attention to detail.

The firm’s philosophy is that both beauty and functionality are necessary to create an interior that works. It is essential to consider the client’s actual lifestyle needs and preferences, and not to overdesign. It is not the designer’s job to dictate everything but to guide, coordinate, and educate the client, working within the parameters the client has laid out, while still expanding their horizons. It is also important to incorporate elements that are most meaningful to the client, regardless of what they are or where they come from. Not everything needs to be precious.

Services include full turnkey design, hourly consultations, space planning, color consultation, project management, kitchen and bath design, custom furniture, cabinetry and millwork design, selection and placement of art and antiques, purchasing services, and more.

While we are based in the San Francisco area, we also welcome interesting projects anywhere else, nationally or internationally.