Margaret Brosnan
May 3
3 min read
"If you look at my work, it doesn't have one distinct style, and that is because each of my clients has had such a wide range of likes and wants. I would like to be remembered for how I personalize one's home-making it feel like their own, but with intentional design decisions made."
If her personality were a piece of furniture, she says she would be a big, wooden kitchen table. It is a fitting metaphor for an interior designer whose ultimate goal is to be approachable, comforting, and a unifying force for the people around her. For this designer, creating a beautiful home is not just about picking the right paint colour; it is about bringing people together through intentional, thoughtful design.
A Foundation Built on Collaboration
Long before she learned the rules of perspective drawing in college, her childhood was defined by imagination and teamwork. While she might not remember the very first physical object she ever made, she vividly remembers the group efforts: turning a friend's garage into a spaceship or a pioneer house, and even running an art camp for the neighbourhood kids when she was in the eighth grade.
Her specific eye for design, however, comes from her grandmother. A painter with a highly unique and personal home, her grandmother taught her the value of meaningful spaces. It was the first house she experienced where every item had a story and belonged there for a reason. Today, she uses that same inherited vision to mentally picture how a space will come together long before the work is even finished.
The Renovation That Changed Everything
Every career has a tipping point. For her, it was the ambitious decision to gut and renovate her own home down to the studs—all while raising two toddlers and working at a design-build company. Realizing she was stretched too thin, she left her job to focus entirely on designing and managing her own house.
It was a trial by fire. Acting as a project manager for the first time, she learned the harsh realities of construction, including navigating different personalities and managing a stressful, month-long delay caused by a 30-foot steel beam. Yet, this challenging roadblock pushed her to deeply understand the trades world. It solidified her dream of running her own business and taught her a crucial lesson: choosing the right people is the absolute most important part of any project.
Classic, Clutter-Free, and Functional
When asked to describe her style in everyday words, her answer is simple: "Classic and clutter-free." But her process is highly strategic.
When starting a brand-new project, she doesn't begin with fabric swatches or tile samples. She starts by sitting down in the client’s space to talk about their daily routines. Using AutoCAD—a drawing tool she has relied on since her earliest portfolio—she focuses entirely on space-planning first. By prioritizing how a room physically functions, she ensures that the beautiful finishes and materials added later truly serve the people living there.
While she always offers her honest, professional opinion on what works best, she deeply respects that the client is the one who has to live in the home. If she ever feels stuck during this creative process, her secret is simple: she steps away from the screen. A quick walk or a good meal is usually all it takes to reset her mind and find fresh ideas.
The Person Behind the Blueprints
Outside of work, she maintains a strong balance between her career and her family. Ironically, her favourite sanctuary is the very kitchen she designed during that stressful home renovation. When her kids are playing, she loves to zone out in her corner of the kitchen with some music, cooking, and baking.
Because of this love for cooking, her favourite everyday objects are things like a good pan, a well-crafted knife, or a simple plate. She appreciates that these items can be designed beautifully, but also serve the vital, daily function of keeping our minds and bodies fueled. To keep her own creative mind fueled, she loves exploring clothing stores to see seasonal colour trends, and wandering through antique markets or bookstores to discover a mix of the old and the new.
Looking to the Future
Over the next five years, her main blueprint for life is straightforward: to build projects with people she connects with, and to bring homeowners joy and comfort in their everyday lives. Professionally, she hopes to eventually design a brand-new build from the ground up to experience full creative control and to expand into more commercial spaces.
Ultimately, she doesn't want to be remembered for one specific, rigid "signature" style. Because every client is different, every home she designs is different. When people look back on her work, she wants them to see deeply personal homes—spaces made to feel like the client's own, built with intentional, lasting design decisions.
Margaret Brosnan - Image courtesy of: Ash Adams Margaret Brosnan - Image courtesy of: Ash Adams Margaret Brosnan - Image courtesy of: Ash Adams Margaret Brosnan - Image courtesy of: Ash Adams Margaret Brosnan - Image courtesy of: Ash Adams Margaret Brosnan - Image courtesy of: Ash Adams Margaret Brosnan - Image courtesy of: Ash Adams Margaret Brosnan - Image courtesy of: Ash Adams Margaret Brosnan - Image courtesy of: Ash Adams Margaret Brosnan - Image courtesy of: Ash Adams Margaret Brosnan - Image courtesy of: Ash Adams Margaret Brosnan - Image courtesy of: Ash Adams Margaret Brosnan - Image courtesy of: Ash Adams Margaret Brosnan - Image courtesy of: Ash Adams Margaret Brosnan - Image courtesy of: Ash Adams Margaret Brosnan - Image courtesy of: Ash Adams Margaret Brosnan - Image courtesy of: Ash Adams
