Our Story
Welcome to Studio Gutow, a full-service interior design firm in Laguna Beach, California. Founded by Lisa Berman and Melissa Rohani, our designs are born holistically through the layered experience both co-founders bring from their pasts. Lisa draws heavily on her heritage that was steeped in art and antiques, while Melissa complements Lisa's vision with a global perspective that was shaped by her background in marketing and antiques sourcing.
Our designs intertwine modern sensibilities with a reverence for history, showcasing curated selections of furniture, lighting, and art in natural palettes and textured materials. We specialize in creating living spaces that are both timeless and deeply personal, blending tradition with innovation to redefine modern elegance. Most recently, Studio Gutow has launched a curated collection of antique, vintage, and modern pieces from around the world, available to purchase through our shop.
Lisa Berman
Principal and Partner
Lisa's design sensibility was shaped by her parents. Her father was an avid collector, and weekends were spent sourcing unique pieces dating back to the 18th century and up to the mid-century era. This early exposure to treasure hunting fostered her love for understanding the provenance of furniture pieces and for integrating history into her work. Hailing from Franklin, Michigan, Lisa attended the Cranbrook Kingswood School and earned her design degree from Harrington College of Design in Chicago. She gained experience at Polo Ralph Lauren, Holly Hunt, and various boutique design firms in Chicago and San Francisco before starting her own business. Over a decade later, her affinity for using vintage pieces in her designs led her to meet Melissa, an antiques shop-owner, who would later become co-founder of Studio Gutow. Lisa lives with her family in Laguna Beach, and can be found drawing inspiration from cutting-edge fashion design and global travel.
Melissa Rohani
Director and Partner
With a background in marketing, partnerships and business development, Melissa leveraged her passion for design to launch a furniture and lighting boutique primarily servicing interior designers. While traveling between Asia, Europe and South America for sourcing trips, Melissa curated a notable collection of antique, vintage and modern furniture, lighting, and textiles. Melissa and Lisa were connected while Lisa was sourcing for her own design clients, and they quickly began working on projects together up and down the California coast. After finishing a long-term project together in Laguna Beach, the two decided to team up and officially launched Studio Gutow. Melissa works closely with Lisa in our design process and business activities, and has led the way in building the Studio Gutow design and operations teams to support the firm's continued growth. Big things to come!
Our Team
Our capable team is made up of skilled designers, project manager, procurement specialist, and operations manager. While our skillsets may be delineated, our small-yet-mighty teamworks together across all of our ongoing projects, and at any given phase of the project. Our process has been finessed over the years, we strive daily to operate together as a well-oiled machine to ensure our client experience is always a positive one. Led by co-founders Lisa and Melissa, our team has a deep knowledge of the interior design industry and have developed strong relationships with vendors in order to serve as advocates for our clients. A project's smooth process - from start to finish - is our team's ultimate priority.
Our Services
Studio Gutow provides comprehensive interior design services for new construction homes and extensive renovations. We create bespoke living spaces that exude beauty and functionality in a way that only a personalized touch can achieve. The key to a successful project is the deep rapport that Lisa, Melissa, and our team establish with each client, ensuring a seamless and meaningful connection. Our sharp focus on project management is critical to ensure projects run on time and stay within budget.
Our full-service design process begins with building a strong relationship our clients and developing a schematic design concept. From there, we hone in on the final design concepts and provide full drawing sets and detailed renderings for the construction team and clients to reference. Our team facilitates the selection, procurement and purchasing of furnishings and design materials, and maintains high-touch communication between the construction team, vendors, and our clients throughout the entire project. We complete our projects with full installation and styling services, ensuring all furnishings are in top condition and the intended layouts are followed. We are partners to our clients from start to finish, offering our expertise to ensure their goals are met with ease.