Anthology Interiors’ Anna-Marie Classen tells stories with design
Anna-Marie Classen, founder and chief designer of Anthology Interiors of Newport Beach, creates harmonious home interiors that are mostly modern in style. These designs range from a cosmetic revamp for a room, to a full home remodel, to collaborating with the client, architect, and builder as the home is being built. “I love to work on new homes,” she says, “as the planning and building is very extensive and there are many decisions to make, including plumbing, the cabinet designs, and the lighting.”
Classen confidently explains, “We excel at smoothing out the design, furniture sourcing, and construction process, planning according to schedule and working well with the vendors and subcontractors. We also emphasize function over form, ensuring the home fits perfectly for the client.”
Classen has been enamored with home design since receiving her first dollhouse at age nine. Yet she didn’t start her own design firm until she had been out of college for several years and had worked in public relations. “I learned a lot about client services in public relations,” she explains, “about putting the client first, which is a big focus of how we work with clients at Anthology.”
Classen met her husband, Brian, while attending Vanderbilt University in Nashville. They settled in Southern California after college and then moved to Indiana in 2004, as her husband attended law school there. While living there, she decided to take a three-year course in home design. “I learned about color theory, floor planning, how to put a room together, the basics of construction, electrical systems, plumbing elements, code requirements, and how to plan rooms on the computer.”
When the Classens returned to Orange County in 2007, she interned for five years with established designers in Newport Beach and Laguna Beach. When she started her own design firm in 2012, she named it Anthology because, “An Anthology is a collection of stories, poems, or writings, just as your home tells your story through a collection of your own tasks, discoveries, and memories.” She worked alone for a few years, hiring two designers in 2015 to assist her. “We are a very small team and very client-centric,” she explains.
Several years ago, Anna-Marie Classen and her family moved into a mid-20th-century modern home that she remodeled. “I wanted clean and modern. I was one of my hardest clients. But I love my home and where we live. My husband, two teenagers, and I could live there for the rest of our lives.”
Anna-Marie Classen
Anthology Interiors
948.375.1751
anthologyinteriors.com
@anthologyinteriors
