Where Our Story Meets Yours
We take seamless processes and marry them with thoughtful design to provide an experience—and final product—you won’t believe is real.
Because here’s the thing… We know interior design projects often get clunky: shifting timelines, frustrating setbacks & shaky communication, oh my! With a longstanding professional background in hospitality and consulting, we go about it in a different way and run your project like a business (but, like, a really fun business).
Clear deliverables, consistent communication, dreamy design & creative solutions for any problem that might pop up… That’s how we do interior design differently.
I mean, who isn’t? Before launching my own design firm, I spent nearly a decade honing my organizational process and getting a psychic-level understanding of people’s needs and desires by working in luxury hospitality and high-end business consulting.
While my extensive corporate background sharpened my knack for clear processes and a mean paper trail, it’s my natural eye for design that pushed me to open my own firm and create thoughtfully designed homes all over Orange County and beyond.
What I know is this: You have impeccable style, but you’re busy. You want a home that feels like you and looks beautiful, yet is livable. With our design approach and professional background, you’ll always know what’s next, never wonder what the F is going on, and finally get the home you want.
The best part? We walk through the full process with you (& make it way more enjoyable).
Hiya, I’m Ali Faulkner.
NOW FOR THE IMPORTANT STUFF
I moved a lot growing up & can make friends anywhere
My go-to uniform is a dress (with pockets, obv) and sneakers
I hit on my husband at Walgreens (true story)
My favorite space to design is a bathroom (I’m 100% #TeamBath)
SENIOR DESIGNER
DESIGNER
DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
Jacqueline was born and raised in Chicago and, in a previous life, worked at a coffee shop and as a bartender. Aka, she loves people and knows how to deliver exactly what they want (and need). She's always had a knack for beauty as an artist herself, but after going to design school, she truly found her calling. When she’s not working, Jacqueline loves camping and hiking, appreciates a good donut, and is known to keep everyone in the office laughing.
A Southern California native, Julia was born and raised in Glendora, a small town in the foothills, aptly named “Glendorable”. While the first portion of her career fell into the corporate event planning & sales realm, a twist of fate (and a “quarter life crisis”, as Julia calls it) led her to the design industry. When she’s not managing operations here at AEF, you can find her scrolling Zillow and dreaming of a renovation with her husband, or chasing her son, Teddy, on the beaches of Laguna.
A native of Orange County, Emma's roots are deep in Coastal California. Graduating with a BFA in Interior Design from Cal State Long Beach, her attention to detail and knowledge of the industry is simply unmatched. When she's not nailing down the finest details on her projects, you can probably find her enjoying a morning matcha with her pup, Mila, sending us pictures of her baby boy, Elliott, or antique shopping at her favorite local spots around town.
ACCOUNTING MANAGER
SENIOR DESIGNER
After growing up in a small town in Northern California, Abagail made her way down to San Diego to explore coastal life and follow her dreams of becoming an interior designer. The mix of her impeccable eye and four years of schooling in architecture and design is exactly the reason she’s our go-to gal for innovative ideas that also *just make sense*. In her spare time, you can find Abagail enjoying long walks with her pups, Shea + Naijah, hosting dinner parties, or swimming in the ocean the second the water temp gets above 62 degrees.
Vicky is a quintessential SoCal gal, born in San Diego and then raised right here in Orange County. With an extensive background in accounting and every single field of construction, Vicky is an integral part of the team that keeps AEF in motion behind the scenes. When she’s not pitching us ideas for how to keep this business running even more efficiently, you can find her putting on parties and events (but seriously, you should see her balloon designs) or laughing with friends, even though she swears she can’t tell a joke.
PROCUREMENT + OFFICE COORDINATOR
“Ali worked closely with me to understand my vision for the space, and executed it perfectly.”
- port streets project
Thoughtfully designed spaces, made for real life. Follow our latest projects & inspo on Instagram at