Words by Sophia Markoulakis
When interior designer Amy Fischer was young, she learned to draw scaled bedroom floor plans from her engineer father. “I fell in love with interior design in third grade and never looked back,” she says of her lifelong passion. “I would draw these floor plans before moving my furniture around and always asked for design accents for my bedroom for birthdays and holidays.”
As the founder and principal designer of Spectrum Interior Design, Amy is now drawing scaled floor plans for her clients, whose projects average between 8,000 and 25,000 square feet. As the name suggests, her firm encompasses the full range of home design services. Silicon Valley, the land of high-end properties, is her niche. The full-service luxury estate design business isn’t for the faint of heart—conceptualizing, managing and implementing projects of this scale requires immense attention to detail and plenty of patience. It’s something that Amy’s worked toward her whole life. And now, after being in the industry for 27 years, the designer knows that being hyper-prepared is a valuable asset for busy clients. “I can cover progress on a 25,000-square-foot home in an hour-long meeting,” she says.
Cover Photo Courtesy of: Dreamside Design / Portrait Photo Courtesy of: Vivian Johnson
Amy’s 4,000-square-foot Mountain View headquarters functions as an open studio, a library of construction and finishing materials, and a home accents showroom for her bespoke offerings, which include seasonal decor services for her existing clients. Though most of her business is referral-based, Amy still looks for additional ways to make her services compelling, providing options for efficient decision-making that resonate with her clientele. “With the Silicon Valley mindset, these clients require facts and vetted variables instead of artistic concepts. During our meetings, I will hand-draw options and then provide pros and cons for each,” she explains.
The Los Altos native started her career working for a custom builder while earning her interior design degree. “I really pay tribute to working 15 years with that luxury custom home builder, because it was there that I learned the value of a talented team and collaborating with the architect and builder for the most successful outcome,” Amy says.
Photo Courtesy of: Dreamside Design
Those lessons helped launch Spectrum in 2012. “Having a team in place and looking at a project from the architectural and construction lens early on really streamlines the process,” Amy shares. “And with the mindset of this being completed as an interior design space, it creates a streamlined and better client experience.” For the majority of her design projects, she acts as the liaison advocate on behalf of the client and coordinates with the builder, architect and landscape designer.
Many of Amy’s clients work with her long after the dust has settled and they’ve moved in. She offers a la carte services such as holiday decorating (plus storing the items and keeping an inventory) and has even decorated a yacht or two. “We have clients who need consulting on large-scale events at their homes and we coordinate with event planners,” she says. “We build strong relationships with clients over four years and we hate to say goodbye, so whatever helps to support their lifestyle from the perspective of design, we do.”
Photo Courtesy of: Dreamside Design
Since the pandemic, Amy notes that her clients are looking to incorporate the elevated experiences that they encounter during their travels into their houses. She finds that local executives tend to work very hard and want their homes to be a refuge. “They want the spa experience at home with things like an infra-red dry sauna, steam baths and cold plunges,” Amy says, adding that pretty much every project she’s currently working on includes a cold plunge.
Other trends Amy’s seeing? Technologically enhanced lighting for wine displays and cellars, home theaters with fiber optic ceilings mimicking a starry night sky, two laundry rooms and multiple outdoor dining rooms for specific types of entertaining.
Photography Courtesy of: Vivian Johnson
Though she’s savvy about including trending experiences, Amy’s own design aesthetic trends toward the timeless and is focused on implementing what the client finds beautiful and calming. “Our clients have an appreciation for beauty and are looking for opportunities to experience it in the home,” she stresses.
When Amy isn’t working on other people’s houses, she enjoys spending time on the coast with her husband and two dogs. She also enjoys painting and detailed still-life drawings. Her two children, both in college in Southern California, have helped with the business, and her husband, a project manager in the construction industry, was instrumental in launching Spectrum’s home accessories and seasonal decor division.
As a busy entrepreneur herself, Amy understands her clients. “The Silicon Valley growth mindset is inherent in what we do,” she says. “Tech’s innovation and the commitment to excellence is so rooted in the area and its culture, and is very specific to who we serve.”